Not that I’ve set a countdown on my phone or anything fundamentally weird like that, but did you know there’s only 1,081 days until the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics? As a former Paris denizen, I’m wildly overexcited, and even scheduled in a detour at Versailles en route to Le Lion d’Angers last autumn just to scope out where the arena would be for the equestrian disciplines. Now, in the aftermath of Tokyo, the IOC has released computer-generated images showing what many of the venues will look like, and that arena? Well, it’s even better than I imaged. Powder my wig, Pierre, because I’m pitching my tent at la palais.
National Holiday: Apparently it’s National Shapewear Day, and my thoughts on that can’t be adequately expressed on this, a family-friendly(ish) website about horses.
Events Opening Today: FEH Qualifier at Loch Moy Farm, FEH Championships at Loch Moy Farm, Stable View Oktoberfest 2/3/4* and H.T., ESDCTA New Jersey H.T., University of New Hampshire H.T., Twin Rivers Fall International
Events Closing Today: Town Hill Farm H.T., Seneca Valley Pony Club H.T., Five Points H.T., Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. II
News and Notes from Around the World:
Modern Pentathlon is facing a review after outcry following the contentious showjumping phase at Tokyo. This review will include input from the British Equestrian Federation. [Tokyo 2020 pentathlon: Review of horse jumping phase under way]
Breeding — and the technology surrounding it — has come on in colossal leaps and bounds over the last fifty years. Is this bringing us closer to a genetically perfect sports horse? [Building a Better Equine Athlete]
We bid a sad farewell to Continuity, the stalwart five-star mount of Great Britain’s David Britnell. The remarkable gelding is the first horse to compete at both the Badminton grassroots competition and Badminton CCI5*, coming up through the ranks from Pony Club with David on board. [From Badminton grassroots to Badminton five-star: rider’s ‘horse of a lifetime’ put down]
Listen: The latest episode of the USEA podcast covers all things Tokyo after the fact, with EquiRatings’ Diarm Byrne and Nicole Brown.
Watch:
Here, Australia’s Andrew Hoy deftly solves the horse world’s current biggest talking point: what on earth do we do about Modern Pentathlon?
