Queen Ingrid – just one of the big hitters heading to North Holland Horse Trials this weekend.
We’ve got a jam-packed eventing schedule this weekend, with eventers gearing up for the season’s 5*s along with the small matter of Olympic selection in everyone’s sights.
As well as events in the States from the east coast to the west (see U.S. Weekend Preview below), over in the UK, Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market is celebrating its 25th anniversary, with the likes of Kentucky contenders Oliver Townend and Cooley Rosalent and a whole bunch of Badminton entrants in the 4*-S class. Flying the flag for the US are Rowan Laird and Grace Taylor with Canada’s Michael Winter making sure the Maple Leaf gets in on the eventing action. France, New Zealand, Japan, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, Denmark and South Africa are all represented too, making this a truly international competition.
Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International (Norfolk, UK) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring] [Live Stream]
Meanwhile, across in Europe, North Holland Horse Trials is hosting an international event of its own, with a whole host of competitors who will be firmly on the selectors’ radars. US interests in the 4*-S lie with Hallie Coon who rides Cute Girl, with heavy hitters from across Europe and beyond all on the start list.
North Holland Horse Trials (The Netherlands) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring] [Live Stream]
Also happening this weekend, ‘the world’s greatest steeplechase’ – the English Grand National – an equestrian event that captures the imagination of non-horsey folk around the globe (in turn generating a ludicrous amount of money) on a scale that would have eventing die-hards doing an enormous conga, naked, and totally sober. It’s of course not without its controversy, but for those of you interested, you can find out more about the race here and check out how you can watch, wherever you are in the world, here.
National Day of Note: Hug Your Dog Day. Our barns wouldn’t be the same without ‘em, so make sure you give your puppers an extra squeeze today.
U.S. Weekend Preview
F.E.N.C.E. H.T. (Tryon, SC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Longleaf Pine H.T. (Raeford, NC) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Unionville Horse Trials (Unionville, PA) [Website] [Entries] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Spring Bay H.T. (Lexington, KY) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Twin Rivers Spring International (Paso Robles, CA) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring] [Live Stream]
International Events
Barefoot Retreats Burnham Market International (Norfolk, UK) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring] [Live Stream]
North Holland Horse Trials (The Netherlands) [Website] [Entries] [Scoring] [Live Stream]
Wednesday News and Reading
Is it even the beginning of the eventing season if William Fox-Pitt doesn’t tease his impending retirement? Mr Reliable will be taking Maryland 5* runner-up Grafennacht to Badminton this year, and as has become a tradition in recent years, he’s hinting that it may be his last outing to the big B. Whether that’s true remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure, when the day comes it will be a huge loss to eventing as we know it.
We’ve been talking about it since the announcement – the revised format for Olympic eventing. Listen in to the latest Eventing Dialogue from Ride IQ as Sinead Halpin Maynard, Shannon Lilley and Lynn Symansky discuss what’s afoot for LA 2028.
The official charity for Defender Burghley Horse Trials has been revealed. The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – a charity which helps to improve the lives of those affected by motor neuron disease – was founded by Scotland rugby player and keen eventer Doddie Weir, who sadly passed away in 2022. As a special addition to the event, the Main Arena will host a tug-of-war competition between eventers and rugby players to commemorate Doddie and the important work of the charity.
And finally, an April Fools that turned out to be no joke. When Horse & Hound reported on the British Show Pony Society’s hobby horse championship, readers were quick to point out that they weren’t no fools. Alas, in so doing they’d inadvertently shown themselves up as not being au fait with the cutting edge of horse crazes, as hobby horsing is just that, with a World Championships no less. H&H had in fact put out a fun article befitting of the day – claiming that matchy-matchy was all the rage in 35,000 BC – but the hobby horsing shenanigans was totally a true story.
Sponsor Corner
Courtney Varney’s farm in Ocala.
Do you ever feel like your horse has a new injury, however minor, every time you go to the barn? We have ways you can horse-proof your farm, straight from the vet’s mouth. Veterinarian, Grand Prix dressage rider, and FEI technical delegate Dr. Courtney Varney fills us in on all the injuries she’s seen in the field, and how to prevent them, in this article sponsored by Ocala Horse Properties. Get the full story here.
Video Break
Luckily this cyclist is no stranger to the saddle in a horsey sense too, and was able to bring what could have been a disaster to a safe conclusion. Read more about what happened when a horse joined a bike race in Belgium here.
L'incroyable geste réalisé mercredi par Lars Daniels : à 10km de l'arrivée de la première étape de l'Arden Challenge, le Belge a arrêté un cheval qui galopait à proximité du peloton. Le cycliste, qui a pratiqué plus jeune l'équitation, a finalement terminé avec le peloton. pic.twitter.com/GP9dqR3BNZ
— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) March 30, 2024
