It’s almost go time for this year’s 5*s! We’re just four weeks out from Adelaide Equestrian Festival with Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event kicking off the following week. Meanwhile, entries for MARS Badminton Horse Trials close today and we can’t wait to see which horses and riders will be trotting up at the First Horse Inspection on May 8th. We’re in for a treat this time around as we’ll get to see even more of the top of our sport, with those competitors lucky enough to have three 5* horses in their barn not having to decide who to leave behind, due to entries having been extended to three horses rather than the usual two.
Things are hotting up at Badminton HQ as preparations get underway for the 75th anniversary celebrations with lots for eventing fans to look forward to. If you’re chomping at the bit for some Badminton action, you can relive some of the greatest Badminton moments on Badminton TV (subscription required), where you’ll find videos from the archives as far back as the wonderful (and hilarious – see video above) Lucinda Green’s 1984 win. After yet another wet start to the eventing season in Britain with a number of events canceled and abandoned, we’re calling on all ENers to cross their fingers for some drier weather over the next few weeks so we can try and avoid a repeat of the wet and wild Badminton we saw last year.
Talking of the weather and events not going ahead, check out Badminton and Burghley specialist Alfies Clover’s beautiful braids that he didn’t get to show off at Lincolnshire Horse Trials. All dressed up, no place to go, but for sure the smartest boy in the village.
Think sunny thoughts, and go eventing!
U.S. Weekend Preview
Full Gallop Farm March II H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
March Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks (Reddick, FL) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Tyler, TX)[Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Other Events
Kronenburg International (Netherlands): [Timing, Startlists, Scoring]
Road to the Horse (Lexington, Kentucky) March 21-24 [Website] [Schedule] [Competition Format] [Live Stream]
Thursday News and Reading
First up for today’s News and Reading is a very cool offering from the one and only, total legend, Lucinda Green. ‘Have you ever galloped down to a fence and thought, “Oh crap!”?’ Lucinda asks. Erm, yes Lucinda, yes we have. If you’re one of us, make sure you check out The Lucinda Green Academy’s 28 day See-a-Stride Challenge. Designed to train any horse and rider to find the sweet spot in front of the fence, regardless of the level you ride at, Lucinda’s not only being generous with her wealth of experience and expertise – there are cash prizes for the biggest transformation, because Lucinda knows just how spendy our sport can be. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning a share of $10,000 is to have someone video you jumping a simple fence, complete the 28 day challenge, then record yourself jumping the same fence. The entries will be reviewed by world-class eventing big-hitters the likes of Boyd Martin, Tim Price, Yasmin Ingham, William Fox-Pitt and Pippa Funnell, amongst others. Body protectors on, phones at the ready, go eventing, and good luck!
Bedroom rodeo makes a comeback for this summer’s Olympic Games. Whilst the last Games took place under Covid restrictions and social distancing, that will very much not be the case in Paris. The rules regarding athletes getting together for a little under-cover extra-curricular fitness and flexibility training in their down-time have been lifted and bow-chick-a-wow-wow is being welcomed back with a bang. In the interests of health and safety, the Village is being stocked with 300,000 condoms, with the Olympic Village Director clarifying, “It is very important that the conviviality here is something big … we wanted to create some places where the athletes would feel very enthusiastic and comfortable”. That’s a lot of conviviality right there.
Antibiotic resistance is everyone’s responsibility. These wonder drugs can be the difference between life and death when it comes to fighting infection in horses, but if we don’t use them correctly, there’s a chance they won’t work when we really need them to. How many of us are guilty of not finishing off the course of antibiotics prescribed by the vet? The clinical signs of infection are gone and your horse has honed the skills of a sniffer dog to such an extent there’s just no way you’re going to mix that feed sufficiently for him to not take offense to it. Much easier to just forgo the last few days of treatment. Right? Well, yes, it would be easier, but this is just one way that horse owners (all animal owners, really) are unwittingly contributing to what could become one of medicine’s greatest challenges. Find out more about what you can do to help minimize the risk of antibiotic resistance.
I’m not sure any animal lends itself to poetry with quite the same grace as the horse. In celebration of World Poetry Day, here’s a selection of horsey poems for your perusal.
And finally, this kid’s rockin’ the rodeo. Well, not actually a kid, but Kid Rock, whose love of all things Western has led to the creation of Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, a $1million team-formatted rodeo which has drawn partnership from PBR and will make its debut at the PBR World Finals Championship in Fort Worth, Texas in May. Described as a “heart-and soul endeavor, a labor of love”, his intention is to “provide opportunities to athletes he respects while entertaining people he admires”. The long-term plan is to extend the offering to further cities. Rock on and rodeo.
Video Break
I’ve been spending a fair bit of time hanging out with my new horse in his stable, getting to know him and cluing him into the idea that I’m in this for the long haul. As well as grooming, singing (I read horses like it – he’s apparently got quite the taste for country music), and chatting ****, I’ve also been trying out some simple bodywork and massage. There’s nothing quite like the look on his face as he sighs and relaxes under my touch. If you fancy giving it a go yourself, @equinebodyworkonline has some great tips.
