“He’s due for work.” “She might need injections.”   “It’s time for some routine maintenance.”  They’re all different expressions for the same, common veterinary treatment in horses. For many equine athletes, joint injections are an important part of a regular, veterinary care program. The reason for that is simple: in competitive horses, or those with an injury, injections can help to prevent osteoarthritic pain; both now and, ideally, in the future.  “When we look at joint pain, it’s a feedback loop,” says Dr. Beau Whitaker, a Texas-based sport horse veterinarian and certi ..read more

Four gruelling rounds. Four foot perfect performances. King Edward and Henrik von Eckermann were at the top of their game in Riyadh. The world no. 1 horse and rider pair didn’t just successfully defend their Longines FEI World Cup Final title in Saudi Arabia, they left no question about it, leading from start to finish without dropping a single rail all week. “It’s amazing. It’s something I could never dream of when I was younger that I would be two times winning after each other,” said the exhausted and delighted Swede on Saturday. von Eckermann might not have imagined it, but the Jumpr stats ..read more

One of only two 19 years on the start list, USA’s Skylar Wireman was among the youngest riders to qualify for the 2024 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final in Riyadh. She was also on one of the youngest horses in 10-year-old Tornado. Partnered for less than a year, the young American made her championship debut for Team USA last week. And they didn’t disappoint. In Wednesday’s opening speed round, Wireman and the Swedish Warmblood gelding finished 10th against world-class talent. But by Thursday’s jump off class, their greenness showed in an uncharacteristic 16 faults. At 1.60m, the pair avera ..read more

Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward retained their crown at the 2024 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final, winning every leg over three days of championship jumping in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Heading into Saturday’s fourth and final round, the world no. 1 and his chestnut phenom had a rail in hand. Four faults and they’d force a jump off with speed specialists Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Dubai du Cedre. A clear would mean victory. And they delivered. If not the smoothest round they’ve ever done, one of the most significant. “It’s amazing,” said the Swede of winning back-to-back Finals ..read more

Patrick Kittel has eight times contested the FEI Dressage World Cup Finals. Eight times, since 2010, he’s finished in the top 10 and with five different horses. Twice, he just missed the podium. Kittel was fourth at the 2016 World Cup Final in Göteborg on Watermill Scandic and again in the 2018 Paris Final aboard Deja. This year, he returned with a new World Cup partner in Touchdown and, on his ninth try, scored a “touchdown” 14 years in the making. In Wednesday’s Grand Prix, Kittel was second on a score of 73.292 behind Lottie Fry (GBR) and Everdale. It was his then best World Cup finish. “I ..read more

Shockwaves were sent through the FEI World Cup Finals for the second day in a row. World Cup favorites Lottie Fry and Everdale, leading by a 2% margin after Wednesday’s Grand Prix, were eliminated in Riyadh prior to contesting Friday’s medal deciding Freestyle after judge Hans-Christian Matthiesen (DEN) spotted blood the horse’s mouth. Under the FEI blood rule, fresh blood in a horse’s mouth or in the area of the spurs results in an automatic elimination. From the FEI: British athlete Charlotte Fry and her horse Everdale were eliminated from the Grand Prix Freestyle competition today at the F ..read more

When I think of summer Olympic sports, I think of track and field, swimming, gymnastics, equestrian and a few other staples. But now because I have successfully made it to middle-age, I look at some of the new sports being introduced and I think how seemingly unsuitable. Skateboarding for one and new to the 2024 lineup is what they call “breaking,” which is what we call breakdancing. Yes, I’m aware there’s a lot of skill involved with both athletic endeavors and yes, there are probably just as many injuries in these sports as any other. It just seems to me that these sports are a little bizarr ..read more

“It was a night of tears—tears of joy and tears of loss,” wrote Kc Brascomb on Facebook. Just hours earlier, the American breeder’s horse died suddenly an hour after competing in Round II of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Chromatic BF, competing under USA’s Jill Humphrey, made his championship debut this week following a breakout World Cup season that saw the pair finish as the top ranked American and fifth overall on the North American League standings. The 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion by Connor was bred and raised at Branscomb Farms LLC in Half Moon Bay ..read more

Few combinations are as exciting to watch in the ring as Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward. But this week is exceptional even by their impossibly high standards. After two rounds, the Swedish sensations aren’t just winning the 2024 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final. They’re dominating it. von Eckermann and King Edward claimed their career first World Cup title in 2023, winning the first round and dropping a single rail each in the second and third rounds before delivering a clutch clear to clinch the victory in the fourth. Defending their title in Riyadh this week, the world no. 1s have ..read more

Last week, we talked about teaching a horse to trot with you in groundwork, with crisp forward movement when you request it. But he also needs to back up when you do. To back a horse in this sequence, begin at the halt, facing forward as usual. Turn 180 degrees so that your body is facing backward and the left side of the horse’s face is next to your left arm. Bump the halter back as you walk toward the horse’s shoulder. He should move back. If your horse is stubborn on this—my green Warmblood True often is—tap a whip or stick across his chest as you bump the halter back. Again, I must clarify ..read more