Yes, that is Boyd “hand towing” his golf cart up a muddy Fair Hill…hill [via RG]
As usual, we have way too much to cover on a Sunday morning, but let’s take a quick moment to remember that it is Easter. Whatever your faith or creed, today is a good chance to spend some extra time with the family and remember to always put eventing and life in perspective.
Now for a few quick notes and links…
–If you didn’t see the news last night, Ready Teddy passed away on Saturday. He passed from complications from Colic according to Equestrian Sport New Zealand in a press release. Tait was quoted as saying “He was always so keen and enthusiastic and meant an awful lot to me. He probably had more stamps in his passport than most people. He had seven good years of retirement and was never ill or lame.” He was truly a magnificent horse with an absolutely unmatched record as the only horse to win both the Olympics and the WEGs. Ready Teddy was 23. [TJR]
–Anyone who has been reading Eventing Nation lately already knows about all of this, but I’m still getting emails asking about watching Badminton online. The only option for Badminton online video outside the UK is through FEI TV for a daily charge of $15. For $15 less you can watch the Horse and Hound’s live blog which we will also host on EN, or you can listen to Radio Badminton from the sidebar of the Badminton homepage, or both. Radio Badminton users with Macs should use Safari or Chrome, not Firefox. The FEI TV feed will also be on BBC Sports website, reportedly just for UK viewers. Cross-country starts at 12pm GMT, 7am ET.
–Things went smoothly at the Twin Rivers CIC3* cross-country. Tamra Smith and Mar De Amor added just 1.2 time penalties and widened their lead to an impressive 16 points going into the show jumping. Brittan Lunney and Cool Dancer added 12.4 time penalties but maintain their lead in the advanced. It’s not often that I make guarantees, but if Cool Dancer finishes tomorrow, I’m guaranteeing a victory.
—At a very muddy Fair Hill, the CIC3* didn’t ride any better than the weather. In a 6 horse division, two horses retired, one was eliminated, and one had two stops. As a result, Nina Ligon moved from 6th to 1st with Fernhill Fearless. The advanced division rode much better with 17 of 21 starters getting home clear although very slow. Doug Payne and Running Order moved from 4th to 1st with 20 time penalties.
The last leg of Ecogold’s Rolex previews
Doug’s XC report
–If you haven’t already, Be sure to check out our first post about the epic Badminton battle for North American bragging rights from Saturday night. Everything changes on cross=country day and the USA’s lead is less than 12 points right now. The stakes could not be higher.
–On another note, our friends from Horse Quencher are busy at Badminton. If you are at Badminton, stop by to see Ally Mumtaz from Horse Quencher by the Kan Stand near the main entrance of the Horse Village. You might also notice her daughter, Ayesha walking around in her Horse Quencher gear telling everyone about the product. Also, Horse Quencher rider Alice Pearson is competing at Badminton for the very first time with her horse Beau Bear.
I leave you with enthralling video of the Badminton Saturday press conference:
That’s all for now. There’s nothing to do now but sit back and enjoy the Badminton cross-country. Keep it locked throughout the day for all of your eventing news, information, and ridiculousness and the latest from Badminton. Go eventing.
