“What is it about hunting?” Alastair MacLeod of Patey Hats asked me in a Scottish accent as we sat on the plump sofas of the Grand Salon in the Royal Dublin Society last week, sipping tea and balancing plates of scones on our laps. “Some of the people who buy Pateys hunt every day. What makes it so addictive?”
Go to E-Covertside to read more…
“Badminton Horse Trials ran May 5-10 in Gloucestershire, England, attracting over 250,000 spectators, the second-largest number for any paid-entry sporting event in the world. The lanky William Fox-Pitt won against his old rival Andrew Nicholson, also known as the ‘Silver Fox’, who was leading until the Sunday show jumping. Thrilling…”
Go to E-Coverstide to read more…
“Event rider Bill Levett grew up riding in the wide-open spaces of Australia. He moved to the UK in 1994, and competed at his first Badminton soon after. We caught up with him ahead of this year’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials.”
To find out more, go to Horse and Country TV (article mistakenly attributed to Victoria Spicer)…
I know a lot of people who were looking forward to the World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy. They booked their tickets for the cross-country at Haras du Pin months in advance and flew thousands of miles to be there. Many of them were disappointed. Some were much more than that; they were raging. The logistical nightmare that some people experienced overshadowed the pleasure of seeing the best horses and riders in the world tackle a universally admired cross-country course. I was there, and it WAS a tough day – even though I was among the lucky ones – and an eventful one. I wrote about it for Eventing Nation.
Trish Donegan-Ryan was one of the first people I met when I came to Ireland ten years ago… What a stroke of luck! I used to bring my young horse to Trish’s family yard in Bandon when the equine dentist was in town. One day, as we were taking a tea break in the Donegan family’s charming farmhouse, he told me a little story about Trish’s hands, which I’ve published in West Cork People.
Camphire International Horse Trials & Country Fair had its best year yet in 2014, with one-third more spectators and entries than ever before. Lucinda Fredericks, Joseph Murphy, Sam Watson, Camilla Speirs and Laura Collett are just some of the star riders who competed, alongside rising stars like Sophie How, American grand prix race car driver Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp, and the Under-18 Development Sqaud from Great Britain. The international field also included teams from Hong Kong, Qatar, Sweden and others. Whatever their results, everyone seemed to be having a great time, basking in the Irish sunshine in the magnificent Blackwater Valley in County Waterford. The mix of experienced and inexperienced riders competing alongside each other, while families and dogs enjoyed the country fair, having a day out – all in the spectacular setting of the riverside grounds of Camphire House – made for a celebratory atmosphere. It was one of my happiest summer weekends, and I wrote about it for Eventing Nation.
With record entries and a truly international field of competitors, excitement is building for Camphire International Horse Trials and Country Fair, which begins next week (24th – 27th July). Check out my piece in Horsetalk for all the details. Irishhorse.tv has also done a fantastic preview clip.
Marianne van Pelt 
