Photo courtesy Paris 2024.
Last week, the Olympic torch relay made it’s way to Omaha Beach in Normandy, France for a poignant ceremony just a few days shy of the 80th anniversary of D-Day (which is tomorrow). This year, during each leg of the torch relay, the torch is being carried by teams of 24 people representing their sport and during this leg in the Calvados region, which is French horse country, it was the equestrians’ time to shine.
Torch bearer Maxime Wille, the great-grandson of Léon Gautier who died last summer as the last surviving member of the only French battalion to fight on D-Day, arrived by sea via a rescue dingy and passed the flame to the Pénélope Leprévost, 2016 team gold medalist for France in show jumping. Check out some video from this portion of the relay beow!
U.S. Weekend Preview
Golden Spike H.T. (Ogden, UT) [Website] [Entries/ Ride Times/ Scoring]
Cobblestone Farms H.T. I (Chelsea, MI) [Website] [Entries/ Ride Times/ Scoring]
Middleburg H.T. (The Plains, VA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times]
Mill Creek Pony Club Horse Trials (Kansas City, MO) [Website] [Entries/ Ride Times/ Scoring]
Apple Knoll Farm H.T. (Millis, MA) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring]
Major International Events
MARS Bromont CCI (Quebec, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Dressage Times] [Scoring] [Live Stream]
Bramham International (West Yorkshire, UK) [Website] [Entries/ Ride Times/ Scoring]
FEI Nations Cup Avenches (Aveches, SUI) [Website] [Entries/ Ride Times/ Scoring]
Wednesday News and Reading
It’s giveaway time! EcoVet is giving away a bottle of their amazing fly spray. The first fatty-acid fly repellent for horses, this unique fly spray is veterinarian-approved and used by 5* eventers across the USA.
Winning is easy! Simply fill out the form in our June 10th ICYMI newsletter. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here because free is every equestrian’s favorite price.
One hundred years ago, the Olympics were also held in Paris. Yep: Paris 1924! That year was also a notable one for equestrian sport in the Olympics, as it was the first hep since the formation of the FEI 1921. Of course, the Olympics looked quite a bit different then. Sports differed of course, but mainly the event is now just so much bigger than it was a century ago. Here’s a glimpse at what Paris 1924 looked like.
“Oh you ride horses? That must be a fun hobby!” If you’ve ever tried to explain to someone how being an amateur equestrian is a little bit more than just a cute hobby, then this piece from The Plaid Horse is for you. #Relatable.
I remember Jamie Sindell’s hysterical COTH blog from last year about the mayhem involved in preparing her 3-year-old daughter and their backyard pony for the Devon lead line class. Jamie swore she’d never do it again, but … here we are one year and another hysterical recounting later.
Some unfortunate news out of Vermont’s GMHA Horse Trials this past weekend: one horse was euthanized after sustaining an injury when it tripped and stumbled during the cross country. The rider was uninjured. Our thoughts are with this rider and all who knew and loved this horse during this sad time. You can read the press release here.
Video Break
As promised, here’s a glimpse of the Olympic torch relay on Omaha Beach. Even if you don’t speak French, I bet you’ll still get chills.
