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One of my favourite parts of covering a three-day event is seeing how much love, care, and attention the horses’ grooms impart through the week. Not only do these grooms have to anticipate their horses’ needs, be on the watch constantly for any tiny issues, make them look and feel perfect, and plan every minute of the day to maximise their charges’ success, they also often have to act almost as sports psychologists and personal assistants to their riders. One groom who’s consistently nailed the brief over the years is Lena Steger, longtime head groom to Michael Jung, and we were delighted to see that her belief in Highlighter paid off so marvellously in Luhmühlen’s CCI4*-S.
Events Opening Today: Flora Lea Farm YEH and Mini Event, Hoosier Horse Trials, Spring Gulch H.T., River Glen Summer H.T., Cobblestone Farms H.T. II, Catalpa Corner Charity Horse Trials
Events Closing Today: Woodloch Stable Young Event Horse Qualifier, Genesee Valley Hunt H.T., Round Top H.T., Huntington Farm H.T., Chattahoochee Hills H.T., The Maryland International + Horse Trials, Summer Coconino HT and Western Underground, Inc. TR,N,BN 3 Day Event, Arrowhead H.T.
Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:
It’s pretty easy to assume that the general public finds horse sport as captivating as we do — or, at worst, simply doesn’t pay attention to it at all. But World Horse Welfare, a leading charity devoted to improving the lives of horses, is doing a deep-dive into a survey that reveals that 20% of people don’t think horses should be used for sport at all. It’s an interesting — and sobering — development as we continue the conversation about social license to ride. [Is this the tipping point for better conditions?]
There are all sorts of pathways into eventing. For Florida-based teen Ben Noonan, who won the USEA Young Rider of the Year title in 2020, the gateway to the sport he now competes in was pony hunters, believe it or not. [We wonder if he still calls a round a ‘trip’]
Hacking space comes at a premium, and safe bridlepaths are becoming a rarity. So how can road users best share the limited space we’ve all got access to? [Here’s some thoughts]
Sustainability is one of equestrian sport’s new watchwords, and so it’s exciting and heartening to see 60,000 trees planted in the area around Herning, Denmark, where this year’s World Championships for Jumping and Dressage will take place. The best bit? That’s just the tip of the iceberg where environmentally-conscious planning is concerned with these Championships. [Herning goes green]
Watch This:
British Eventing CEO Helen West, William Fox-Pitt, Lucinda Green, and Badminton course designer Eric Winter sit down to discuss the importance of cross-country, and how we can ensure it remains at the heart of the sport — without going too far.
