World No. 3 Boyd Martin will be many an eventing fan’s idol, but Boyd came across an idol of his own at Morven Park Spring Horse Trials last weekend – the legendary USEA Hall of Famer Bruce Davidson Sr. who was going eventing aboard homebred Chesterland’s Sunswick. The septuagenarian admitted to being held together by some hardware from surgery a few weeks ago, but he managed to jump double clear to finish on his dressage in 5th place in his division. He certainly puts forty-something-year-old me hobbling off my horse after every ride to shame. Seriously though, what a cool sport we’re involved in for athletes to have such longevity in their careers. Go eventing!
U.S. Weekend Preview
CDCTA Spring H.T. (Ruckersville, VA) [Website] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Pine Hill Spring H.T. (Bellville, TX) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Rocking Horse Spring H.T. (Altoona, FL) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Stable View Spring 2/3/4* and H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Wednesday News and Reading
The first 5* of the season is imminent… That’s right, in just two weeks time we’ll be gearing up for our first taste of the top level this year with Adelaide Equestrian Festival beginning on April 18th. For those of us too far away to attend, don’t fret, H&C+ has us covered (subscription required). Here’s a taste of all that’s to come from the Aussie event.
Whilst we’re on the topic of upcoming 5*s, the first top-level offering of the year on British soil draws ever closer. Despite the incessant rain here in Britain, the team at Badminton have pulled on their rubber boots, slid into their slickers, and headed out to gear up for the 75th anniversary celebrations of the great event. Entries are in, the Main Arena grandstands are up, and there’s a new-look cross country course on the way. Read all about the preparations in this month’s Director’s Blog.
Keen to get in on the OTTB thing? If you’ve got an eye for what you’re looking for, checking out the horses in their current career is one way to find the potential *add chosen second career here* of your dreams. But where to start, and what do you do when you’ve locked on to your chosen prospect? This Retired Racehorse Project article guides you through the process from admirer to OTTB owner.
Create a better connect with your horse simply by breathing better. For something as important as breathing, it’s kinda weird that so many of us put so little effort into doing it right. We train our bodies for riding, and in many cases our minds too, but it seems we neglect to give our breath the attention it deserves. From improving posture and balance, to helping us sync up with our horses, as well as being an aid in its own right, the breath is full of potential. If you’re keen to tap into this, here’s how to get started.
And finally, if you could go back and impart some sage advice on your rookie self, what would it be? Horse trainer and Gaucho Derby competitor Warwick Schiller lets us in on what he thinks are the big lessons he’s learned during his time working with horses. Some of the ideas here are potentially a bit ‘out there’ (Warwick says’ hokey’), but we’re all showing up from different places, so take what’s for you and skip what’s not, regardless, we can all get a little (or a lot of) good from this.
Sponsor Corner
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Video Break
If you’re 5* dreamin’ and can’t wait for 2024’s top level events to get underway, here’s something to tide you over – highlights from last year’s edition of Adelaide Equestrian Festival.
