Good morning Eventing Nation! This week feels like the calm before the storm of Badminton and Rolex. Nonetheless, there are plenty of cool events this upcoming weekend, not the least of which is the Ocala CCI2* and CCI1* at the Florida Horse Park. The Florida Horse Park is one of the best facilities in the US because of the great folks who organize, volunteer, and ride there during competitions. The week is young, but I’m looking forward to a great weekend of eventing.
Now for your quick news and notes…
–‘Tis the week for mailing event horses around the world. As you read yesterday, Hamish’s horse, along with other Rolex horses, are shipping to Kentucky this week. The US and Canadian Badminton horses are shipping out of Atlanta and the northeast over the next couple of days and we’ll keep you posted on their progress.
–The US Badminton entries have shrunk from 6 to 3, with only Karen and Mandiba, Buck and Reggie, and Jennifer with The Good Witch remaining. I haven’t heard from Jennifer this week, but as of Sunday it was all-systems-go for Mandiba and Reggie after their great weekends at The Fork. Canada still has all three of it’s entrants set to go–Steph, Selena, and Hawley.
–If you didn’t see it over the weekend, the Rolex entry list is finalized with 56 horses. Now, the list will sadly only shrink, as a result of horses withdrawing. The Badminton entry list has shrunk by 10% since it was finalized and I would expect just over that for Rolex with horses going to Bamdinton and some not making the trip from Europe, but it all depends on soundness. [USEA Rolex Entry Photo Gallery]
–I’ll be taking a pseudo vacation for a week starting this Wednesday with a trip to EN’s European command center. By now, you all know the drill–I might not be posting as much, there will be more typos in my posts, and the news and notes will come at later hours of the night, but the EN Team will do a great job holding down the fort with your support.
–Sadly, I will not be on vacation long enough to make it to Badminton, but Samantha will be making it to Badminton for Eventing Nation. So we can start getting excited for her Badders coverage on her blog and EN starting just over a week from today. [Housekeeping on Samantha’s blog]
—British dressage is considering mandatory helmets
–We haven’t forgotten about the Riders4Helmets saddle pad photo contest. I’d expect to see a post with the finalists up for a vote to pick the winner in the next couple of days as soon as the chinchilla’s stop playing in the sun long enough to pick some finalists.
–Cross-country schooling is this Sunday at Masterson Station Park along with a jumper schooling show in Lexington, KY. You can re-ride your Spring Bay course if that didn’t go as planned. Masterson Station is a XC schooling staple in Lexington, KY, especially if you can’t make it to the KHP schoolings. Just don’t give anyone in orange jump suits a ride home in your trailer. [MSEDA]
—Chariot racing in the ancient Roman city Jerash [via JER]
—Best of the Blogs: On saying goodbye
–Today’s TOTD item is a dressage girth, only availible until noon [TOTD]
Don’t try this at home:
