Feeling the post-Paris blues still? Then you’ll be delighted to hear that you don’t have to – because today, the Paralympic dressage gets underway in Versailles, and it’s very bit as exciting as the Olympic competition was, and often much more emotional. You can catch up on the need-to-know info from the FEI in this informative guide, and get to know two key competitors in this piece from the Olympic hub. The FEI’s own hub, with medal recaps and handy info, is available here, and you can stream the competition on the Paralympics YouTube channel – here’s a link with more info for viewers regardless of country.
Events Opening Today: Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event, Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, Windermere Run H.T.
Events Closing Today: Unionville International H.T., Twin Rivers Fall International, Meadowcreek Park H.T – Fall Social Event, University of New Hampshire H.T., Heritage Park H.T., Honey Run H.T.
News & Notes from Around the World:
The Paralympics are well underway, and there’s already high drama in Versailles. Gold-medal contenders Tobias Thorning Jørgensen and Jolene, who took the gold in Tokyo, have sadly withdrawn from the competition after the mare was diagnosed with travel sickness. This is a huge shake-up for the competition: the pair have several years of being undefeated at senior Championships under their belts. Here’s the full story.
A little closer to home (for most of you guys, anyway – Paris is definitely closer for me!), let’s look ahead to the YEH Championships. Or, more specifically, to one lovely young Thoroughbred, who’s being aimed for the finals and enjoying his early education en route. Meet him here and find out how that progression has been planned.
Age classes are great and all, but you also never need to put a timeline on success. That was proven in fine style by Roisin O’Rahilly, who, at 81 years old, became the Beginner Novice Master Amateur at the AECs. Riding her delightful Happy Times, the Century Ride award-winner led from pillar to post to secure the title on her first trip to the AECs, and her first competition at the hallowed Kentucky Horse Park. Check out her story here and remind yourself: it’s never too late to do exactly the things you dream of the most.
I’m sharing this for a really specific point made within it, which I wholeheartedly agree with. The author, looking back on when she was a horse-mad college student hoping to become an equestrian journalist, recalls a sage bit of advice, which is that no one in the industry will take her seriously unless she, too, knows what it’s like to feed the horses in sub-zero temperatures. And so she embarks on a quest to gain as much hands-on experience and knowledge as possible of the industry she wants to write about – which is, alongside reading prolifically, the first piece of advice I give to all aspiring journalists who message me. Get out there, get your hands dirty, and learn this world on an intrinsic level – and in the evenings and in your free time, get so hungry for words that you give yourself over to your bookshelves, so that evocative, expansive, inimitable sentences also become intrinsic. You can read the rest of the piece here, and maybe one of these days I’ll organise my thoughts enough to write out something like sage advice.
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Watch This:
Relive the winning cross-country round of Wills Oakden and Keep It Cooley, who took the CCI4*-L at the last-ever Blair Castle in Scotland last month:
