LaurenGallops

Okay, we have made it through an outstanding long weekend of Rolex Kentucky Three-day Event, presented Land Rover, and the equestrian triathlon did not disappoint. However, we’re in a bit of a tizz – first of all, Sidelines blogger and freelance photographer Beth Harpham is back in the hospital thanks – or no thanks – to that pesky pinched nerve in her back. The good news is that she is resting comfortably and not in agony, her husband Sam is on his way to LEX KY and with any luck at all, Beth will be on the mend and back in action soon. Secondly, we just pulled some photos and we’re going to recap and do more about Rolex and what went on – just not all necessarily tonight. First things first – we haven’t eaten since last night – well, some Rolex chocolates (yum yum) and a lovely few sips of Veuce Clicquot, but real sustanance is turning into a pressing matter (sorry, Beth – will be along to St. Francis very shortly).

So, here are a few highlights of the show jumping finale that netted Andrew Nicholson (NZ) his first Rolex Kentucky win – which makes him a serious contender, along with William Fox-Pitt (GBR), next week at Badminton for the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, worth $350,000 to the rider who wins consecutively, in any order, Badminton, Burgley and Rolex. William and Seacookie score one of only four double clear show jumping rounds to garner the Rolex reserve championship. Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM had two rails, which cost them second place overall BUT they still earned the USEF National Four-Star championships and fourth place overall. Lynn Symanski and four-ster first-timer Donner aced the show jumping to finish fifth, plus earned Best Conditioned Horse. Will Faudree and Pawlow dropped one rail and one slot to finish sixth. Hawly Bennett-Award and Gin & Juice rocked the course for a double clear and finished seventh. Andrew Nicholson and Calico Joe, admittedly not a show jumper, had three rails but still finished third (turns out that Quimbo, Andrew’s winning ride, has a show jumping background.

Full results at Rolex Kentucky website – videos and more stories all over the internet – just google Rolex Kentucky 3-day event or Rolex CCI**** – add 2013 if you like.

 

OOPS – sorry, just one photo right now – more later!!!

 

Andrew Nicholson (NZ) sits in first and second places on Quimbo and Calico Joe respectively after a cross-country day that rang up serious changes on the leaderboard. The XC tends to bring about huge differences on the leaderboard, but holy wow… Buck Davidson put in a double clear on Reggie (Ballynoe Castle RM), jumping from 8th to 3rd AND clocking closest to the optimum time, so he won the 2-year free lease of a brand new Land Rover – oh yeah! – and William F0x-Pitt partnered Seacookie TSF to advance from 10th to fourth with another double clear.

Here’s Andrew on Calico Joe – they were fifth on the course in the morning. Note the focus as they aim for the duck in the HOTL water, then a few strides to a leap up the revetted bank and then the brush corner… Okay, here we go again – yet another techie glitch – we can’t upload that photo. So, we’re going to press on and write this post and hope that whatever is the problem sorts itself out asap.

Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM devoured the XC – double clear and recorded the elapsed time closest to the optimum time – his prize: tw0-year lease on a Land Rover AND right now Buck and Reggie sit in third place, highest ranked American rider – so Buck has a lot riding on Sunday’s show jumping finale – because as the saying goes: Rolex ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

 

 

William Fox-Pitt (GBR) had been the overnight leader after dressage with Chilli Morning, but when the 13-year-old stallion had a refusal at the HSBC Water Park, the two-time winner of Rolex opted to retire:  ”Whatever the reason, there was no point in carrying on—he’s 13 years old, and he’s not here for the experience. We’ll try again another day.” We think he made a great decision. Why press on with 20 penalty points added to your score, when there’s a chance of the horse straining something?

But in the first round of the cross-country day, William and Seacookie TSF galloped out of the start box first as trailblazers and showed everyone how to run clear within the time – their round improved them from 10th to 4th place.

 

Other placings of note contributed to the mega-changes on the leaderboard. Will Faudreee and Pawlow picked up a few time penalties but jumped clear from 11th to 5th place. Lynn Symansky, hand in a cast because of a spiral-fracture of her pinky, piloted four-star first-timer Donner to a double clear cross-country and earned one of the biggest leaderboard improvements: from 19th to 6th.

 

 

Rolex had its share of disappointments, too. 20011 Rolex winner Mary King (GBR) and Fernhill Urco retired on course after a refusal. First time Rolex four-star duo Alexandra Knowles and Last Call, fourth after dressage, were eliminated on the XC. Becky Holder had a fall from Can’t Fire Me (elimination), Boyd Martin pulled up Trading Aces when the horse seemed to run out of gas a few fences from home in his four-star debut. Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Eagle jumped from 34th after dressage to 15th, but he too opted to retire on course when Mighty Nice had a refusal.

To summarize: 41 horses started the cross-country and 28 completed the course – BUT here’s the good news: the horses and riders who retired or were eliminated by refusals or falls all walked back to the barns. The field included 13 first-time four-star horses or riders and Derek di Grazia’s course (built by Mick Costello) proved to be a genuine four-star test that asked good questions that really rang up the leaderboard changes.

Show jumping begins this afternoon. If you aren’t there, here’s the full broadcast special – thanks to Marty Bauman, chief press officer, and his Classic Communications staff.

The event will be televised as the Rolex Equestrian Championships, presented by Land Rover, on NBC on Sunday, April 28, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. EDT.  Leading up to the NBC telecast, USEFNetwork.com, presented by SmartPak, is offering live, wall-to-wall coverage of the dressage, cross-country, and show jumping phases. This coverage can be seen on computers, tablets, and smart TV/Google TV devices in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Google TV users can go to http://www.usefnetwork.com/googletv for an enhanced experience.

Throughout the rest of the world, FEI TV will air LIVE coverage of Saturday’s cross-country and Sunday’s show jumping competitions. To sign up for FEI TV, please visit www.feitv.org.

The full broadcast schedule is listed below and is available under the Live Broadcast Schedule tab at USEFNetwork.com. Times are subject to change.
April 27: LIVE Cross-Country on USEFNetwork.com, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT
April 28: LIVE Show Jumping on USEFNetwork.com, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. EDT
Awards Ceremony on USEFNetwork.com, 3:00 p.m. ET
Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover on
NBC, 4:00 to 5 p.m. EDT

 

MORE FROM ROLEX KENTUCKY LATER TODAY

 

 

Chilli Morning was cool as you-know-what when he and William Fox-Pitt (GBR) absolutely aced the dressage test to earn 33.3 penalty points, thereby commanding first place on the leaderboard. This is not a surprise if you have seen William Fox-Pitt in action, and also he has won two Rolexes – 2010 & 2012. He’s keen to to add a third bling watch to his collection as well as increase his chances to win the big $$$ jackpot of the Grand Slam, but more on that after the XC results are final.

William has been riding Chilli Morning for less than a year, but the 13-year-old British-bred stallion had competed successfully internationally with another British rider. William said: “I’ve been very lucky to take on some horses later in their career, and I’ve gotten used to that. I quite enjoy it, actually. When a horse comes to you at the age of 12, like he did, you can’t change them. You have to learn to get on with them. It’s good fun.”

Getting back to the dressage recap, Andrew Nicholson (NZL) piloted Quimbo to second place on 38.0 ppt, the score 2.8 ppt better than his earlier ride Calico Joe, who got nudged into third place  - no worries: that’s a double-barreled shot and Andrew will make the most of every iota of advantage he can on the XC.

Local wunderkind Alexandra Knowles and Last Call, both four-star debutantes, stand on fourth place, followed by Mary King (GBR) and Fernhill Urco, who in 2011 placed second to stablemate Kings Temptress. Mary is one of the best riders in the world – certainly one of our all-time favorites: we love watching her joyful smiles on the cross-country course when that ne plus ultra partnership with her horses is obvious from start to finish.

Marilyn Little and RF Demeter tied Mary and Urco’s score – 43.7 – but it remains to be seen if Marilyn’s rather fresh shoulder separation will factor into today’s testing XC. From a personal perspective (both shoulders separated from horse-related mishaps), we aren’t sure about having less than two functioning arms and upper back for a four-star test, but technology and those ridiculous slings have probably been improved in the interim – and who knows: Marilyn could be the next iron woman – she runs XC late in the day, and time will tell.

Rounding out the top 10: Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me, Buck Davidson and Ballynoe Castle RM, Shandliss McDonald (CAN) and Rockfield Grant Juan, and the Fox on Seacookie TSF who placed sixth in the 2009 Rolex.

OOPS – out of time – cross-country starts soon  - MORE FROM ROLEX LATER!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, for our 8th Rolex, this week can be described quite nicely by that great song Truckin’ by The Grateful Dead (yep, classic rocker all the way) by the line: What a long, strange trip it’s been!!!! We have spent 12 hours-plus on the road to Rolex with that breakdown – we had just crossed over the line to W. Virginia on I-64 – but what great local people. All’s well that ends well.

Last night the annual Alltech Press dinner – we think this was the 7th annual press dinner – brain is a little muzzy and not because Dr. Pearce Lyons is a skilled biochemist who makes great beer etc –  more on that in a few minutes. We toured the new Alltech distillery visitor center – omg, he had turned that urban landscape into a glorious business and tourist neighborhood.

