Year in Review: The EN Stories You Loved the Most in 2019

It’s been real, 2019! Happy New Year to all our readers. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

It’s always a fun and fascinating year-end exercise for us here at EN to see which stories received the most views over the past 12 months. We had nearly 7 million page views in 2019, and as you would expect live coverage and heavy-hitting headlines led the way.

Our live coverage of eventing in 2019 was more extensive and global than ever. To recap the hefty ones: Kentucky, Badminton, Luhmühlen, Pan American Games, European Championships, Burghley, Pau, Adelaide. In addition to these, we had EN boots on the ground at another couple dozen events this year, among them: Pine Top, Bruce’s Field, Red Hills, Carolina International, Belton, The Fork, Jersey Fresh, Houghton, Tattersalls, Bromont, Bramham, Rebecca Farm, Hartpury, Great Meadow, AEC, Blenheim, Stable View, Boekelo, Le Lion, Fair Hill, and Ocala Jockey Club, and provided coverage remotely for many, MANY more. Many thanks to Shelby Allen, Jenni Autry, Tilly Berendt, and Abby Powell for their fantastic live coverage this year, as well as to the many writers and photographers who have so generously submitted dispatches to us from events around the world. (Have an event recap to share in 2020? Send it our way!)

As we look through the posts that captured the most clicks this year, it’s worth taking a deeper dive to remember the stories that made us laugh and cry, inspired us, and ultimately made us fall even more head-over-heels in love with the sport. With that concept in mind, here are a few of the stories that, judging from your views, shares and comments, you deemed the best of 2019.

The Story That Made You Laugh

‘You Weren’t Really On Him That Long’: The Boyd Martin Backstory: “I did a pretty ordinary dressage test, fell off twice in cross-country, and once more in show jumping. I think I finished on 380 penalties. While it wasn’t the best start for my eventing career, obviously, I could only improve from there.” And so begins the story of Boyd Martin, who of course has gone on to become a cornerstone of Team USA. He shared his backstory in this excerpt from Riding For The Teama new book from Trafalgar Square Books and the United States Equestrian Team Foundation.

Photo courtesy of Boyd Martin.

The Story That Challenged You

Is the Sport of Eventing Still Worth Fighting For?: It’s been a tough year, and the EN team has shed many a tear in shouldering the crushing task of sharing sad news. But what keeps us going, day after day and year after year, is a belief that in our shared sport. Trainer Jeanie Clark was among those in attendance at the Green Mountain Horse Association Festival of Eventing, where Jeffie Chapin suffered a fatal accident on August 11. Whether or not we knew Jeffie personally, as a community we experienced a shared trauma, and we faced shared questions about how to move on in the wake of that trauma. Jeanie’s powerful essay offered some guidance in a dark hour.

Jeffie Chapin and Joinem. Photo by Abby Powell.

Bravest Story of the Year

My Uncomfortable Truth in Deciding a Career in Horses Wasn’t for Me: “Who am I apart from horses? What do I want out of my life apart from horses? What type of person did I want to be apart from horses? Well I want a lot of things, and I’m no longer afraid to accept them.” At just 20 years old, Tayler Stewart had a long list of accomplishments to her name: a four-star resume, a spot on emerging rider lists, and a NAYC team gold and individual silver medal. But she wanted something different for herself that the path of going professional that she felt was expected of her. Her frank, poignant essay resonated with the nearly 45,000 people who read it.

Tayler Stewart and Ideal Contini at the 2018 FEI North American Youth Championships. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Your Favorite History Lesson 

Terrifying Cavalry Training Tips: Part 1 – Down BanksPart 2 – GridworkPart 3 – Water JumpsPart 4 – Skinnies: “‘Red on right and white on left’ are relatively new developments in the history of cross country riding. “Insanity in the middle,” on the other hand, is a centuries old tradition.” Some 55,000 readers tuned into this Veterans Day series, in the spirit of celebrating eventing’s military roots. From death-defying drop banks to gridlines that are literally on fire, Leslie Wylie explored the madness that is military horse training.

From “Riding Forward: Modern Horsemanship for Beginners” written in 1934 by Vladimir Littauer, Captain, 1st Hussars, Russian Imperial Cavalry. Photo from imh.org.

The Photo That Got Your Attention

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words: Bobby Meyerhoff and Fortuna: “They say that if you can get a mare on your side, the sky may just be the limit.” Bobby Meyerhoff’s four-star mount Fortuna definitely earned some skymiles this year, as seen in JJ Sillman’s dramatic photo from Plantation Field. Sally Spickard got the story behind this 15.2-hand Dutch Warmblood mare and her special partnership with Bobby, garnering over 22,000 views.

Bobby Meyerhoff and Fortuna. Photo by JJ Sillman.

The Contests You Wanted to Win

EN readers love free stuff, especially when there’s a fun photo challenge involved! Two of our most well-received contests of 2019 were the Zandonà ‘No Scope, No Hope’ Photo Challenge, won by this high-flying team from Australia, and the SmartPak SmartStride Ultra ‘Long Spot’ Contest — see the winning photo here. Other contests of note: World Equestrian Brands’ recent Horse Holiday Costume Contest, the E.A. Mattes “Best Cross Country Style?” Contest, and of course our Annual Kentucky Pick ‘Em Contest. Here’s to more contests from our fantastic sponsors in 2019!

Margaret Kitts and Melody Keys, winners of the the SmartPak SmartStride Ultra ‘Long Spot’ Contest.

Your Favorite (and Longest-Running) Series

The EN team has created a few monsters over the years. As former EN editor Jenni Autry used to say, “We created the monster. And now we have to feed it.” Chinch is among those monsters. Several years ago — 2013? 2014? — I thought it would be funny to bring a stuffed mascot to Kentucky to photobomb riders, inspired by the legend of the EN chinchilla, and now I can’t take him anywhere without being mobbed. Another monster is #EventerProblems, a series that began in 2015 and reached a benchmark of Vol. 208 this week, with Haygain as its title sponsor. Check out the #EventerProblems archive in its entirety here.

What were your other favorites stories of 2019, EN? Let us know in the comments below.

Thank you for trusting EN as your go-to news source. We are humbled by your support and vow to continue covering the sport with the utmost dedication, integrity and insanity in 2020 and beyond.

Happy New Year! Go Eventing.