Hello from the sky office — I’m writing today’s N&N en route to Ireland’s Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale, which I’m attending on behalf of EN over the next couple of days. 80+ top-notch young horses, some of the best event riders in the world, and a spa hotel in County Wexford? Count me in. I’ll be bringing you lots of insights into what goes on at the sales this week, plus updates on my favourite horses from the catalogue — you can check them out here.
Events Closing Today: Sporting Days Farm Horse Trials IV, Rocking Horse December H.T.
Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:
Emily Hamel has had a seriously big year. The five-star powerhouse relocated to England and tackled both Badminton and Burghley, despite a badly-timed knee injury at the start of the year, and has been crushing it with her heart horse, Corvett. But do you know the full story of this former 4-H member and the horse with whom she’s become a household name? [Now you do]
Who was the original horse girl, anyway? There’s a pretty good argument to say that Catherine the Great, the Empress of Russia, was our spiritual forebear — and that’s why it’s a damn shame that the weird, bestiality-related propaganda of the time has dogged her name over the centuries. We’re all for a reclamation of reputation for this clever, fascinating woman. [Read this, then watch The Great]
Losing your confidence can be an odd and nebulous thing, and it doesn’t even necessarily have to follow on from a fall. That’s what Laura Owens discovered after a freak injury while walking to school sidelined her in the peak of her junior equitation career — and the horse that helped her regain her drive and love for the sport was probably the last one she’d have expected. [The special ones surprise you]
Betting has begun to find its way into equestrian sport, prompting concerns of cheating and foul play. The FEI, IOC, and governing bodies are working to address this, with discussions ongoing about the various ways in which sports with a long history of gambling — such as horse racing — have been impacted by sabotage and thrown games. [Another kind of risk in horse sport]
Speaking of throwing the game, USEF has officially adopted a policy for performance manipulation in competition. This is designed to discourage competitors from intentionally underperforming in order to skew the results of a class — something that’ll become a hot topic as betting continues to make its way into the sport. [Read more here]
The OHP Dream Farm of the Week:
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Let them eat cake, baby. I’ll let Equestrian Barbie’s Dream Castle speak for itself here.
Watch This:
NBD, just Ingrid Klimke making herself the queen of the dressage arena:
