A young eventing star in intensive care, and other things the horse world is talking about
1. Event rider in hospital
Our thoughts are with the family and friends of eventing young rider European champion Zazie Gardeau after she was placed in intensive care in Plymouth hospital as a result of injuries sustained in a cross-country fall. The 21-year-old from France fell at fence seven of the CCI3*-L at Bicton last weekend (27 May). Her nine-year-old Argento mare, Daiquiri, suffered serious injuries and was put down. Zazie’s condition was described as stable by the French equestrian federation.
2. A major form upset ahead of Paris 2024
Alex Hua Tian and Chicko lead China to a Paris 2024 ticket at Millstreet 2023.
China scored a major form upset when they beat Japan in the Olympic ticket showdown at Millstreet last week (1–5 June), claiming a qualification spot for Paris 2024 in eventing. Two Olympic spaces were on offer in the CCIO3*-L for unqualified countries in groups F and G. Australia and Japan were the hot favourites to claim the spots, with China and South Africa also in the mix. While Australia powered through to take top spot, as expected, when Japan only managed to produce two cross-country jumping clears, China was able to claim the second qualifying place.
3. Is track living the way forward?
As issues with overweight horses continue to plague much of the UK herd, interest in keeping horses on track systems continues to grow. Rather than using traditional rectangular grassy paddocks, track systems – which can be used with or without grass – are designed with water, hay and supplements distributed at different points to ensure horses are motivated to keep moving. Tracks can include a variety of surfaces, such as hardcore and woodchip as well as obstacles, small logs for example, for horses to negotiate. Some tracks are entirely grass-free, but hay is usually provided ad lib so the horse can learn to self-regulate its intake.
Learn more about setting up a track system
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