Boyd and Phillip assisting with final course details
Good morning EN! Want to jump that beautiful trakehner pictured above? Well I’m excited to tell you that you can: last week the office of Plantation Field’s annual CIC***/**/* officially opened for entries and lots of brand new jumps is just one reason that you should send in yours. For the past two years a lot of people have been working hard to make Unionville’s signature event bigger and better than ever- if you attended last year you rode in the brand new arena overlooking the cross country, and this year you will get to ride on a re-designed course courtesy of designer Tremaine Cooper and builder Eric Bull. There are no less than four new complexes, as well improved turf footing thanks to local mushroom farmers who produce A+ compost (if you have ever driven through Chester county you already know this, since you can smell it whenever the wind blows the wrong way). In addition Boyd and Phillip have been providing Tremaine with a rider’s insight on the course, making sure that all levels will encourage forward and positive riding.
The cross country isn’t the only thing that’s been improved- CIC horses will be presented on a brand new, permanent jog track, and interestingly they do not have to be stabled on grounds. All horse trial combinations preliminary and above will ride in a standard 60×20 ring for dressage. But enough of that- let’s get to the fun stuff: cross country tailgate spots, a wine tasting, mechanical bull rides, Sunday VIP brunch, a “Kids Korner,” and the annual bareback Puissance jumping competition. If those perks don’t convince you to go, consider this: a portion of the proceeds from the weekend will be donated to The Barn at Spring Brooke Farm, a therapeutic riding facility, and the Cheshire Land Preservation Fund. Still want to know more? Click the links. [Plantation Field] [PF Facebook]
Just when you thought the Olympics were over, media coverage continues. Here’s your daily roundup of the post-Olympics news cycle:
As we all know by now, British Royals were all over the Olympics this year, but the Miami Herald is just picking up the story covering Great Britain’s equestrian successes as well as the political implications of Rafalca’s performance. The reporter was actually very fair to equestrian sports, writing that “the campaign issue of Romney’s personal wealth supporting an Olympic horse accentuated the impression that equestrian sports are only for the wealthy. Although many of the riders come from middle-class backgrounds, they are often supported in their Olympic ambitions by wealthy sponsors.” [Miami Herald]
Reuters posted a review of the equestrian competitions that highlighted the many dramas of the games, including Tiffany Foster’s disqualification, Lamaze’s reaction, the politics of Rafalca, and the Saudi’s expensive string bought specifically for London. The title of the article is probably the best summary: “Equestrian: Politics, royalty and shifting power.” [Reuters]
Would you like to own a piece of the Olympics? Now you can, because the Greenwich arena footing is for sale. A total of 8,500 tons were used, and the surface is a mix of Prowax footing and a new concoction called 2012 that was designed and used specifically for the games. The footing is priced at £100 per ton. [Horsetalk]
Nina Ligon gave an interview to Bleacher Report about her journey to get to the Olympics and the difficulties she faced along the way. Believe it or not, she started pushing for London way back in 2007, when she won the team and individual gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games (she was also the first Asian woman to medal at an international eventing competition!). Nina also talks about her family, her horses, and her evolving partnership with Butts Leon. [Bleacher Report]
Otis is on the mend after being diagnosed with a small lesion on a joint capsule in his ankle. According to Boyd, he looks very comfortable in the field and will have the rest of the fall off to recover. [COTH]
And the rest of your (non-Olympic) links:
German team gold medalist Ingrid Klimke is already back on top of her game just two weeks after the Olympics. Last weekend she won the third leg of the FEI World Cup Eventing held in Malmö, Sweden, on Tabasco 70, her winning mount at this year’s Luhmühlen CIC***. Germany once again dominated, filling five of the top ten slots. Dirk Schrade was second aboard Hop And Skip, but Sweden’s Sara Algotsson-Ostholt and Mrs Medicott (!) were third. [Horse Canada]
Found on Twitter: Laine Ashker is suffering from broken ribs, but it’s not slowing her down. Get well soon, Laine! [@LEAshker]
Here’s your obligatory link to the Burghley entries. Happy stalking! [Burghley Entries]
In a twist, a British event has been canceled because of the location’s naturally high water table and a significant amount of rainfall. British Eventing is writes that “the Organiser and Officials made huge efforts and explored all the available options, including moving the show jumping indoors and relocating the lorry park, however in the end were faced with no other choice but to cancel the event.” [British Eventing]
Leaving you with some mid-week inspiration in the form of a video montage of photos from Luhmühlen. Thanks for reading EN!
