If you are bored on Saturday, I suggest turning on your television to watch some college football, taking your dog to the park, walking your kids, or pulling your horse’s mane–yes, we all know it needs to be done.
But, if you don’t feel like doing any of those things, then check out the FEI’s WEG Rider Biographies which are amusingly candid at times (Link: US bios). The USEA has an aggregation of the bios for the US team riders. Some of my overall favorites include:
Becky’s hero/idol: Karen O’Connor
Allison’s reason for riding: Her dad bought Allison her first horse to stop her from sucking her thumb
Karen’s hobbies: cooking and golf
Will’s hobbies: knitting
Boyd started eventing because: “he didn’t have anything better to do” (joking, of course…maybe)
Boyd’s hobbies: gambling and weightlifting (definitely true)
And, just like NFL bios, the height and weight listings are pretty well enhanced. The FEI has bios listed for literally every single rider at the Games which means that at least one FEI intern had a very long summer.
The FEI also sent out an interesting press release about the massive Belgian horse airlift for the Games that we mentioned a couple of days ago. This is the only place I could find the press release published online so far.
Finally, as we all know, Anky van Gunsven will be competing for the Netherland reining team at the WEGs. Check out the video below of her competing in July aboard her horse Whiz. The warmup is not shown for obvious reasons, and are those European hillbillies whistling and hooting in the background?
Go eventinng.
