While we’re pretty heavy on MARS Maryland 5 Star this year, don’t forget that this weekend marks the opening of the FEI WBFSH Young Horse Breeding World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers in France. It’s one of the best peeks at the future stars of the sport, with both 6- and 7-year-olds competing at the CCI2* and CCI3* level in a true championship environment. Le Lion has one of the prettiest cross country courses in the world, and it’s just a festive weekend full of sport that’s well-supported by some of the best riders in the world. The information to follow along can be found in the link list below:
FEI WBFSH Young Horse World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers (France): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Live Stream]
U.S. Events This Weekend
MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill (MD): [Website] [Tickets] [Schedule] [Entries] [Live Stream] [Scores] [EN’s Coverage]
Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event (KY): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]
Willow Draw Charity Show (TX): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Volunteer]
Ram Tap National H.T. (CA): [Website] [Entries/Ride Times/Scores] [Volunteer]
Major International Events
FEI WBFSH Young Horse World Breeding Championships at Le Lion d’Angers (France): [Website] [Entries/Times/Scores] [Live Stream]
News & Reading
How can one trust the process, as we often hear, without actually studying what exactly that process is from different angles? So muses Sam Watson, co-founder of EquiRatings and Olympic eventer. Through this study and quantification of a process through a data-oriented view, more of a personal story can be found and told, and suddenly the study of improvement takes on a whole new lens. “Even the most focused, talented athletes can lose their edge without metrics,” he writes in his most recent think piece. Sure, some athletes don’t necessarily measure themselves against some stats, but Sam notes the trends and resulting improvements he’s seen with a little bit of attention paid to the numbers. You can read more from Sam here.
Alongside the 3* and 5* competition at the MARS Maryland 5 Star this week are some of the exciting developing horses in the U.S., showcased in the USEA Young Event Horse East Coast Championships. The competition for these youngsters, who had to qualify to compete here, begins today and will conclude on Friday. You can brush up on the field and the competition format here.
An Olympic show jumper has been provisionally suspended following a human anti-doping case related to a medication prescribed to treat ADHD. Irish rider Darragh Kenny failed the test at the European Championships in July and has been suspended from October 13. Darragh said he wanted to “emphasize that I never intended to gain any competitive advantage. My sole aim was to responsibly address a medical condition under professional guidance,” he said. You cead read more on this here.
Sponsor Corner: Virginia Horse Center Foundation
Photo by Veronica Green-Gott.
Just like walking a challenging cross country course, smart investing starts with strategy, foresight, and trust in your partners. And investing shouldn’t be a scary word; in fact, it’s a way to think about as a path to sustainably supporting your horse habits. As the title sponsor of VHC Eventing, Capital Square brings that same forward-thinking spirit to real estate investment.
With a full spectrum of strategic opportunities, Capital Square helps investors chart a confident course. You can meet some of their team in person at VHC Eventing the last weekend of October, or you can learn more about Capital Square here.
Video Break
Take a look at some of the key combinations on Pierre Le Goupil’s MARS Maryland 5 Star cross country course, which you can view in full here (and stay tuned for our full preview!).
