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One of my favourite things about watching team announcements roll in for Pratoni is the sweet little surprises — like the well-deserved nomination of 21-year-old Alina Dibowski as Germany’s individual rider, with her Junior and Young Rider European Championships partner Barbados 26. The pair have had an incredible season, with placings in excellent company at Luhmühlen CCI4*-S and Haras du Pin CCI4*-S, and it’s so exciting to see this actual ray of sunshine make her World Championships debut on the 20th anniversary of her father Andreas’s WEG debut. This one’s a real superstar to keep an eye on.
Events Opening Today: Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, Tomora Horse Trials, Fleur de Leap H.T., Apple Knoll Farm H.T., Sundance Farm H.T., The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, Jump Start H.T., Spokane Sport Horse Eighth Annual Fall H.T.
Events Closing Today: Bucks County Horse Park H.T., Seneca Valley PC H.T., Chattahoochee Hills H.T., Silverwood Farm Fall H.T., Course Brook Farm Fall H.T., Park Equine Kentucky Classique H.T., USEA AEC, $60,000 Adequan Advanced Final, and ATC Finals
Tuesday News & Notes from Around the World:
Aiming for a trip to the AECs next year? Then make sure you take the time to brush up on the recently approved changes to the qualification process, which is now slightly tougher and require first or second place finishes, nixing the third-place finishes that could previously be used to secure the placing requirement. [Changes to the 2023 AEC]
Here’s a seriously cool learning opportunity: this web-based summit, Diversifying the Herd, is led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who work as equine facilitated practitioners, and it’s going to be absolutely jam-packed with useful information and fascinating talks on how to increase diversity and improve access to these programs. Let me tell you — the line-up of keynote presenters and speakers is STACKED, and the bargain price you’ll pay to take part will go straight into a scholarship fund. [Level up your career and your industry]
Burghley is preparing for its return for the first time since 2019, and there are some exciting changes afoot. They’ve got a new Director, Martyn Johnson, and a new course designer in Derek di Grazia, but in many ways, the event is planning to stick to its roots. Read more about their plans — plus, how they’re dealing with England’s drought — in this piece from Horse&Hound. [We’re so excited we could do a little wee, actually]
Sometimes, success requires that extra bit of faith that no one else can quite muster up. That’s certainly been the case for Liz Halliday-Sharp and Cooley Quicksilver, who she says is like riding a ‘giant, overcooked noodle’. After years of defending her belief in him, though, he’s undeniably come good, finishing fifth at Luhmühlen this year. At just eleven, he’s got plenty more big results to come and Liz, for her part, can enjoy basking in the glory of turning an oddball horse into a superstar. [He’s a weirdo, but he’s her weirdo]
OHP Dream Listing of the Week:
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This breezy, beautiful place with twelve airy stables looks like a dream come true for someone with a reasonably small string, who wants to prioritise making every day on the farm a joy. It’s also super close to WEC, which is incredibly handy, and it’s got ten acres of lush turnout, which ticks a big box for me. At sub-$2m, it’s a seriously useful looking property.
Listen to This: Now that we have a (very, very good!) US team line-up confirmed, it’s full-steam ahead with the important stuff — namely, preparing those horses and riders to tackle the World Championships and all its challenges. Join Nicole Brown and Bobby Costello to find out how that’s happening.
Watch This:
Catch up with British eventer Ashley Harrison and her four-star partner Zebedee in her latest vlog.
