Low Down

From Wikipedia - A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, which formally ends a state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to stop hostilities, or a surrender, in which an army agrees to give up arms, or a ceasefire (truce) in which the parties may agree to temporarily or permanently stop fighting. Last

To Bromont! I will be there for the CCI3* (Canada’s only one, eh?) this coming week. Since it’s a Canadian event, most of my posts from there will be on my Canuck blog, Straight-Up; so please head on over there if you want to stay up on the action from Bromont, where a large percentage of the field comes from south of the border. Last

I know I said I’d leave the UAE + racing = steroids topic alone for a while, but I did qualify my promise with the caveat that if something monumental were to happen I’d be breaking it. The announcement on Thursday that Sheikh Mohammed has declared steroids illegal in his homeland is, to me, promise break-worthy.  Imagine if we lived in a country like that.

I’m not sure what shocks me more about the Telegraph’s latest tale of doping woe that continues to follow Sheikh Mohammed around like a bad smell. Is it the photo showing the Queen dressed like a babushka or is it the sob story headline, ‘Sheikh Mohammed’s son-in-law explains pressures that lead to doping in endurance racing’? The photo is captioned with the phrase ‘Royal approval’. Which

If you didn’t see my post from last week, you might want to take a wander back there before reading today’s, which is an update to the  story I wrote about last week, a story that is getting weirder by the minute. First of all, I’d like to give my weekly ‘intrepid reporter’ kudos to Pippa Cuckson, who has posted as a guest here before

Racing: the domain of rich people in silly hats Way back in her first term as FEI Prez, I remember hearing HRH Princess Haya mention that the disciplines of racing and polo were on her radar as potential future FEI family members. Because WEG isn’t big enough already, right? And because equestrian sport isn’t already an exclusive activity reserved for the world’s one percenters. Well,

You’d think that in the world’s most populous country – one with an ‘authoritarian regime’ no less – they could compell some bums into seats, even if it IS to watch third rate show jumping. You’d also think there would be at least one photographer on hand who understands that nose-first is not the most flattering perspective from which to shoot a subject (I’m talking

Or is it? It depends on whether you are a dressage rider from Mexico. Or an eventer from Canada. The FEI Sports Forum was the talk of Lausanne these past few days.  And it was the filler of my inbox. Holy sheesh that was more press releases per diem than they have during the Olympics. Have you been following this Swiss shindig? Feeling up for

They’ll eat anything in China. But apparently the people of Beijing will be holding off on the horse, at least until a bunch of top European show jumpers have done their best (or worst) on borrowed equines in the Olympic Bird’s Nest stadium during the fabulously important sounding Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters, set to take China’s first city by storm in late April. A curious

Are you a lower level dressage rider with lots of cash, plenty of time and an insatiable appetite for blue ribbons? Waste not one moment! Load up the rig, wrap up your horses’ legs, and head for the Global Dressage Festival, a virtual pot of gold for riders who are sick and tired of measuring themselves against others and just want to win a class