World Equestrian Brands HC: Elisa Wallace’s Rolex XC

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According to our sister site Eventing Nation, Rolex hangover is a legitimate medical condition. We’re here to help with a little helmet cam cross-country video from Elisa Wallace.

Another Rolex has come and gone, leaving equestrians all over the country nursing their Rolex hangover. There are no more rider standings to update; there’s no more live stream to watch; all of those carefully-collected stats have been laid to rest until next April.

But don’t worry, eventing fans — there are plenty of videos to help you relive the magic that was the Best Weekend All Year. Elisa Wallace never fails to deliver, whether we’re talking about her stellar eighth-place performance in Kentucky last weekend or her always-entertaining helmet cam videos that give us the rider’s-eye-view of the course.

For the vast majority of us that will never gallop around a four-star, hold on tight: it’s time for another wild ride aboard Simply Priceless. (Excuse the rain spots — it was another soggy cross-country day this year!)

“Go Johnny go!” As Wallace states as she crosses the finish line, “that was hard! We both got tired.” (I got tired just watching, let alone riding that hard at a sustained steady pace in challenging conditions over jumps the size of my house.)

Go Johnny! Go Elisa! And go riding!

Quiz: Are You a Horsemanship Expo Person?

Candace Wade, Leave a comment
Candace Wade, who definitely describes herself as a horsemanship expo lover, has created a quiz so you can decide if you too are one of her people.
Chris Cox at Equine Affaire Ohio. Photo by Candace Wade.

Chris Cox at Equine Affaire Ohio. Photo by Candace Wade.

This personality test is a guide to discover whether equine clinics are suitable for your personality type. Administer this test to your proposed clinic-buddy to assess if he or she is a good match for the clinic experience. My husband’s response to “do you want to attend the Equine Affaire in Ohio?” was “I’d sooner hit myself over the head with a brick:” an indication of a doubtful match.

So my friend and I went instead. We’ve followed GaWaNi Pony Boy from Tennessee to Alabama to Ohio to Missouri. We pore over the schedules and devise a plan of action that rivals Eisenhower’s planning of Normandy. We sit transfixed, drinking in all the knowledge and advice (even if we don’t really understand the nuances of classical dressage). Normally healthful eaters, we gobble revolting booth-food. We laugh and “post-show-recap” the entire eight hour drive home. We are horsemanship clinic people.

Take the quiz and see where you fall:

Share your results in the comments section. Go riding!

Tuesday Video: Zzzzz …

Kristen KovatchLeave a comment
If you had a hard time getting out of bed this morning, #sorrynotsorry.

I don’t care how comfortable your mattress might be — I can guarantee you have never been as comfortably passed out as this big fellow.

What do you think horses dream about? Running with their friends? Burying their faces into a big bucket of grain? Finally winning the Triple Crown?

Whatever it is, this guy is passed out in sweet slumber. Snore on, big buddy.

Go riding!

Update: Uthopia’s Future Believed to Be Secure

Kristen Kovatch, Leave a comment
wFans of Carl Hester and his 2012 Olympic ride Uthopia are breathing easier after last week’s announcement that the horse would be sold without reserve on May 27.
Carl Hester and Uthopia. Wikimedia Commons/Kim Ratcliffe/CC

Carl Hester and Uthopia. Wikimedia Commons/Kim Ratcliffe/CC

Last week we shared the distressing news that Carl Hester’s much-loved mount Uthopia, with whom Hester helped Great Britain win team dressage gold at the 2012 Olympics in London, would be sold at auction without reserve as a result of bankruptcy proceedings by the managers of the owners’ estates.

A wave of public support from all around the world flooded social media, with fans offering donations of money to help Hester purchase Uthopia. Hester released the following statement over the weekend:

The GoFundMe account that we shared last week has since been suspended and money presumably refunded. We’re glad to hear that Hester and his connections have hopefully raised the money necessary to secure the best possible retirement scenario for Uthopia. All that remains now is to wait for May 27 and hope that Hester is correct!

Go Uthopia! Go riding!