The Setters’ Run Farm Carolina International may have crowned its winners last weekend, but we’re still not over all the excitement and fun of the ten year anniversary event (and the celebration of 25 years at the Carolina Horse Park!).
Records were broken, music videos were made, hat tricks were scored, and football was played.
Despite picking the winner as part of my Eventing Manager team, once again my non-horsey husband beat me in the rankings. One day I might trust the stats rather than the gooey feeling I get in my heart over certain horses!
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Read EN’s roundup of the 4* competition here.
U.S. Weekend Preview
Full Gallop Farm March II H.T. (Aiken, SC) [Website] [Volunteer]
March Horse Trials at Majestic Oaks (Ocala, FL) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Texas Rose Horse Park H.T (Tyler, TX) [Website] [Entries] [Ride Times] [Volunteer] [Scoring]
Wednesday News and Reading
I have a soft spot for certain event horses and there’s a Don Geniro shaped imprint in my heart. Sometimes it’s their name, or their color, the big white blaze down their face, or their kind eyes. It may be that they’ve inspired me in some way or that they evoke happy memories of days watching eventing. Often, it’s just something I can’t explain. I’ve heard riders talk about how a horse will tell them when it’s time to retire. In true Don Geniro quirkiness, he gave his rider, China’s Alex Hua Tian, the heads up mid-way through a World Championship cross country course. And so we start the eventing season without Don Geniro – Alex’s friend, 5*, World Championship and Olympic partner of ten years. I, for one, will miss him. We wish ‘The Don’ and his lucky new rider well in their dressage adventures. [Don Geniro Retires From Eventing]
There’s a whole bunch of interesting takeaways from the National Equine Forum – from addressing the equine industry in a changing world, to tackling unwanted behaviors in horses, playing for ‘team equestrian’ and how we’re all social media influencers for our sport. [Here’s A Summary]
Eventing legends Pippa Funnell and Tina Cook teamed up to deliver a masterclass demonstrating some of their training techniques. With advice about pole work and run outs, neck straps and nerves, seats and pelvic floor muscles, there’s plenty for us to be working on. [A Dream Team Masterclass]
While we were in Carolina, British eventers were out in force in Lincolnshire. There were wins for Oliver Townend and a fair few of the Badminton entries had successful spins around in preparation for the big one – Laura Collett, Izzy Taylor, Kitty King and Ros Canter, to name just a few. An Eventful Life has the full round up. [Two’ll Do For Oliver]
Equestrianism may be the only Olympic sport where men and women compete as equals, but it’s not as equal as we may think. Tania Millen from Horse Journals investigates gender equity and equality in equestrian sports around the world. [A Level Playing Field?]
I’ve heard many riders say that there are no bad rounds, just opportunities to learn. And that’s what a growth mindset is all about. It may sound a bit buzz-wordy, but it actually makes a fair bit of sense. From setting realistic goals, to celebrating the small wins (and the big ones), in a sport with the ups and downs that equestrianism has, a growth mindset is invaluable. [Every Day’s A School Day]
Can you help out this University of Edinburgh Master’s student who’s looking for eventers to complete her dissertation survey? The research, part of an MSc in Equine Science, relates to noseband tightness, clipping whiskers, and volunteering at competitions. To be eligible, you need to be over 18 and have competed in eventing in the last 18 months. [Contribute Here]
Sponsor Corner
Cross country day vibes from SRF Carolina International.
Video Break
It’s National Goof Off Day today so we advise you stop work immediately and watch this video of Boyd Martin having everything totally under control while his wife Silva’s away competing.