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I’m still shoulders-deep in writing all sorts of fascinating Pratoni content for you all from my dreamy trip to Italy, but I wanted to make the time, and the space, to highlight one story in particular that stood out to me — that of 62-year-old Beat Sax who, after over forty years of eventing, finally got to make his team debut for Switzerland in the Nations Cup competition, riding his only horse, Secret IV. That the Swiss ultimately won the competition is the cherry on top of the cake — I don’t think I saw anyone happier to realise a dream this week than Beat, who was also a galvanising force in the team’s cohesive spirit, too. There’s a forty year age gap between him and his teammate Nadja Minder, and that, to me, is one of the things that makes eventing truly brilliant.
National Holiday: It’s National Mimosa Day. I celebrate this daily, but okay.
US Weekend Action:
Tryon International Spring Three-Day Event (Mill Spring, Nc.): [Website] [Results]
Galway Downs Spring H.T. (Temecula, Ca.): [Website] [Results]
Hitching Post Farm H.T. (South Royalton, Vt.): [Website] [Results]
Majestic Oaks Ocala H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Results]
Spokane Sport Horse Spring H.T. (Spokane, Wa.): [Website] [Results]
Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, Tx.): [Website] [Results]
Unionville May H.T. (Unionvilla, Pa.): [Website] [Results]
WindRidge Farm Spring H.T. (Mooresboro, Nc.): [Website] [Results]
Winona H.T. (Hanoverton, Oh.): [Website] [Results]
UK Weekend Action:
Chatsworth International: [Results]
Floors Castle International: [Results]
Aston-le-Walls (2): [Results]
Firle: [Results]
Llanymynech: [Results]
Mendip Plains: [Results]
Global Eventing Coverage:
FEI Nations Cup CCIO4*-S/WEG Test Event (Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy): [Website] [Results] [EN’s Coverage]
Your Monday Reading List:
So much of modern-day horse care and conditioning feels like it comes down to arbitrary barometers passed along over generations. In a bid to bring science and subjectivity into the equation, though, researchers in Australia are working on developing a microchip that charts body temperature, helping caregivers better manage the critical cool down period after strenuous exercise. [Is it getting hot in here?]
The use of CBD products has skyrocketed around the world. But can it help your horse, or is it just another snake oil fad? [Pass us the sticky icky icky]
Ever wondered what it might be like to abandon your normal life in the US and hurl yourself headlong into UK eventing culture? The answer is ‘wet, mostly’, if you ask me, but rider and writer Lindsey Colburn has much more interesting insights for you in her latest blog. [It’s been a rollercoaster]
The FutureTrack Follow:
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If you’re a fan of eventing art, you’ll be as enchanted by Daniel Crane’s work as I am — particularly his atmospheric paintings of the Badminton trot-up and stables. Bliss.
Morning Viewing:
Want to cling on to Pratoni’s sunshine and good vibes a little longer? Yeah, me too. Crack open a Peroni and rewatch all the test event action here:
