How cool is this? Justine Dutton-Barnard’s former four-star eventer, Huck Finn, partnered Justine to some of her greatest successes in the sport, including riding on the British team at Nations Cup level, is still going strong at the age of 23, cruising around the lower levels with his devoted kiddo, Sienna. They enjoyed their eventing debut together last week, finishing a very impressive second in the Starter division. What a treat for them both to have one another!
Events Opening Today: The Event at Isaacks Ranch, Morven Park International & Fall Horse Trials, Pine Hill Fall H.T., Radnor Hunt H.T., Poplar Place Farm October H.T.
Events Closing Today: The Fork at Tryon, Aspen Farm H.T., The Event at Skyline, Flying Cross Farm H.T., Otter Creek Fall H.T., Marlborough H.T., GMHA September H.T., The Vista Fall YEH/NEH Qualifier
News and Notes from Around the World:
Forgive us, father, for we’re about to go AECs mad. Confession time: I lived in the US for a decade or so, until I came back to the UK when I was nineteen, and to this day, the AECs is one event I’d love to compete at. I know, I know! I’m surrounded by the best of British and European events! There are so many iconic competitions beginning with ‘B’ I could daydream about! But I remember seeing the unbelievable prize hauls, the very cool courses, and the sheer fun of the AECs writ large every summer and that, my friends, is what I want. So you better believe I’m living vicariously through today’s daily round-up from US Eventing, because it’s got all the info I need to follow along from afar.
While I wait for the US to wake up, though, I’ll get myself in the mood with a good podcast, and I recommend you join me. The latest episode of the US Eventing Podcast has some of the primary bods and brains behind the organisation of the event at the mic, as they discuss the biggest-ever running of this very, very cool competition. Give it a listen here.
If you’re competing this week, whether at the AECs or elsewhere, you’ll want to make sure you’re looking your best and most professional in the ring. Dressage riders are generally much better at that sort of thing than us grubby eventing types, so it makes sense to get advice from one of them, rather than one of us. Canadian dressage rider Hannah Beaulieu shares her tips for top rider turnout in this piece.
William Fox-Pitt is about eight feet tall, but the Burghley fences still look big next to him. He walked the course with Horse & Hound for an in-depth analysis session, which will be coming soon in an issue of the magazine, and they’ve released some sneak peeks of the big man in action on Derek di Grazia’s very cool course. Keep it locked on EN, too, because we’ve got plenty of insights coming this week for you as well!
Speaking of Horse & Hound, they’ve just quite an exciting job role open up. They’re looking for a new showing editor to work part-time, three days a week from home, with occasional trips into the office and, we reckon, lots of opportunities to travel around the UK to cover the world of showing. We know that sometimes, the showing editor gets roped in to help with major five-stars, too, so if you’re a British-based wordsy type with a love for both disciplines, consider popping your application in before the September 9 deadline.
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Watch This:
Ever fancied producing your own young horse from the ground up? We reckon this vlog series showing the whole process — warts and all! — will give you both inspiration and education to help you prepare.
