Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Ever since Badminton I’ve been struck with one heck of an eventing hangover, and seeing this share from Laura Collett made me wonder if I was in the midst of one of the far-out lucid dreams I’m plagued with secretly enjoy, which are, apparently, a symptom of being embroiled in the eventing madness that is a 5* weekend. I don’t keep a diary, but I do relay my nocturnal headtrips to an EN buddy and it turns out, I’m pretty normal – well, when I’m firmly planted between the flags with the red on my right, at least.
In other – less weird – news, Hot Bobo’s baby is doing great after a bit of a turbulent start to life. Little Hot Tamale is home and Karl Slezak has assured everyone who’s been following her journey that there are no expected future limitations linked to her premature birth. ‘Molly’ sure looks like hot stuff and we can’t wait to see her galloping in her mom’s footsteps at events one day.
National Day of Note: Today is National Horse Rescue Day – which, really, should be every day. It’s such a privilege to spend our lives with horses, and, although it can be a pretty tough life, with the weight of responsibility, the physical labor, the emotional turmoil they can put you through, the lack of sleep… over and above it all is the power of our connection with these awesome beings and the devotion they give us. If there’s anything you can do to help out one of the excellent horse rescue programs that are working to give all horses what we give ours, please think about that today, and every day, really.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. (Fairburn, GA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times]
Fair Hill International Recognized H.T. (Elkton, MD) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Hitching Post Farm H.T. (South Royalton, VT) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Berryville, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Otter Creek Spring H.T. (Wheeler, WI) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Spokane Sport Horse Spring H.T. (Spokane, WA) [Website] [Entries][Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Spring Gulch H.T. (Highlands Ranch, CO) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
The Vista Spring YEH/NEH Qualifier (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Scoring]
UK International Events
Chatsworth International (FEI Nations Cup) (Derbyshire, UK) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring] [H&C+ Live Stream] [NC 4*-S XC Livestream via FEI YouTube Channel]
European International Events
LONGINES Whitsun Tournament Wiesbaden (Germany) [Website] [Times] [Scoring] [CMH Live Stream]
Thursday News and Reading
Call out for USEA Members and VIP Volunteers to share their best bits If you’re one of those very, very good guys who help to keep our sport running, head on over to this IG post and share what roles you love and why for the chance to be featured in a USEA article.
It’s not your trainer’s job to… We get it, trainers are a huge part of our lives, but do we sometimes assume their job description includes more than it actually does? Here’s what trainers have to say about that. Guilty? Well now you know.
Today’s tearjerker is one of those bittersweet tales that it’s nice to enjoy over a cup of something comforting. Appropriate for Horse Rescue Day, this is the story of a foster-based rescue in Pittsburgh. Obviously, fostering means that horses will come and go from the center, and although it’s great that they’re moving on to forever homes, there are people who will miss them once they’re gone. Blogger Sarah K. Susa recounts a childhood memory as she explains how she prepares the kids who’ve fallen in love with foster horses for saying goodbye.
Before I’d even met a horse in real life, I was a horse girl. I spent as much time as I could enveloped in horses, only I could hold my barn in my hands, as I devoured every single horse book I could find. One series in particular was The Silver Brumby – my fascination for wild horses was born between those pages. And so, when I came across this article about a program that works to rehome wild brumbies , it piqued my interest. There are sad truths about some of the methods used to manage the wild herds, but overall this piece is about the people who are working towards positive alternatives and their celebration of these versatile equines.
Sponsor Corner
Did you spot Ecogold’s saddle pads at the USEA Intercollegiate Championships? University of Kentucky Eventing Team looked stunning in their custom Ecogold pads! The Ecogold Breeze collection can be customized to match your team’s colors.
Video Break
Not every horse who goes to Badminton is one of the big guys… Enter the Shetland Pony Grand National , which is both fun and serious in equal measure. Honestly, you may be giggling at the spectacle of itty bitty ponies, their lil legs going like the clappers as they gallop over teeny fences, but many of the young riders move on from these pint-sized rides to have exciting equestrian careers. And the whole thing is in aid of charity – this year the Bob Champion Cancer Trust.
