Matt Flynn’s Wizzerd demonstrates optimal knees-over-nostrils form while jumping one of Thoresby’s wide tables. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
What a treat it is to be back out eventing! I often read EN’s early-season coverage with a pang of envy, because everything gets going so much earlier Stateside. But that makes it feel all the sweeter when my first reporting gig of the season rolls around, and the inaugural Thoresby Spring Carnival of Eventing truly didn’t disappoint, offering five-star bound competitors a real challenge to prepare them for a certain couple of events coming up over the next month. As of today, we’re officially one month away from the first horse inspection at Badminton – and I, for one, am giddy with excitement about how it could all play out!
National Holiday: It’s National Window Safety Week. Whatever happened to fun?!
US Weekend Action:
Stable View Spring 2*/3*/4* (Aiken, Sc.): [Website] [Results] [EN’s Coverage]
Galway Downs International H.T. (Temecula, Ca.): [Website] [Results]
Morven Park Spring H.T. (Leesburg, Va.): [Website] [Results]
Rocking Horse Spring H.T. (Altoona, Fl.): [Website] [Results]
UK Weekend Results:
Thoresby Spring Carnival of Eventing: [Results] [EN’s Coverage]
Oxstalls: [Results]
Your Monday Reading List:
Horse&Hound‘s series of exposes on the poor conditions in many grooms’ jobs continues on apace. This time, the groom in question was put through so much hell that she was actually glad, in the end, to suffer an injury on a par with being hit by a car, because it gave her an escape route from her miserable job.
Poor treatment and crazy hours aren’t the only issue grooms face in many jobs. Our industry has historically been a pretty unregulated one, at least as far as employment law is concerned, and I wrote this piece for Noelle Floyd a few years ago examining how working students should actually be compensated. Spoiler alert: most positions aren’t actually legal.
You probably spend plenty of money every month on top quality hard feeds and supplements for your horse. But how much thought are you putting into his forage? HorseSport dives into the nutritional science of this cornerstone of the equine diet and offers some great advice for keeping the hindgut healthy even if hay isn’t an option.
Researchers are searching for answers as to why some horses bleed into their lungs during intense exercise. The condition — called exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage, or EIPH — can be seen in some upper-level event horses, and often manifests itself as a nosebleed that can, over time, be career-ending. Find out more about the physiology of EIPH and whether it’s being considered a major cause for concern here.
If you’ve ever PayPalled someone for a cup of spunk, this one’s for you. COTH blogger Camilla Mortensen has been working on picking out a long-distance husband for her mare, Cairo, and found that the process of picking Mr Right takes rather a lot of thought.
The FutureTrack Follow:
Hallie Coon and last year’s Seven-Year-World Champion Cute Girl are quickly establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with, with two second-place finishes notched up in the smattering of weeks they’ve been together. Give Hallie a follow to watch their journey unfold — hopefully all the way to Paris in 2024.
Morning Viewing:
It’s always interesting to see how other riders prepare their youngsters for an eventing debut – and here’s how vlogger and amateur eventer Meg Elphick is managing her spring with her green bean.
