I’m always pleased to see event horses thriving well into their late teens and it’s great to see the few horses that keep competing into their 20’s. The oldest horse at the World Equestrian Games will be the 20 year old event horse Stand By Me, ridden by Sweden’s Linda Algotsson, according to the Horse and Hound. The pair has placed second at the European Championships — once in 1999 and again in 2003. A 20 year old horse competing at the WEGs is incredible and I would have expected the oldest horse to be a vaulter or a reiner or something. 2010 seems to be the year of the old horses, with the 17 year-old Lenamore winning at Burghley just a few weekends ago. There are lots of possibilities for causes of this trend including improved vet care, great stewardship by the riders, maybe just luck, or perhaps it has something to do with the short format. Your thoughts?
The rest of the Swedish team is:
Katrin Norling and Pandora Emm
Niklas Lindbäck and Mister Pooh
Niklas Jonsson and First Lady
Malin Larsson with Piccadilly Z
The 6th pair will be either Viktoria Carlerbäck with Ballys Geronimo or Dag Albert and Tubber Rebel, who is already an EN celebrity. Go eventing.