The evening proceeded Lyons-wise: we enjoyed dinner, the Alltech A+ awards presentation – a lady from New Mexico and photographer Shannon Brinkman and someone else for a video – apologies for not remembering names but will try to fill in the blanks left in this paragraph in an upcoming post after we get to the Horse Park… It was a lovely evening and dinner was scrumptious! We have had our sights set on attending as press the Alltech 2014 WEG in Normandy, France. After the slide show and Dr. Lyons’ pep talk about keeping the adventure in what we do, we felt even more motivated to make it work on every count…

A few sips of the Bluegrass Sunrise coffee liqueur, a few bites of sinfully rich dessert – apple pecan tart – put such a lovely postscript on the evening. Sidelines photographer Beth Harpham and yours truly headed to the car – little did we know that Beth’s announcement during the Alltech dinner that her nagging back pain, which had been greatly alleviated by an afternoon visit to a local walk-in clinic and some pain killers, would flare during the easy 20-minute drive to the hotel into excruciating pain that would see us driving to St. Francis Hospital’s emergency room at 3 a.m.

Now, we all have our quirks and Beth is no exception – we had no clue when she abandoned us in the parking lot with all our camera and laptop gear, and all the assorted stuff deemed necessary for Rolex, that she could barely stand up. She didn’t offer an explanation, just left us flat-footed and dismayed. Yes, it was around 10 or so, way past that early riser’s bedtime, and granted there wasn’t a lot of activity from hotel guests, but still… The Alltech award winner from New Mexico had just pulled in near us and was kind enough to fetch a luggage trolley onto which we loaded all our gear, her bag but not her lovely award (she opted to carry that).

Now, the long and the short of this is that we had stayed up working on our Thursday update and had just fallen into sound sleep when Beth roused us. Her pain was so bad, it frightened us awake. But now that she’s resting comfortably, watching the live feed of dressage, in bed with a pillow under her knees and all sorts of good Rx in her system to reduce the agony of a pinched nerve in her back… We hark back to how we got her from the 3rd floor hotel room to the lobby and thence to the car.

Beth could not walk. Short of calling the local rescue squad to come with flashing lights and bundle her out on a gurney, we had but one choice: the faux leather rolling office chair that adorns every room in the Candlewood Suites on Adcolor Drive, off Newtown Pike. Now, granted, it was pretty hysterical trying to get the chair to wheel across the pesky lintel strip of the doorway, but once in the hallway, aside from wheeling like a demented cart in the supermarket, lugging obstinately to the side, we made it to the elevator, down to the lobby, but each lintel crossing necessitated helping Beth out of the office chair so that we could reach each objective… It might have been a finalist in World’s Funniest Home Videos.

Then we halted by the lobby desk and the night manager came out and his eyes got wide then bulged as if they were on stalks. Beth had on a green velour-ish top over her pink knee-length nightgown and bare feet – ensconced in that faux leather rolling desk chair – her hair awry, her eyes wild with pain, and that poor guy must have thought that Rolex meant his home town of Lexington had been invaded by a bunch of weirded out horse people who were into strange middle of the night pastimes.

In retrospect, we can see the hilarious aspects, but it was also seriously frightening. The staff at St Francis Hospital were quick, efficient, gentle and quick to respond to Beth’s pain. When she went into full body spasms, emanating from her hip area, while the nurse was inserting the IV needle, taking blood and getting some pain killing substances into Beth’s system, we stood by, holding her hand and stroking her shoulder as if she were a horse, and praying that she would be okay and that her system wasn’t crashing from something unknown and life-threatening.

By the time Beth came back from x-rays and MRI, she was happy and relaxed and somewhat high on whatever had reduced the pain that she said was far worse than childbirth (holy wow). The doctor came in with his thoughts and advice, prescriptions and all sorts of paperwork and a DVD of the MRI and x-rays. A trip to nearby Walgreen’s to fill the Rx and then a stop at Starbucks at 7:30 this morning, and we were back at Candlewood, but by then the therapeutic effect of drugs were enough to allow Beth to make her way slowly from car to room and thence to bed.

All’s well that ends well – and with any luck Beth won’t need surgery, with the horse gods’ blessing PT and follow-up with her regular doctors in PA will keep her hale, hearty and get her back in action. Meanwhile, she’s going to watch the live feed dressage on the USEF network with outstanding commentary. The Sidelines team at Rolex sends jingles and “feel better fast” wishes to Beth – she has company hoping that she feels strong enough tomorrow to take photos of the XC at the Head of the Lake.

Now, the photos of Beth taken today look pretty pathetic and she didn’t quite threaten but implied GBH if we ran the photo of her sartorial splendor in full rain gear, so here’s the most cheerful welcome sight on any interstate highway, in our humble opinion – just outside Lexington KY, traveling west on i-64:

Coming up this evening – Friday’s Rolex Recap (at this moment, William Fox-Pitt and Chilli Morning have moved into a commanding lead after their dressage – 33.3 ppt – with six rides to go – and a report on the special OTTB event.

OH more jingles, hugs and sympathy to Jennie Brannigan who announced earlier today on Facebook that in Cambalda’s best interests, she was withdrawing him from Rolex: get your bling back, Ping and Jennie – you’ll be back to fight again.

More from Rolex tonight…

 

 

Rolex Kentucky offered drama and surprises today, but that’s pretty much to be expected. After day one of dressage, Andrew Nicholson (NZL) and Calico Joe held their lead on 40.8 penalty points.

“It’s a great arena to ride in here,” Nicholson said. “When you go down that ramp into the ring, it gives you a buzz that you’re somewhere special, but [Calico Joe] stayed cool around the ring and gave me 100 percent in the whole test. I let him down a couple of times, but he came through for me.”

Six-time Olympian Nicholson, 51,  contributed to the bronze-medal won by the Kiwi team at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park. He won Burghley last September and if he happens to win Rolex this weekend, he becomes a serious contender at the following week’s Badminton horse trials with a real chance to win the $350,000 Rolex Grand Slam – awarded to the rider who wins in succession the three oldest CCI**** (four-stars) – Badminton and Burghley in England, Rolex in Kentucky. If Nicholson leads the victory gallop at Rolex on Sunday, he might just prevail at Badminton next weekend – that’s a serious jackpot…

Close behind the early leader on 44.2 ppt are Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me, with four star debutantes Shandiss McDonald (CAN) and Rockfield Grant Juan not far behind on 45.7 ppt in third. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) and Seacookie TSF are in fourth (46.2), followed by Will Faudree and Pawlow on 47.2.

In this Rolex field of 46 horse and rider combinations, there are 13 four-star debutantes – special thanks to John of Eventing Nation (ride that live link to his “Thursday at Rolex: A Mix of Expected and Unexpected Greatness” post – we love John) -  for doing the math for us! According to John, that’s a record number, which is kind of cool because some of the first-time four starrers (our term) are horses piloted by experienced riders and some duos are both breaking the four-star ice and it’s going to be an interesting competition, all things considered.

Imagine how Clayton Fredericks (AUS), the new Canadian chef d’equipe, feels about Shandiss McDonald (CAN) and Juan coming up trumps in the dressage phase of their first-ever four-star…

 

BUT and this is the disclaimer: Friday will see the dressage tests of 23 more contenders, including the second mounts of Nicholson, Fox-Pitt, Buck Davidson (9th with Mar de Amor), Jan Byyny (12th with Syd Kent), Phillip Dutton (17th Fernhill Eagle), and James Allison (GBR – Parker in 21st). With the tradition of dressage tests getting better scores later in the order of go, you can bet good money with confidence that the leaderboard will ring some major changes going into Saturday’s cross-country.

 

Meanwhile Rolex featured rider Jennie Brannigan is wondering if great TLC and the team of outstanding vets who worked on Cambalda will result in their being able to canter to that Halt at X on Friday. The on-dit is that “Ping” got rambunctious while being longed this morning, managed to break loose and, galloping back to the barn, slipped and fell on hard top. Ouch – great jingles to Jennie and Ping – plus fingers and toes all crossed that her darlin’ horse is deemed fit to perform a rescheduled dressage test on Friday.

Of all the tough luck… Fortunately, Ping’s injuries are not life-threatening although we know from experience (running and roller skating on hard top) that scrapes and bruises can be downright major owies for a few days. Again, jingles and a nudge to the ‘horse gods’ – yo, have a heart, y’all – but here’s another thing for certain: Jennie will look after her horse first and foremost. It’s the name of the game: horse and rider.

After a long few days – the trip to Rolex, then one night’s good sleep, then last night – meh, not so good in the sleep department – we were ready for some easy entertainment. So after dressage concluded, we mosied over to Dubarry Boots on Sponsors’ Row. Oh, yeah – it was like a sweet homecoming. Greeted by all their lovely gentlemen, plied with a glass of fizz – at first, we said, no, no thank you, but by the fourth or fifth offer, we folded like a silk scarf and sat down on the bench in their little patio area and watched what we think is better than reality TV (next to Duck Dynasty, that is): people trying on Dubarry Boots for the first time, people coming back for insole liners or the furry cuffs…

One gal couldn’t make up her mind – she kept looking at her feet and asking her friends what they liked. From our comfy spot on the park bench, we chimed in: “Stop looking at the boots. Close your eyes and listen to what your feet are telling you. Which boot feels better?” Alas, we couldn’t wait to learn the outcome, because we had to return to the Press Center and download photos and start this post, but we sure hope she listened to her feet.

OH winners of the Dubarry Best Dressed Contest judged during the first Vet Inspection on Wednesday – prize being a pair of Dubarry Boots (swoon) – were Boyd Martin and Katie Ruppel.

More from Rolex on Friday…

 

WHERE TO WATCH THE ACTION

Meanwhile, here’s some great information about how to enjoy the action from the incomparable Rolex press chief Marty Bauman (Classic Communications) and his great staff at the Rolex Press Center:

Rolex Kentucky draws more than 50,000 spectators to the Kentucky Horse Park and is seen by millions more on worldwide telecasts. This year’s event features Olympic and World Equestrian Games medalists from Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Great Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States and will crown the 16th Rolex/USEF National CCI4* Champion.

The event will be televised as the Rolex Equestrian Championships, presented by Land Rover, on NBC on Sunday, April 28, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. EDT. Leading up to the NBC telecast, USEFNetwork.com, presented by SmartPak, is offering live, wall-to-wall coverage of the dressage, cross- country, and show jumping phases. This coverage can be seen on computers, tablets, and smart TV/Google TV devices in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Google TV users can go to http://www.usefnetwork.com/googletv for an enhanced experience.

Throughout the rest of the world, FEI TV will air LIVE coverage of Saturday’s cross-country and Sunday’s show jumping competitions. To sign up for FEI TV, please visit www.feitv.org.

The full broadcast schedule is listed below and is available under the Live Broadcast Schedule tab at USEFNetwork.com. Times are subject to change.

April 25: LIVE Dressage on USEFNetwork.com, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT

April 26: LIVE Dressage on USEFNetwork.com, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT

April 27: LIVE Cross-Country on USEFNetwork.com, 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT

April 28: LIVE Show Jumping on USEFNetwork.com, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. EDT

April 28: Awards Ceremony on USEFNetwork.com, 3:00 p.m. ET

April 28: Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover on NBC, 4:00 to 5 p.m. EDT

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is produced by Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), a non-profit charitable Kentucky corporation that was established initially to produce the 1978 World Three-Day Event Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the success of those championships, EEI established an annual event that quickly evolved into what is today the only four-star three-day event in the western hemisphere, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. EEI started producing the Kentucky Reining Cup in 2011.

Full results and further information on the 2013 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover is available at the Rolex Kentucky website.

Oh – head’s up:  tomorrow morning: a post about the Alltech Press Dinner and the 2014 Alltech World Equestrian Games in Normany… but for now – Good Night, Sweet Dreams!

 

PREQUEL: Today we arrived about when dressage started – Beth Harpham was out there shooting which is such a huge help, you simply can’t imagine  - and honestly, we felt it was imperative to publish the post we had started on MONDAY night whilst packing for the drive to Kentucky, which turned into a very long and exhausting road trip – after being up all night getting ready to meet our ride on time, waiting 90 minutes longer than anticipated and then a breakdown just over the line in W VA – God bless those fellows, especially automotive guru Zane, at the garage in Lewisburg just off the I-64 exit, because they made that four-hour delay worth every moment by determining what went wrong with the car etc etc, getting the car’s owner to the nearby airport’s car rental agencies, etc – which made for an extremely draining Monday and Tuesday, especially on no sleep. By the time we arrived at our hotel, we were exhausted, famished and ready for a resuscitating glass of wine with dinner. With basic needs met, we moved into the Campbell House with Sidelines editor Jan Westmark-Allen and Abby Westmark. Tonight we’re opting to bunk with Beth Harpham at Candlewood, because she will herd us up and out to the horse park well before the day’s competition begins, thereby avoiding traffic etc. The good news is that Beth is happy to make coffee first thing (usually before 6 a.m.) that is strong enough to bend the spoon…

DRESSAGE saw a later start because of the 46 horse-and-rider combinations – by lunchtime – a nice long 90-minute break but we did watch a few tests on the big screens in the press room. At the end of the morning, Andrew Nicholson (NZL) and Calico Joe are in first on 40.1 penalty points, with the last ride of the morning, Becky Holder and Can’t Fire Me in second for the USA on 44.2ppt. William Fox-Pitt (GBR), last year’s winner, sits in third on Seacookie TSF, followed by Will Faudree and Pawlow and Caitlin Silliman with Catch A Star.

Caitlin’s first four-star with Hoku, as the mare is affectionately called, must be an emotional one. Hoku survived the devastating fire that claimed the lives of six horses on May 31, 2011 – with burns on her back and shoulders, but look at what time and TLC has wrought!!! Beth was still downloading photos, but she kindly pulled one for this quick post. This duo represent the heart and soul of the partnership between horse and rider – an equestrian Holy Grail to which all riders aspire with their horses…

 

For results and where to catch the action: Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

Gotta run – afternoon dressage starts in 15 minutes!

 

 

 

Why is it so challenging to get sorted out with deadlines and pack for Rolex without a lot of last minute insanity and assorted crazy moments? Well, perhaps because Rolex is, quite simply, one of the greatest (horse) shows on earth! This four-star equestrian triathlon of dressage, cross-country and show jumping is an exciting three-phase test of horse and rider.

We’re looking forward to a completely unique Rolex experience this year, because for the first time ever the Sidelines’ presence will be a team:  editor Jan Westmark-Allen, writer Abby Westmark, freelance photographers Beth Harpham and Beth Grant, Sidelines TV Rob Jordan (who might not be able to join us after all), and yours truly.

In fact, we (me, myself and I) are celebrating covering our 8th Rolex for Sidelines – it’s a huge milestone in many ways.

Again this year, the May issue of Sidelines will be available in sponsors’ tents and at the booths of various vendors in the Trade Fair, plus several boxes in the show office for the competitors – and scattered around Lexington, to boot… Please be sure to take home your complimentary copy – it’s very distinctive, thanks to Michelle Dunn’s photo of last year’s winner, William Fox-Pitt, on the cover.

Sidelines has lots going on – check out the Ride to Rolex contest that awards a clinic with Ralph Hill or Eric Dierks – oh, and all entries will be eligible for the two drawings for an Upcycled Bag. Just visit SidelinesNews.com to see the rules and get your entries in ASAP! We think Eric is super, but we have always LOVED Ralph!!!

Here’s a half-halt down memory lane: the first vet jog at the 2006 Rolex with Bad Boy Billy and our Ralph delighted spectators with his special Rolex sox:

For friends and fellow equine enthusiasts back in Virginia – there is still a lot going on – the Middleburg Hunt Point-to-point on Sunday, April 28 – a great day of racing at Glenwood Park in Middleburg.

Then, on May 4, the first Saturday in May, a famous tradition for the Kentucky Derby, Great Meadow hosts the Virginia Gold Cup steeplechase races in The Plains (close to Middleburg and Warrenton) – www.vagoldcup.com – It’s a fantabulous day of racing attended by 50,000+ enthusiasts. This year marks the 88th renewal of the Virginia Gold Cup with six timber and hurdle races on the card. If you’re into wagering, be sure to bring cash – that’s the only way you can participate in the pari-mutuel betting. In addition to Thoroughbred action on course, there are Jack Russell terrier races, tailgate, tent and hat contests and vendor booths.

 

OKAY, SPORTS FANS – this is the dufus daggone doolally moment of the first day of dressage at 2013 Rolex – for some odd reason, the usually very fast internet connection in the press center is slower than molasses in an arctic freeze.

Therefore, there will be no image of the winner jumping a timber flight in front of a huge crowd, no photo from the paddock at Keeneland racecourse yesterday (thank you so much, Jerry Miller MFH Iroquois and Lilla Mason huntsman Iroquois who helped me to bet (and add to the local economy) several Trifectas – wasn’t a winner with the Thoroughbreds, but what a relaxing wonderful afternoon in Keeneland’s Clubhouse. BUT WAIT – got hooked into the wired high speed – YAY!

 

BACK TO THE POST for y’all back home in Virginia can look forward to enjoying on horseback…

On Sunday, May 5, history buffs will saddle up for a great ride with the Mosby Heritage Area Association in Bluemont. The 2 hour guided walk-trot trail ride focuses on Civil War stories. The group, which will be accompanied by Civil War Re-enactors, will ride at 10 a.m. from Mountain View and proceed to the Ebenezer Churches, thence to Rock Hill and into Bloomfield, then return to Mountain View. Lunch and a program follow this mounted ride to get a glimpse of history, thanks to Mosby Heritage Area Association  and look for the May 5 Mosby Ride which lists all the particulars and how to register. Non-riders are welcome to register for the post-ride lunch and program. Priced reasonably with reduced rates for MHAA members.

 

STAY TUNED  - 46 horses are lined up for two days of dressage, Saturday’s cross-country and Sunday’s show jumping finale – more more more from Rolex !!!!

 

 

 

 

We have always done more than write. In addition to bodywork on horses and smaller mammals, including humans, we provide excellent care for Critters, Farms & Houses when dear friends travel. Occasionally we must go to extremes in order to ensure the well-being of their animals and homes: these efforts more than justify the small amount we ask to help our bill-paying fund (aka income before outgo!). Some sitting gigs are easy-peasy, a few turned into exercises in survival, but that is the chance we take. When a friend asked us to stay with her four doggles for a week, we consulted the editorial calendar and said yes. We figured that we could direct our efforts to be done delivering everything by the time we moved in on the evening of that fateful deadline day, no worries…

FAMOUS LAST WORDS!!!

 

In the course of the week we learned lots about our innate pioneer spirit and connection with animals whilst staggering through delivery of the last pieces to our editor Jan whose patience and encouragement have been absolutely priceless. As it turns out, things really do work out in the long run, but the circumstances have been challenging, to say the least.

That Friday morning – deadline and move-in day, while working frantically at home to finalize a story, PLH texted and suggested that we bring any little electric heaters we might own. The furnace was on the fritz and would be replaced on Tuesday, but we should be okay until Tuesday. UH-OH!

Famous Last Words…

Late Friday afternoon on 15 February, distressed and stressed by how long it was taking to get stories finalized and photos edited (OPP – other peoples’ pix – and ours, which are easier in some ways than OPP) reminded us how monumentally time-consuming all photo-editing really is, but still we packed up the car, which sent our darling BZ (wonderful rescue adopted from Middleburg Humane Foundation) into a tizzy. Finally, she realized that we are a package deal and seemed caninely amused when we made several return trips by car to our abode, because we forgot several essentials.

Night (and the temperature) had fallen when we reached our destination on the edge of Middleburg. We learned about the wonky oil burner that would be replaced on the coming Tuesday. The big question being, will it last until then? After a nice dinner of homemade chili, PLH departed, and the doggles and yours truly settled in for the night. The furnace seemed to be working fine until around 4 a.m. when the rooms grew quite cold. In the morning after we made a run to the bank and Post Office in The Plains, our mobile rang. It was Greg from the oil company, calling about the furnace and letting us know that he was on his way over to check its condition.

 

Say what? This was the start of a three-day weekend, which was why we had to hurry to the bank to make a deposit on Saturday. Talk about customer service! Wow. We pointed the car back to Middleburg. Greg arrived minutes after we did and showed us the problem: the furnace was leaking badly, several jets of water. Not being familiar with this abode (our friend had been renting there only a few months), we listened while Greg tried to explain about this and that and the red button to re-start the furnace.

We asked the responsible question: “What about the leaks?”

Greg: only a problem if the furnace runs out of water.

“Okay – what’s the worst case scenario?”

Greg: the furnace could explode.

WHAT??????

We don’t do explosions, period, but especially not when we critter-sit. We said nicely but firmly: “TURN IT OFF.” And Greg did, we think, with some relief. Then we asked him to call and explain the situation to the owner, who happened to know of us, we later learned, from our stories in Sidelines via a hunter/jumper daughter.

Before we let Greg continue on his way (he is vice-president of Morgan Oil Corporation), we asked him to help us place the little heaters where they would be most advantageous to keep pipes from freezing. He did and repeated the good news that work to remove the old furnace would begin Monday morning around 8:30.

Meanwhile, we still had deadlines to meet. We were okay on Saturday with layers, but had to be careful about not running the coffee maker with the heater on. We performed regular checks of all the rooms and the four thermostats,  especially upstairs with the vaulted ceiling. It’s a nifty barn house, full of lovely old character and grace.

It wasn’t really all that much fun when the winds got up and made Sunday so frosty cold that we found typing difficult. Insanity ensued when we took up PLH’s suggestion that, if it got too cold, we could build a fire in the fireplace, which had been cleaned recently. We have many  years of experience, heating with wood, both fireplaces and woodstoves. No matter what we did, smoke still wanted to exit the flue, which was drawing most but not all of the smoke. By the time the haze cleared, it was like a refrigerator. When the dogs came back in, they thought it was pretty cool (literally and figuratively) and played in celebration.

Time passes very slowly when you are cold. Sunday was the worst. We had only a pair of mittens with us and our fingers were too stiff and balky to type, so the afternoon and evening were a total loss, work-wise. Monday was sunny albeit cold, and we got the story about Tim Gannon delivered by dinnertime – one to go, about John Walsh AMW, its third re-write – we wanted to get that baby right and it did turn out okay, but went to Jan on Wednesday, what with an unavoidable delay re fact-checking etc. Sing hallelujah!!!

The guys from Morgan Oil were great. They showed up when they said they would. Greg was there every day, overseeing, working alongside the crew. We can’t say enough nice things about them and their work ethic. By Wednesday afternoon, the lovely state-of-the-art furnace was producing blissful heat. The crew returned on Thursday to finish up and clean up the furnace room. Greg said that he was waiting on the delivery of one part and would return, probably sometime the next week. But lo and behold, sometime late Friday morning, the front bell rang. It was Greg – the part had come in quite unexpectedly and he wanted to install it and label the new furnace (SOP) for maintenance and any future work that might take place on it. We think he ran a few more checks, just to make sure everything was working splendidly.

