Honestly, how cool is Mary King?! She’s not just a five-star winner, she’s also now a marathon runner — oh, and she’s sailed the Atlantic, too, because apparently her capacity for adrenaline is completely and utterly untouchable. We love to see eventers doing great things, and her run in the London Marathon over the weekend wasn’t just a super new challenge for herself — it was also a way to raise vital funds for the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. What a woman.
National Holiday: It’s National Vodka Day. Cheers.
US Weekend Action:
Fleur de Leap H.T. (Folsom, La.): [Website] [Results]
Jump Start H.T. and Area VIII Championships (Lexington, Ky.): [Website] [Results]
Larkin Hill H.T. (North Chatham, Ny.): [Website] [Results]
The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm + Area II Championships (Adamstown, Md.): [Website] [Results]
Middle Tennessee Pony Club H.T. (Nashville, Tn.): [Website] [Results]
Moqui Meadows H.T. (Greeley, Co.): [Website] [Results]
Spokane Sport Horse Seventh Annual Fall H.T. (Spokane, Wa.): [Website] [Results]
Sundance Farm H.T. (Plymouth, Wi.): [Website] [Results]
Willow Draw Charity Show (Weatherford, Tx.): [Website] [Results]
UK Weekend Action:
Osberton International (2) and British Young Horse Championships: [Results]
Little Downham (4): [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
As we head towards the tail end of another season, it’s a useful time to review rule changes that came into play over the last few months. Chief among them? This summer’s addition of the Compulsory Retirement rule, which comes into play if you have five or more rails down in the showjumping. Brush up on what the rule means — and why it exists — courtesy of US Eventing. [Rule Refresher: What is the Compulsory Retirement Rule?]
Is your horse obeying your commands — or has he shut down? Get to grips with the concept of learned helplessness, and its effects on your horse’s wellbeing, and you’ll learn to spot it when it creeps into your training programme — and that’ll help you lots in the long run. [The Slippery Slope to Learned Helplessness in Horses]
Take a sneak peek at next week’s inaugural Maryland 5 Star, and get P.Dutty’s top tips for drop fences, all in the latest edition of Practical Horseman Extra! [Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill • Dutton’s Tips for Drops]
I’ve spent three decades trying to pick up whatever wins I can, but this 17-month old kiddo has just managed her first victory. Maybe the issue is that I haven’t been dressed as a bee? I’ll try it and report back. [Tiny ‘busy bee’ rider wins at her first show – at 17 months old]
The FutureTrack Follow:
Okay, it’s WAY too early to start thinking about the holiday season, but I’ll admit I felt a few warm and fuzzies browsing through the tiny equestrian paintings — and their tiny, hanging frames that turn them into one-of-a-kind ornaments! — created by Studio 31. Their Instagram provides some great inspiration if you’re a bit arty-minded.
Morning Viewing:
Take a turn around Stable View’s Oktoberfest CCI3*-S with Elisa Wallace and Munson Slew, ahead of their run in Maryland’s CCI3*-L next week!
