Good morning EN! It’s a busy week for eventers both here in America and across the pond in England. Stateside we have Jersey Fresh International, which hosts the US’s only spring CCI3* as well as three other CIC and CCI divisions (check out a CCI3* competitor preview here). A whopping eight other events will also be running around the country this weekend, making it one of the busiest of the year so far. The rest of the world’s eyes will be glued on Badminton, where the second four star of the year kicks off today with the initial jogs. As you can see from the photo above, Chinch has dragged Jenni along with him to bring you on-the-ground coverage of the entire event, so stay tuned for lots more from England over the next few days.
[Badminton Website] [Schedule] [Entry List] [Official Facebook]
Weekend Preview:
Jersey Fresh International Three-Day Event [Website] [Rider List]
Galway Downs Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
NWEC May Classic [Website]
Winona H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
WindRidge Farm H.T. [Website]
King Oak Farm Spring H.T. [Website] [Ride Times]
Mill Creek Pony Club H.T. at Longview [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
Plantation Field H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
The Event at Galisteo [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
For the first time ever, one nation’s riders hold each of the top positions on the FEI leaderboards for Dressage, Jumping, and Eventing all at once. And you guessed it, that nation is Great Britain. Currently Scott Brash tops the Longines Rankings in Jumping, Charlotte Dujardin the FEI World Individual Dressage Rankings, and William Fox-Pitt the FEI World Eventing Athlete Rankings. What makes this even more impressive is that Scott and Charlotte (both members of their respective Olympic squads in 2012) are only 28 years old. Clearly the years of British domination are only just beginning. [Horsetalk]
Check out Horse and Hound’s “Top Tips for Badminton 2014.” Lucky enough to be making a trip to watch the competition in person? This article will have you covered with helpful information like trade fair hours and warnings of poor cellular phone signal. [Horse & Hound]
Marcia Kulak will be teaching a clinic at Bridlewood Farm in Aiken, SC on May 13 & 14. Email [email protected] to reserve your spot!
This week on the Eventing Radio Show: Prepping for Badminton. Canadian competitor Rebecca Howard joins hosts Jess and Samantha to talk about current events, followed by Jacky Green with an in-depth look at the Badminton competitor field. Emilee Libby gives this week’s training tip. [The Eventing Radio Show]
Pop quiz: Can you name the rider who have successfully completed all six four star events? Spoiler: it’s Clayton Fredericks. Another Australian, Wendy Schaeffer, has started all six but has not completed Pau. Recent Rolex finishers Alice Dunsdon and Fernhill Present are on a quest to complete all six together as a pair, and have only Badminton and Adelaide left. And we all know that American favorites Colleen Rutledge and Shiraz currently hold the record for most four stars completed as a pair- they have done all but Adelaide. [Horse & Hound]
In case you weren’t already excited for Badminton, you can watch this event teaser trailer from 2009: