Tom Gadsby, center. Photo via Uptown Eventing.
In the wake of Tom Gadsby’s tragic death last weekend at Somerford Park, the Waikato Times in New Zealand wrote a very nice piece about his life and riding career after interviewing his family and the chief executive of Equestrian Sports NZ. His mother Louise was en route home to New Zealand at the time of his death after spending two weeks traveling with him to London and Paris. She told the paper that riding had always been Tom’s calling. “It’s been his passion since he was a very little boy. He’d be 5 years old, out in the dark, brushing and plaiting, and packing up all the gear,” she said. According to the interview, days earlier she had been able to watch him compete and she told the reporter how proud she was of his riding accomplishments. Our hearts continue to go out to all those who knew and loved Tom. Click to read more about his life and riding career. [Waikato Times]
Weekend Preview:
Richland Park H.T. [Website] [Ride Times]
Shepherd Ranch SYVPC H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
Caber Farm H.T.[Website] [Entry Status]
Valinor Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Difficult Run Fall H.T. [Website]
Genesee Valley Riding & Driving Club H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
Patrick Wall, Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, has called for “a fundamental rethink on course design” taking the danger of rotational falls into more seriously consideration. His remarks comes days after Tom Gadsby was killed after suffering a rotational fall in a CIC1*. While Wall acknowledges that new technologies like frangible pins have helped make eventing safer, he argues that it is not enough. ““Simply arguing that it is a high risk sport is wrong and all preventative initiatives need to be exhausted before we reach the acceptable level of risk,” he said in a Horse Sport Ireland press release.
This week on the Eventing Radio Show: Mark Todd, Gill Watson, and Tami Smith. The legendary Mark Todd joins Samantha and Jess along with Gill Watson to discuss a successful training program in Britain called “Bridging the Gap,” a series of training days for riders who are at two and three star level. Tami Smith also comes on to discuss how to assess a horse. [Eventing Radio Show]
It’s summer, which also means it’s electrolyte season. With all the different electrolytes available today, it can be hard to choose the right one for your horse. This week on the SmartPak’s “Ask the Vet” blog, Dr. Lydia Gray walks readers through what they should look for in a good electrolyte supplement- including what vitamins and minerals are most beneficial. [SmartPak Blog]
The team championship Grand Prix competition begins today at the 2013 European Dressage Championships in Herning, Denmark. Yesterday riders had a final opportunity to school their mounts in the main stadium, which is a soccer field that has been converted for the championships. Olympic gold winners Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro are in attendance, along with 2013 World Cup Dressage Final winner Helen Langehanenberg and last year’s European Dressage Champion Adelinde Cornelissen. [EuroDressage]
Best of Blogs: Meika Decher of Pole Start Farm embarked on a 100-day OTTB Challenge sponsored by a local racetrack at the beginning of July. The challenge is currently in its eighth week (so about halfway over) and Meika has been tracking her OTTB’s progress through weekly blog posts and videos. Click to check out her mare, “Ellie,” and watch her progress. Good luck to both! [Pole Start Farm]
