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This week, the eventing world looks to England once again, as the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials gets underway with its jam-packed CCI4*-L feature class, as well as the prestigious CCI4*-S for eight- and nine-year-olds, which has a seriously strong track record of crowning horses who end up being five-star winners within a couple of years. (Case in point? Last year’s winner was Cooley Rosalent, ridden by Oliver Townend, who went on to win Kentucky this spring.) We, alas, won’t be doing our usual full-stack reporting from the event this year, but we WILL be bringing you a packed end-of-week report with all the stories you need to know, and our pals at Horse&Country TV will be live-streaming the whole shebang, so make sure to tune in there so you don’t miss a moment of the action. In the meantime, you can whet your appetite with a browse through the smoking hot entry lists. Roll on the last Big B of the year!
Events Opening Today: The Eventing Championships at Galway Downs, Tryon International & H.T. Fall, Rocking Horse Fall H.T., Texas Rose Horse Park H.T.
Events Closing Today: Ocala Fall Horse Trials, The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, Woodside Fall International, Apple Knoll Farm H.T., Miami Valley H.T. at Twin Towers, WindRidge Farm Fall H.T.
News & Notes from Around the World:
Yesterday, we marked the start of Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet Week — and today we’ve got a feel-good story to follow it up. This is the tale of sweet Willow, a Tennessee Walking Horse who was seized as part of an eight-horse neglect case in Maryland. She was low on the body condition scale, and only ever going to be suitable for very light riding, which ruled her out for most potential adoptees — but not for someone who would value a kind, steady horse to give pony rides to children. Through Days End Farm Horse Rescue’s ‘EquiDopt’ programme, she learned the ropes of being a super nanny, and finally, landed on her feet with a family of her own. Check out her story for the warm and fuzzies, and to add another great rescue to your list of charities to support, shout about, and, perhaps, adopt from.
It’s a rough time to be a fan of equestrian sports. I don’t know many people who don’t feel demoralised by the stories of abuse and profiteering coming out thick and fast — I’ve spoken to fans of the sport who struggle to tune in to follow it anymore, and fellow media folks who question whether they’re doing more harm than good to horses by continuing to come out and do their jobs reporting on competitions. For many riders, too, it’s all provoked a period of deep introspection and soul-searching. And so I think we’ll see lots more op-eds like this one, coming to terms with the heart of the matter: that we all have to put our horses first, ahead of our ambitions, and even when that’s a damn hard thing to do.
Speaking of sport, and the horses within it (aren’t we always, though?) — if you didn’t stick around for the lunchtime and end-of-day demos at Burghley, you missed a trick. They were ALL very cool — Ireland’s Abi Lyle performed her Paris freestyle at one, which, like, yes queen, we love you — and in another, William Fox-Pitt rode clones of two of his greatest horses of all time. Those were Tamarillo and Chilli Morning, both five-star winners in their own rights, and their clones look set to be serious talents, too. Check out the full recap for some interesting insights into nature versus nurture, how these two smart chaps are similar to their forebears, and the unique ways they differ.
And finally, the USEA has named the participants for the Winter EA21 National Camps. You can check out the list of selected riders and alternates here.
Sponsor Corner: What makes some hay higher in sugar than others? If you work with a horse with metabolic issues, you know how frustrating it can be to find low sugar hay. Kentucky Performance Products has some answers that might help you in your torturous hunt for low sugar hay. Get the full scoop here.
Watch This:
Honestly, at this point I’m only sharing this because I find Kendall’s choice of riding gloves so funny.
