If there’s one thing to take from the sport of eventing, it’s the camaraderie. I know, we say it all the time, but that’s because it’s incredibly true. I had a conversation with a friend in the show jumping industry not too long ago, and I was amazed listening to her talk about how many riders won’t seek help from other professionals for a variety of reasons. While I am sure that there are many exceptions to this, I’m repeatedly blown away by the support even the top riders in the world of eventing show to each other.
Case in point, this post from Bec Braitling, who threw a leg over several of Tamie Smith’s horses this weekend at Galway Downs while Tamie was away competing at Tryon International. Bec also credited Tamie immensely for her help with Caravaggio leading up to his 5* debut at Kentucky last month.
It’s a part of the eventing world that never fails to warm my heart and makes me ever so grateful to be a part of it.
Events Opening This Week
Inavale Farm HT (OR); Summer Coconino H.T. I (AZ), Bouckaert Equestrian H.T. and Area III Eventing Championships (GA), Full Moon Farm’s Aloha HT (MD), Larkin Hill H.T. (NY)
Events Closing Today
Equestrians’ Institute H.T. (WA); IEA Horse Trials (IN); The Spring Event at Archer (WY); Essex H.T. (NJ); MCTA H.T. at Shawan Downs (MD); GMHA June H.T. (VT); Ocala Summer H.T. I (FL); Poplar Place June H.T. (GA); Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club Spring H.T. (NY); Carriage House Farm Combined Test (MN)
Tuesday News & Reading
Some horses just need their own, perfectly matched person to bring out their best. That was the case for Devon MHF, the subject of the latest “On Course” from the USEA. It’s a story about trusting the process and the budding relationship with a horse, and how those efforts can truly pay off. Read more here.
With Intercollegiate Championships in the rearview, it’s time to revisit some of the stories from an exciting weekend at Stable View. Auburn University’s Hayden Wathen and Contestor showed their chops that weekend, beating out the pros in their Intermediate division. The Chronicle of the Horse caught up with Hayden here.
Biometric research is gaining momentum in the racing industry — could it be much longer before we see a heavier public emphasis on this in our sport, too? The AAEP Racing Committee is looking to use their sensors on some 60 racing 2-year-olds to further their research surrounding the identification of injury risk. I see plenty of parallels to our sport and hope we see some of these projects branching further into sporthorses, too.
Banks on cross country can be a tricky thing to learn, especially considering you can’t exactly build a replica in your arena. Luckily, Phillip Dutton has plenty of experience with this, and he’s teamed up with Practical Horseman for some useful advice on the topic. Read it here.
Sponsor Corner
Caroline Powell and Greenacres Special Cavalier. Photo by Nico Morgan Media.
Despite it all, Caroline Powell and her gutsy, game mare beat the odds to win the Mars Badminton 5*. It’s so rare that our first place podium spot is filled by someone outside the top five, but Caroline took the lead from sixth place. Catch up on all the action that you might have missed in this report sponsored by Kentucky Performance Products.
Video Break
Grab a quick tip from Olympic rider Andrew Hoy all about maximizing your success at water questions:
