Hey there, partner. This is The Oxer by Pegasus. The newsletter that takes you out of your tack room and into the global equestrian industry.
🐴 Here’s what we’ve got for you today:
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Ocala to host FEI Jumping World Cup Qualifiers: Why this is important to Ocala’s growing scene as well as to the equestrian industry.
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Dubai proves that money doesn’t guarantee wins: Why millions isn’t enough to win in horse racing.
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How can working with horses help you analyze the situation?: On our latest podcast, we sat down with Julie-Anne Griffith, the founder and director of Equi-Scotia, to discuss how horses can teach you to read happenings in personal and professional life. We also spoke of equestrian in Scotland, among more. Listen now on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Does equestrian have a Facebook problem?: Pegasus cofounders Sam Baynes and Jen Tankel and Pegasus CMO Noah Levy sat down to discuss Facebook’s utter dominance in equestrian on our latest Pegasus Podcast. Listen to it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to shows.
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Final Foals: Check them out after the second story of this edition.
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Get ready for some great stories this week 👇
What happened?
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The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup North America League has selected the World Equestrian Center (WEC) in Ocala, Florida as one of its venues for its qualifiers.
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WEC in Ocala is a 378-acre complex that is home to seven FEI-approved Jumping and five Dressage competitions.
Our jump on the subject
The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious team challenges in equestrian sport. The North American League is a new addition to the World Cup series, and it aims to bring nations together and foster lifelong enthusiasm for the world of horses.
The eight venues that have been selected for the North American League are all world-class equestrian facilities. Ocala’s the only venue in North America to host a new Longines League of Nations CSIO5* event.
Yup, that’s a pretty big deal.
This event is one of the highest-level equestrian competitions in the world, and it will be a major win for Ocala’s booming equestrian scene.
Ocala is one of the two major equestrian venues based in Florida that we’ve covered in previous Oxer editions. As The Wall Street Journal put it, Ocala and Wellington are truly becoming the two equestrian capitals of the world.
The fact that the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup decided to put their North America Qualifier, of all the choices they had on the entire continent, in Ocala means a lot.
The “total economic impact” that the equestrian competition sector has on the Florida economy is estimated at almost $2.5 billion and Ocala certainly plays a large role in it.
What happened?
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Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai, has invested millions of pounds on horses in recent years, but this has not translated into success for Charlie Appleby, the top athlete that he funds.
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Charlie Appleby, the reigning champion trainer on the Flat, has won just one Group One race in Britain this year. This is a significant drop from his previous two seasons when he won 25 and 23 Group One races respectively.
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This suggests that money alone cannot guarantee success in horse racing.
Our jump on the subject
The reason for Appleby’s recent struggles is unclear. Some have suggested that he is simply experiencing a run of bad luck, while others believe that he may be lacking the top-class horses that he needs to compete at the highest level.
Appleby is still a talented trainer, and he is likely to bounce back from his recent struggles.
However, his difficult season should serve as a reminder that even the best trainers in the world cannot always rely on money to win races.
The article by The Guardian pointed out the challenges faced by small-scale horse racing trainers.
Adam West, a trainer with just 46 horses in his yard, mentioned that it is “not viable” to run a training operation unless you are at the “top, top scale”. This is due to the high costs involved in training horses, such as the cost of stabling, feed, and veterinary care.
However, his difficult season should serve as a reminder that even the best trainers in the world cannot always rely on money to win races.
Cash isn’t always king and this is true in other sports.
For Oxer subscribers who are also American football fans, this past Monday New York Jets fans got to see their $134 million dollar quarterback tear his ACL in his first game.
Whether it’s injury or lack of “horse-jockey fit,” money doesn’t mean you’ll win.
🐴 This Week’s Final Foals
🥲 We have to face the fact that equestrian sports are expensive.
🚦 There was so much traffic in the Hamptons.
🚀 We launched The Oxer by Pegasus on LinkedIn, in case you want to read and subscribe to it there as well.
Take your time to digest these stories and let us know what you think by replying.
Fresh baths & pasture rolls,
The Oxer by Pegasus
