If the 2010s were the decade of Michael Jung and La Biosthetique Sam FBW’s total domination, the 2020s are swiftly becoming the domain of Laura Collett and London 52. This is an incredible accomplishment, rightly being celebrated by EquiRatings: the duo has delivered three of the top five finishing scores at five-star, ever. Incredible stuff, and made even more exciting because of that high-profile tricky year they had back in 2019, in which the hotly-tipped young horse had to learn his job at the upper levels with the whole world watching. Laura had to deal with some serious disappointments that year, but remained steadfast in her dedication to the horse — and look how it’s paid off. It’s a great comfort to all the rest of us mere mortals, who might be battling through our own 2019 right now but truly believe our horse has what it takes. Keep the faith alive, folks.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Stable View Summer H.T. (Aiken, South Carolina): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Midsouth Pony Club H.T. (Lexington, Kentucky): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Fox River Valley Pony Club H.T. (Barrington Hills, Illinois): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Woodloch Stable Young Event Horse Qualifier (Hugo, Minnesota): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Loudon Hunt Pony Club Summer H.T. (Leesburg, Virginia): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Round Top H.T. (Castle Rock, Colorado): [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Valinor Farm H.T. (Plymouth, Massachusetts): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
Bucks County Horse Park H.T. (Revere, Pennsylvania): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Live Scores] [Volunteer]
News From Around the Globe:
One of our favourite classes on the ‘dark side’ is the Hickstead Derby, which takes place this weekend. This iconic class, which has been running since the 1960s with an unchanged course and some of showjumping’s greatest feature fences — such as that bank — and it always draws a great field of entries and a huge crowd. This year, the eventers are well-represented with an entry from Gemma Stevens (neé Tattersall) and catch-ride Dime Bar, who she’s piloting for the Light family. But before we look forward to that ride on Sunday, let’s take a look back at some of the greatest moments that William Funnell, husband of Pippa, has experienced in his long tenure contesting the class.
Speaking of historical, traditional shows, I found this throwback piece from COTH fascinating. It’s the sage recollections of the hunter-jumper world from the 1920s through the 1960s, as shared by 1936 Maclay champion, Ellie Wood Baxter. I’m particularly interested in her memories of Madison Square Garden, and the very different courses competitors had to tackle there. Check out her musings and memories here.
This is turning into a curiously jumper-themed edition of N&N, and I’m not sorry. In this piece, you’ll meet OTTB El Tormenta — or Eddie — who won the Woodbine Mile in 2019 and is now thriving in his second career, thanks in part to a great new Thoroughbred Jumper series. We love anything that helps promote these incredible athletes, and we love multitalented Eddie.
Last week, Tim Price opted to withdraw Happy Boy after the horse’s bloods were up upon arrival. This isn’t necessarily unusual: long-distance travel can bring on all sorts of little (and sometimes big) bugs and coughs, and it’s wise to monitor horses closely while they travel and upon arrival to ensure any travel sickness can be combatted. Now, researchers in Italy have revealed the findings on a study on the physical responses of travel, including the inflammatory response it brings on — and the stress response, too. It’s well worth reading if you ship your horse long-haul at any time.
