Spring is almost here
Good Morning Eventing Nation! Welcome to Wednesday. The spring season is really starting to ramp up around here; Red Hills is this weekend, the Rolex entry list starting to grow, and before we know it the days will be longer, the air warmer, and the grass greener. This lovely mild winter has fooled us into thinking spring has been upon us for awhile now, but the official season change isn’t until March 20th.
The competition roster isn’t the only thing ramping up, the news is too, so let’s get it started this morning:
Princess Haya, on behalf of the FEI, recently signed the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport, a Declaration that is working to promote the interests of women in sport and in the Olympic movement. In all Equestrian Olympic sports, men and women compete on an equal basis, which is not something that can be said of most sports. Princess Haya said of her decision to support the Declaration: “Equestrian sport is one of the few Olympic sports in which women compete on equal terms with men. Signing the Brighton Declaration today shows the ongoing commitment of the FEI to equality in our sport.” [COTH]
According to the USEF Eventing High Performance Facebook page, 67 Olympic Applications have been received so far.
Andrew Nicholson is looking to have his hands full this spring, even without Armada (Oli Townend’s new ride). In a recent article for a local newspaper, he discussed his plans not to compete Nereo (his top Olympic choice) at either Badminton nor Kentucky, opting rather to save him for the Olympics and have a light spring. He also has his sights set on doing some damage at Badminton this spring, he holds the record for number of completions (30) although he has never won it himself. Nicholson said, “I won’t be using the Olympics as an excuse [not to win at Badminton]. The horses I have got entered at Badminton are very, very good horses and I’ll be chasing that win very seriously when I get to Badminton.” Andrew is definitely one of the most competitive, driven, and successful riders in the sport, I could see him doing very well at Badminton and Rolex this spring, and then carrying that success right on into London. He’s about the closest thing there is to a consistency machine in the sport. And when he’s on, not many people can touch him these days. [Stuff NZ]
Dressage rider Anna Davies had to evacuate her horses from her yard at Cholderton Park yesterday morning, after a fire engulfed the 17th century Cholderton Manor at 7:22 AM. The incident came very close to being disastrous for the rider and her horses, and so as to take every precaution, Anna evacuated her twenty five horses to different stables in the area as they wait to determine the extent of fire damage on the property. Not exactly the best way to start your spring season off, huh?! The good news is that the only damage the fire caused is structural, and no lives, human or horse, were lost in the fire. [Horse and Hound]
Georgina Bloomberg is quite the author these days. After the release of her first book, The A Circuit, last spring, Georgina has written a sequel to the first novel, titled My Favorite Mistake, which will be released in a couple weeks. The launch of her book and an autograph signing will be held Thursday, March 22 from 6-7 p.m. in the Gallery Tent at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. I have to admit that after writing about the release of her first book at what was about this time last year, I did go out and buy it and read it. I have to say that I was mildly entertained, it wasn’t a book that I’d necessarily buy again as a sequel, but it was definitely entertaining for what it is. [COTH]
According to Horsetalk, The Jockey Club in the United States has created a website to allow racetracks to publish their statistics from the Equine Injury Database. It’s a new website, which will be managed by the Jockey Club themselves, but will allow anyone with the interest to look up the fall statistics from past races, and for those savvy enough, draw conclusions about the main causes of falls and ways to prevent them. [Horsetalk]
A disabled rider by the name of Robin Brueckmann is on her way to the Olympics, but not without her share of the blood, sweat, tears, and financial obligation that comes with being a good rider with physical challenges. [COTH]
Also, just a quick note from our good friend John Nunn that Bit of Britain is currently seeking someone to run its Mobile Store. Do you like to travel? Familiar with Eventing and all of it’s equipment? This is a full-time, year-around job with a full benefit package. Ability to handle a 40 ft. trailer, a CDL license & strong computer skills are necessary. If interested please visit bitofbritain.com for more info and to print an employment application.
Kristin Schmolze is looking for syndication members to buy in to a young horse of hers by the name of Ricardo Time. He is only a five year old, but according to Kristin looks to be the real deal. Click here if you’d like more information.
Life has been busy for Boyd Martin lately. In this latest blog he recaps both Sporting Days and Pine Top, where the weather wasn’t pristine for either, but both events proved to give the horses and students a good tune-up before bigger things later this spring. [Boyd’s Blog]
That’s all for now, Eventing Nation! Have a great day and be sure to enjoy the Spring like weather, I’ll catch you later!
