It’s time to cast your votes for the EquiRatings Horse of the Year, and there are some real crackers in the list of contenders.
Right now we’re at the quarter final stage, with Tamie Smith’s Kentucky winner Mai Baum going up against Oliver Townend’s Burghley winner Ballaghmor Class; in the battle of the grays, it’s between Kitty King’s European gold and silver medalist Vendredi Biats and Nicolas Touzaint’s ten-year-old Boekelo winner Diabolo Menthe; your third round picks are Ros Canter’s superstar Badminton winner Lordships Graffalo and eight-year-old Pan-Ams individual champion Caroline Pamukcu’s HSH Blake, and the fourth matchup sees eventing veteran eighteen-year-old Adelaide winner Shane Rose’s Virgil face off with Austin O’Connor’s Maryland winner Colorado Blue.
What a line-up to pick from!
Cast your votes here and keep your eyes on EquiRatings for the results from this round, when you’ll be able to have your say on which horses make it into the final, and ultimately become crowned Horse of the Year.
Go eventing horses!
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Wednesday News and Reading
You know it’s almost Christmas when it’s time for London International Horse Show. There’s nothing quite like settling down on the sofa in your Grinch PJs, a toasty fire crackling in the grate, one hand wrapped around a glass of something festive while the other dips in and out of the chocolate box, as you take in the unique awesomeness of the Puissance. For me, that Friday night class signals that the holidays are upon us and it’s something I look forward to all year, far more than extravagant roast dinners and trimming the tree. But there’s much, much more to the show than the big red wall. The top names in international show jumping, dressage and driving will all be there – keep your eyes peeled for a familiar eventing face too – and there are all the showing classes you could wish for. There’s the ever popular Shetland Pony Grand National, in which jockeys of the future race around the arena on their tiny mounts, and even the doggos get into the act with Kennel Club agility competitions. Check out the entire program here. It all starts next Wednesday (December 13th) and runs through Monday. If you’re looking for tickets, this is your link, but if you’re not in the vicinity, no need to fret – H&C+ has got your back (subscription required).
Think you can’t breed for eventing? The Horse Magazine Editor Christopher Hector disagrees. You only need glance at the entries for this year’s World Young Eventing Horse Championships to note the prevalence of specific eventing breeding amongst the up-and-coming young stars of the sport. Perhaps the most exciting young talent the eventing world’s seen, Thomas Carlile’s Upsilon – who sadly died in April – was represented with five of his get contesting the 2023 Championships, and secured his legacy in the sport with Golden de Beliard (Upsilon – Vieusinge Du Maury, by Jalienny) taking consecutive titles when she won as seven-year-old this year after her victory in the six-year-old class last season. Christopher analyzes Upsilon’s eventing genes, alongside a whole range of other interesting bloodlines on show at Le Lion, in this insightful round-up of eventing’s future top-level superstars. [All in the Genes]
There’s new research into how wild horses perceive death, with a surprising result. This write-up details the observations of the research team when a foal from a wild herd they were studying was injured. Unsurprisingly, the foal’s dam exhibited the expected behaviors of their bond, but it’s what happened next that threw new light on the emotional intelligence of horses. Spoiler alert – this is a sad story (no worse than you’ll find in a nature documentary, though), but it is an interesting insight into wild horse behavior, and any research that adds to the fact that horses are sentient beings with emotional needs gets a thumbs up from me. [Big Feelings]
All you need is love. Winter brings new meaning to horse ownership: when horses are perpetually mud-soaked, their blankets in a constant state of sogginess, you haven’t felt your toes for weeks and you’re poking about by torchlight tending to their every need, it’s hard to explain to non-horsey folk why the **** we do this. But the answer is really quite simple. Love. Right now I’m in the throes of a new relationship; it’s exciting and absorbing and every second I’m anticipating the moment when I’ll know it’s time to say those three little words. It won’t be the first time I’ve loved a horse, but the circumstances this time around are different, and I feel like I’m on the brink of so much potential. We all have our own version of a heart horse tale; Jec Ballou recounts hers in this candid blog. [Crazy In Love]
Horse Network’s new monthly column #HorsesMadeMeDoIt celebrates the unique brand of crazy that unites horse people the world over. It kicks off with the story of someone whose heart horse led to divorce. (If you’re wondering, no she doesn’t regret a thing.) We’ve seen the jokes about adding another brown horse to the barn so our partner doesn’t notice we’ve got a new horse, and that’s (kind of) how it all started. Not telling her husband about the horse was just the first omission; as the costs mounted up, he had no idea just how expensive his wife’s hobby had become. Needless to say, things came to a head, and when it came down to it, the horse won out. You can submit your own #HorsesMadeMeDoIt story by emailing [email protected]. [Happily Ever After]
Sticking with the theme of love (or perhaps it’s too soon?), supermodel and horse girl Bella Hadid’s dating a horse guy. The mysterious cowboy she was cozied up to recently has now been named, and it turns out it’s none other than National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Famer Adan Banuelos. Must be cool to be able to talk to your other half about horses without them getting a glazed look in their eye as they retreat into their mind to think about football. [Supermodels and Horses and Cowboys, Oh My!]
And finally, here’s a 5* eventer that’s so mild-mannered you could keep her in your house. Maryland runner-up Grafennacht’s owner commissioned this beautiful rocking horse version of her lovely mare – looks a little small for William Fox-Pitt to jockey though. [Rock On]
Sponsor Corner
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Video Break
Dressage superstars Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB’s victory in the Grand Prix at Sweden International Horse Show has taken their talley to 30 consecutive wins – 30! They’ve won every FEI class they’ve contested since becoming Olympic champions in Tokyo. Sit back and enjoy their stunning display in Sweden.
