Michael and Icarus at Rolex. Heather McGreer Photo.
Good morning EN! I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend and had a lovely Memorial Day. However, I cannot get through my introduction without expressing EN’s heartfelt condolences once again to the family of Dr. Craig Ferrell and the entire Pollard Eventing team, both of whom suffered tragic losses over the weekend. Dr. Craig Ferrell, a USEF Team Doctor and eventing vet, fell while playing polo on May 23 and succumbed to his injuries yesterday morning. Read John’s post for a memorial information and a full statement from his loving family. [Farewell Dr. Ferrell] [USEF Press Release]
As you have probably read by now, on Friday tragedy struck Pollard Eventing when a trailer accident took the lives of Ulando, Icarus, and Jude’s Law. This is an absolutely crushing loss and no words can ease the pain that the Pollards, owners, and staff are feeling, and everyone at EN continues to send our thoughts and condolences their way. Michael and Nathalie are doing their best to find the bright side of the situation, and posted a gracious message on their Facebook today: “Although we are licking our wounds and are deeply hurt, I also have to be thankful for what we do have. No people were hurt, and we are incredibly fortunate in so many other ways in life. Especially when you consider what today is really a memorial for, you are forced to realize that, while our pain is real and the events are tragic, our lives are blessed, and our problems are luxury problems. Thank you again for helping us through one of the darkest periods of our lives. Love to all and in memory of our buddies who we lost: Michael and Nathalie.” Lots of EN karma directed their way. [Pollard Eventing]
Boyd and Neville have been featured in an NBC Olympic blog. It is nearly the one year anniversary of the night that the True Prospect fire took the lives of six horses, and Boyd’s final quote in the piece reflects the journey so far: “It’s hard. There are some days when I think I’m through the worst of it…but it’s something you don’t forget about. It’s something you think about every day. And every day gets a bit easier. It’s like anything else. You go through something horrific and it always stays with you. But you either let it defeat you, or you move on and push forward and look toward the future.” [NBC Blog]
The weather in England continues to do its best to derail the entire eventing season, and David Broome’s famous Cricklands Equestrian Center pulled out all the stops to make last weekend’s Mount Ballan Horse Trials successful. Just one week before, the fields in Wales were completely underwater, but according to Eventing Worldwide the going was “surprisingly perfect.” Oliver Townend had four rides in the Novice (Prelim) and there was a “surprise round by Lucy Wiegersma, a potential Olympian on her 2012 Badminton ride.” [Eventing Worldwide]
Bad news from Stuart Tinney: his best horse, Panamera, is out of the Olympic running with an injury. Fingers crossed for a quick and complete recovery! [Weekly Times]
Zara Phillips is doing the unthinkable: she’s actually missing Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee river pageant. And in the spirit of a true horseman, she’s going to an event instead. According to her spokesman, she will be missing the June 3 event, which will include more than 1,000 vessels, because she is still seeking to qualify for the Olympics because of all the cancelled events this season. [M & C]
We all know that competitor parties can get rowdy, but two eventers at the Subaru Houghton International Horse Trials went a little past the line last weekend. In an incident that took place on Saturday night, one rider was injured and two more were arrested on suspicion of assault. Both were questioned and released on bail on Sunday. According one of the accused, it was a case of “being in the place at the wrong time.” The other told Horse and Hound that he felt things had “been blown out of proportion.” Both said they could not comment further. [Horse and Hound]
The weekend at Houghton went better for Piggy French, though not so well for William Fox Pitt. Leading all the way through the first Nations Cup competition, Fox Pitt had the win in hand until the very last, literally the very last, when he jumped the wrong final fence in show jumping. Piggy jumped double clear with Jakarta for the win. French’s win ensured the home team of herself, Mary King, Francis Whittington and Sarah Cohen took first place in the team event. [Norwich Evening News]
Need an event prospect? Bid on Headley Britannia’s foal, Britannia’s Jewel (Ruby), by Grafenstolz. The auction is online and opened yesterday and will run until 9:30pm on Tuesday, June 10. Bidders are required to register before placing a bid. [Horse and Hound]
Nominations are now being accepted for the FEI Best Groom Award. [The Horse] [FEI Awards]
Win a signed copy of Mark Todd’s new book! Send the answer to the following question to [email protected] by June 15: “In what year did Mark Todd win his first Badminton title?” [British Eventing]
The really well-trained genius horse Lukas has been featured in The National Enquirer. From the article: “He 19-year-old chestnut thoroughbred sits and fetches on command, nods his head yes and no, realizes when something is missing and recognizes himself in a mirror. What’s more, he can read numbers and spell!” [Horsetalk]
Best of Blogs: Havarah equestrian has been busy
That’s all for now EN, thanks for reading. Enjoy your Tuesday!
