Two of the most interesting stories I’ve read in the past couple of days were both interviews with top riders in which they discussed their pre-Olympic gameplans.
The first was yesterday’s Sporting Life article about William Fox-Pitt, who is in the enviable position of having three potential Olympic rides in his string: Parklane Hawk, Oslo and Lionheart. Although he intends to enter all three horses in Badminton in early May, he says he doubts any of them will actually run there.
“There is a big decision to make about whether you or not you bring a horse to the well twice in one year when you are aiming for the Olympics,” he says. “Do you really want to put in all that work to get him four-star fit to go to Badminton or Kentucky, then bring him back pretty quickly for London in July? … If you had a little injury after Badminton or Kentucky and the horse was in the box for a few weeks with a cut or an infection and you missed all that work, you could be throwing away the Olympics.” He noted that if he did decide to run one of his horses in a three-day for a tune-up, the conditions would have to be “pretty much perfect.”
The second interview was today’s dressage-news.com Q&A with Steffen Peters, in which he stated that he and Ravel will be sitting out the World Cup in The Netherlands in April. “It’s all about preserving Ravel,” he said.
The storyline seems quite different for U.S. eventing, where Olympic team slots are still pretty much anyone’s game and riders will be devoting their spring season to impressing team selectors (unless they’re proven enough to have received a pass for Kentucky.) The difference, of course, is that shoo-ins are far and few between in American eventing, but perhaps there’s something to be absorbed here for the future.
You may have heard of Laura Collett: 22-year-old hotshot British event rider, top 10 at Badminton last year, John’s fantasy girlfriend, etc. But do you know important things about her like where she keeps her lucky charm? (Answer: She keeps it in her brassiere.) For more Laura trivia, check out this Q&A. [Eventing Worldwide]
Mark Todd is an eventing legend, no doubt. But how did he go from being a self-professed “dairy farmer who rode a bit” to one of the most admired equestrians of all time? His victories span 31 years, with three Badminton wins, five Burghley wins, a handful of Olympic gold medals and–after coming back from a several-year retirement–another win at Badminton and a ticket to the Beijing Olympics. Needless to say, his original autobiography, So Far, So Good, published in 1998, is due for an update. Today it was announced that the rights have been purchased to a new autobiography, Second Chance, to be published by Orion on April 19, 2012 in time for the Badminton Horse Trials. [Book Trade]
So you’re headed to Rolex. Like, as a rider. What’s going through your mind? How are you preparing yourself and your horse? When you visualize stepping into that famous start box, does it make you want to jump up and down, or barf, or jump up and down while barfing? Rolex’s official website, www.rk3de.org, grants us inside access to the thoughts and feelings of top riders as they begin their journey toward the mother of all U.S. events. This year’s featured bloggers will be James Allison (GBR), Jan Bynny and Doug Payne.
If you aren’t riding yourself, the next best place to be is tailgating course-side, with a cold beverage in one hand and–aw, who are we kidding–probably another cold beverage in the other hand as well. Reservation forms for tailgating spots for the 2012 Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event, to be held May 10-13 in Allentown, NJ, are now available online at the Horse Park of NJ website or www.eventbrite.com. Reserve your spots early and be sure to throw your hat in the ring for the “Hats off to the 10th annual Jersey Fresh hat contest–categories will be Best Single Hat, Best Group of Hats and Horsiest hat. [US Eventing]
Bad people doing bad things: In Sussex, England, last weekend, a veterinarian’s car was broken into, probably targeted for electrical items–an iPod and satellite navigation device were taken, along with some personal correspondence and documents. But the thieves also made out with two bottles of horse sedative, Nargesic, and a bottle of horse tranquilizer, Medesedan, perhaps likening them to the drug Ketamine, which is used by recreational drug users. Unlike Ketamine, however, Nargesic and Medesedan are extremely strong and potentially fatal even in small doses. So, thieves, if you’re reading this, you might reconsider partying with your new drug stash unless you want to fall asleep for a very, very long time. [Horse Talk]
You can’t keep Ralph Hill down for long. We hear that Ralph Hill is recovering well following his accident last fall when he broke his neck. An EN source tells us that his injury doesn’t require surgery and even has some plans to teach a clinic at Pine Hill in Texas on Feb. 11-12.
Best of the blogs: “How I Became a Professional Groom” by Pamela Nunn on the PRO blog. Pamela, a freelance groom who worked for Selena O’Hanlon during both the 2008 Olympics and the 2010 WEG, ponders her transition from a successful career in sales to being a full-time horsewoman. [PRO]
The Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games equestrian event, with commentary from a couple of giggly teenage girls.
From our friends at Horse Quencher:
When the temperature drops, so does the drinking, making winter the worst time of year for impaction colic. Lugged hot water goes cool, electric solutions bring fire and other risks. So how about some easy-peasy Horse Quencher instead?
As Yazoo (mini) Mule says, “In Michigan it’s cold and for some reason I don’t like to drink water. Heated or cold, fresh or not-so-fresh it doesn’t matter. I don’t drink enough to stay hydrated to keep things moving through. In December they said I had colic. The vet came and forced a tube down my nose; my caretakers, Ross and Kate, sat up with me all night long until the spasms stopped. The vet told them to put more water buckets out and they did, but a few weeks ago I got colic again. The tube went in my nose again, and again they sat with me. I heard them talking with the vet about finding a way to get me to drink and that if they couldn’t I might die. Fortunately, Kate found Horse Quencher in her Valley Vet catalog. The vet told them that water additives don’t usually work, but Kate was desperate for something to try so she ordered it. She didn’t think I’d touch it because I tipped over every other flavored bucket she offered. Well, I drank and drank and drank some more. It was just so good. Sonny, Smoke and Nap wanted some too but I made them all go away by kicking. Then when it was all gone and Kate was leaving with the empty bucket I chased her down to try and get more, but it was truly all gone. She said she’ll make more for me later.”
