The ground jury inspects the Saumur cross country course. Photo from the Saumur Complet Facebook page.
Good morning EN! The Saumur CCI3* officially kicks off today with the first horse inspection at 2PM this afternoon. Americans Doug Payne and Liz Halliday-Sharp are both on grounds preparing to compete this weekend, Doug aboard Crown Talisman and Liz aboard both HHS Cooley and Fernhill By Night. You can check out Doug’s blog from yesterday here, and Kate’s preview of notable pairs competing this weekend here. Also you can scroll down to the end of this post to see this year’s teaser trailer, featuring footage from last year’s competition. Keep checking back for all the latest updates from the competition.
[Saumur Official Website] [Saumur Complet Facebook Page] [Entry List] [Schedule]
Weekend Preview:
Virginia CIC2*/CCI* and H.T. [Website] [Entry Status] [Times]
May-Daze at the Park H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
The Spring Event at Woodside [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
Corona del Sol Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
Flora Lea Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Mystic Valley Hunt Club H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Coconino Spring H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
Paradise Farm H.T. [Website] [Entry Status]
Equestrians Institute H.T. [Website] [Entry Status/Times]
A former Young Event Horse winner graced the CIC3* podium at CHC International last weekend. Muggle, a ten-year-old Dutch Warmblood (Obediah x Isn’t She Nice), finished second at the event, which was his first 3*. He was piloted by Nilson Moreira da Silva, his partner of a year. Earlier in his life, Muggle was first ever USEA Future Event Horse Champion as a three-year-old. He also won the 5-Year-Old division at the Serra Valley Farms in 2009, and was fourth in the East Coast Championships for Five-Year-Olds. Muggle was bred by Judy Jefferis of Laurel Hill Farm. [USEA]
The MDHT Spring Starter Trial #3 needs more volunteers. According to an email from organizer Sandy Felker,they still “need several scribes and dressage warm up… and now you can do just a half day. All afternoon scribe spots are still available.” Volunteers will receive a schooling pass for a free cross country school on MDHT’s course, worth $50. You can signup for a time slot by clicking the link. [MDHT Volunteer Signup]
The Irish Sport Horse “Brock” bloodline is proving itself to have winning class. Irish horses have had a good few weeks, with Bay My Hero winning Rolex Kentucky and Paulank Brockagh winning at Badminton. The sires of both horses have produced many successful sport horses. In 2011 Bay My Hero’s sire Cult Hero was ranked second in the British Eventing Top 50 sires of seven and eight-year-old event horses in competition, and Paulank Brockagh’s sire Touchdown sired several world-class show jumpers, including the 2002 world champion mare Liscalgot. Touchdown also sired High Scope, who represented Ireland at the 2000 Olympic Games with Trevor Smith. [Independent.ie]
This week on the Eventing Radio Show: Badminton Past, Present, and Future. Hosts Jess and Samantha are joined by guest Nick Gauntlett to go over the news, and then Jackie Green and Rodney Powell discuss Badminton’s past and future track. Tik Maynard gives this week’s training tip. [Eventing Radio Show]
SmartPak has revamped its online SmartPak Manager. The new manager is simplified and faster, meaning you will be able to edit your horse’s supplements, shipping schedule, and billing information all in one place, with just a few clicks. Now you can see when your changes will take effect and when your horse’s SmartPaks will arrive, all in the order details. Click to see a tutorial video explaining the new system! [SmartPak Blog]
Congratulations to Sarah Kate Kangas, the readers’ choice as winner of the EN Show Us Your Flags Rolex contest. Sarah might be EN’s youngest fan at only five-years-old, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less enthusiastic! Her prize is a feature article about her pony, and it will be coming soon. Click to see her winning submission (and adorable pony shirt!) in the meantime. [Show Us Your Flags Submissions]
As stated above, the video below is this year’s teaser trailer for the Saumur CCI3*. Good luck to all competitors this weekend!
