Rachel Alexandra's newborn filly and her nurse mare, Ojos. Find more information about Rachel Alexandra's recovery below. Photo via Stonestreet Farm's Facebook
Good morning EN! There are a lot of interesting links to get to this morning so I will be brief. Today’s lead is an important announcement from the USEA about a misprint on some of its 2013 membership cards. There was an error at the printing company and the cards were erroneously printed with the expiration date listed as 2012 instead of 2013. The USEA is aware of the problem and will be mailing new cards out as soon as possible. [USEA]
The weekend preview:
Pine Top Advanced HT [Website] [Times/Entry Status]
Good news from the Rachel Alexandra camp: she is resting comfortably in serious but stable condition at Rood and Riddle in Kentucky after undergoing stomach surgery on February 13. Yesterday she was able to go out for a short walk and eat a bit of grass. Her filly, pictured above, is settling in well with a surrogate mother named Ojos. [Horsetalk]
Nick Turner has been selected as Ireland’s new high performance eventing manager. Nick is a former four-star eventer, British senior international selector, and Brazilian national eventing team coach. He retired from competition in 2008 to focus on his coaching and management skills. [Horse and Country]
Looking for a deal on a like-new Devoucoux? Check out this one, purchased in 2011 and barely used, for $4,400. [Sport Horse Nation]
The horsemeat contamination scandal has spread to 13 European nations. Testing is underway across the EU, and authorities in France believe that 550 tons of mislabeled meat could have been shipped from a factory on French soil inside 4.5 million products. These contaminated products could have made their way to nearly 30 countries. The company is denying the accusations. [Horsetalk]
British stars Mary King and Charlotte Dujardin are now the proud drivers of the brand new Mitsubishi Outlander. The company is sponsoring both riders as brand ambassadors, and they will be driving the cars this year as the look to build on their successes from 2012. Lance Bradley, the Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, said that this ambassador program is an extension of the company’s historic commitment to equestrians in Britain and will open up a new audience for their cars. [British Eventing]
The new USEF helmet requirements for Dressage competitions will go into effect on April 1 of this year. Under the new rule, all riders, whether competing or not, will be required to wear approved headgear while on shows grounds. [Equisearch]
A new study has found no evidence that horses suffer from stage fright when performing in front of large audiences. Scientists tested stress levels in equine saliva as well as those in humans, and found that riders show significant more stress when performing in front of an audience than their mounts. [Horsetalk]
William Fox-Pitt supports Alzheimer’s Research UK, the official charity of Badminton. [Horse and Country]
British courses are still sopping wet, but this year eventers are determined not to let rain ruin their competition plans. Many events are taking extra care to prevent rain from washing out their chances of an event. One event, Somerford Park, spent the winter trucking in sand, reseeding grass, and decompacting the ground in order to improve its footing. [Horse and Hound]
Our friends at KPP alerted us that they have chosen a winner for their “Event Horse of the Month” contest. This month’s winner is Jenn O’Neill’s horse Lewis. Jenn won a KPP saddle pad. Enter for your chance to win next month. [KPP USA]
EquiFit has launched a new line of ice boots. [COTH]
The RSPCA has dropped a lawsuit against a farmer who they accused of interfering with a badger sett while assisting the Cheshire Hunt. In December, a judge questioned the charity’s judgement after they revealed spending nearly £326,000 pursing the case. The defendant’s costs, which are likely to exceed £10,000, will be paid for by taxpayers. [Horse and Hound]
Best of Blogs: Badminton is only 10 weeks away!
