It’s baby season, folks, and we’ve got two rounds of huge congratulations to deliver over here in the UK to two five-star eventers, their partners, and their new tiny people. Julia Norman and husband Tristan welcomed baby Max into the world on November 12th, while James Sommerville and his wife Lucinda were joined by daughter Aoife Olivia yesterday. Both babies are gorgeous and thriving, and we look forward to seeing them join the rabble of mad lorry park children in the seasons to come!
Events Closing Today: Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials IV, Rocking Horse December H.T.
Tuesday News:
No one’s having a particularly nice time in the wake of Brexit, but the UK’s formerly thriving equestrian industry is being hit particularly hard. Conservative-leaning newspaper The Telegraph has published a short but searing indictment of how the government is handling the situation (which is to say, quite predictably, not at all), featuring comments from showjumping gold medallist Nick Skelton, who has been forced to relocate to the Netherlands as a result.
Rustling up equal rumblings is the Olympic three-to-a-team format, which was introduced at Tokyo this year. The format change, which was brought in to allow for more flags within the sport and is considered by many to be a last-gasp attempt to keep horse sports at the Games, has been criticised as unfair to riders and horses alike. Catch up with the viewpoints from the FEI General Assembly here.
Do you know an ex-racehorse who’s become a major character in their second life? Retraining of Racehorses, the UK’s foremost ex-racehorse support system and charity, is accepting nominations for their second-ever Horse Personality of the Year Award — click here to find out more and to make your nomination!
Badminton’s back for 2022, baby — and if you’ve ever daydreamed about working at this iconic event, there’s a pretty sweet job being advertised right now. Badminton’s team is looking for someone to helm their digital content, working across their website and social media channels to create engaging content that’ll make everyone as excited as you are for the return of this showpiece competition. Fancy the best behind-the-scenes view of the event? Check out the job spec here.
Video Break:
Interested in a more in-depth look at the three-to-a-team debate? Here’s a clip of Swiss showjumper Steve Guerdat arguing the case at the General Assembly.
