Wednesday Helmet Cam from World Equestrian Brands: When It’s Just Not Your Day
We’ve all been there. Hopes are high, then something goes wrong and it all begins to snowball toward some heartbreaking grand finale — like this.
Alex Eccles, an eventer out of Oxfordfordshire, England, and her Irish Sport Horse mare Pigeon have made cameos here on Horse Nation on multiple occasions. Alex has a GoPro HD Helmet Hero Helmet Cam and she isn’t afraid to use it, or let fans ride along vicariously via her popular YouTube channel A Horse Named Pigeon. Whether they’re hacking across the countryside or cross-country schooling, Alex’s horsemanship and passion for riding shine through in every video.
Of course, as it generally goes with horses, everything doesn’t always go to plan. To quote Alex: “When it goes wrong it does so wholesale!!!” In her latest video, taken at a recent eventing derby at Blenheim, things start unraveling early on in the course. Alex nurses Pigeon on with encouragement and determination but ultimately the bad luck catches up to them.
What do you do in those moments? Pull up? Kick on? Alex kicked herself hard after the round — “I wish I had pulled up after fence 10 and retired gracefully but as usual I was a slave to my adrenaline which shames me,” she explains in the video description — but hindsight is 20/20. Have a watch…
Awww, rats! But we know Alex and Pigeon will be back in action soon. It’s so very clear that Pigeon loves the sport just has much as her owner — here’s a video from a more successful eventing derby, the British Riding Club NAF 2013 Festival of the Horse held at Washbrook Farm in Aston Le Walls. “This is the 90cm Eventer’s challenge with a tricky course of nine show jumps followed immediately by an even trickier course of 16 cross country fences — the double of corners and the very early water complex caught a lot of competitors out!,” Alex explains. “As an added bonus the cross-country course included jumps from the course at the 2012 London Olympics, chopped down to make them a bit smaller of course.”
Look at those pricked ears! Go Pigeon, go!
All our best to Alex and her special horse, Pigeon. Keep up with this pair by following them on Facebook or YouTube or visit their website here.
Special horses deserve only the best, like products from World Equestrian Brands. Today’s spotlight: Amerigo and Amerigo Vega’s selection of monoflap jump saddles, featuring a versatile, close-contact style that moves seamlessly from the show-jumping ring to the cross-country course.
Go World Equestrian Brands, and Go Riding!
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