The bottom line is: when you are house-sitting, you must be resilient and creative. It does not do to get caught up in modern conveniences to the point that you jump ship during adversity. The dogs include one elderly canine citizen who is deaf. All four of them needed the comfort and familiarity of their home in their person’s absence. We ignored well-intentioned advice to pack up and go to a pet-friendly motel: when you agree to pet/house sit, you take the good with the bad and you make the most of whatever fate sends your way. We are very proud of the outcome: no explosion, no traumatized dogs, great furnace – all is well. The doggles are crashed out, napping peacefully now that they aren’t on constant alert because of alien peeps on the premises. Their person would return Saturday evening.

That’s the important bottom line: all is well in the doggles’  world.

Here is one photo from three mornings during the furnace-insanity week when we ran around the (country) corner to hay/water horses, feed the pig and guinea hens, and let the dogs out for dear friends. We have the cutest video of our doggle BZ playing with an adorable cat, but have to figure out how to get it imbedded here… iPhones rock!

 

 

We love animals and enjoy them… well, most of them – the pig can be a real porker, but she can’t help herself – it’s the nature of her piggy beast! The bottom line is that everything did finally work out in the long run, and all’s well that ends well!!!

 

 

 

 

Okay, we know – we’ve been AWOL, so to speak, since the Warrenton Horse Show & Warrenton Hunt Night, but it’s been wickedly crazy and now, in the aftermath of frankenstorm Sandy, we have power back in record time and we spent a few minutes catching up on what’s happening out in the world…

One thing we never thought we’d see is a piece of fiction (well, truth is always stranger than fiction) on Eventing Nation, but that’s exactly what you will read when you click into Eventing Nation’s Visionaire: Happy Halloween: A Ghost Story – highly recommended reading! This tale called “Charlie Feathers” by Shelby Weeks packed a lot into a short story, and it’s all positive – about how spirits can continue to do “good” from the other side of the rainbow bridge…

Kudos to Visionaire for running this piece in their Eventing Nation post! By the way, we sure would love to know more about Shelby Weeks who has written other pieces of short fiction, but we can’t find a website or even a bibliography (in a hurry as usual, deadlines, of course). So, if y’all have any info on the writer Shelby Weeks, please send it to us at: laurengallops@gmail.com

Happy Hallowe’en & blessings to everyone in the aftermath of the Sandy storm!

We had a great time all week at the Warrent♥n H♥rse Sh♥w! Yes, blogging is writing and requires great effort, concentration and a certain amount of discipline in order to achieve good results, but we persevered and delivered the goods every day in the way of a new post and photos. On Sunday, the finale of the Warrenton Horse Show’s Hunt Night, we have to admit: we had a blast!

Cubhunting Begins Officially

Sunday started early, cubhunting dragging us out of the comfort of our cozy nest in order to get to the kennels 7:30-ish. Our favorite green field hunter was going to be tried by a prospective buyer and we wanted to be there to send Picasso off with love and positive energy – never mind that our heart is about to break because we love this talented young paint. Last season we exercised him now and then, flatted him in the spring and summer. He’s talented, smart, handy, and sure-footed AND he has one of the best brains and temperaments to be found anywhere in the horse world. If we had the ready, we would buy him in a New York minute – sigh…

On Sunday morning, the junior rider who tried Picasso really liked him. Someone else from another hunt is also very interested. Best believe that our heart is about to crash and burn, but that’s life in the horse world. You can’t keep all of them, but in Picasso’s case, we wish we could. We hunted him the first two times of his second season. He’s kind, sound as a bell of brass – mentally and physically – and he’s got that 5th wheel instinct which is great for the rider. Enough said – that’s how Sunday of Labor Day Weekend began – seeing Picasso go off with a potential buyer. Then we drove all over Rappahannock County with Brandy McDonald, co-owner of The Fine Equine and Picasso, looking for a place open for breakfast at 8 a.m. On Sunday morning plenty of places opened at 10 a.m., including our fave – Thornton River Grill – but not earlier. Finally, in Little Washington we enjoyed  great coffee and baked goods in a very cute shop that we’re told has delicious food, but not at 8:30/9 a.m. on a Sunday!

Early afternoon: cut to Warrenton Horse Show

We did a little work and arrived at the historic show grounds on West Shirley Ave (Route 29 business by-pass) around 11:30. We puttered around for an hour or so, taking a photo here and there, chatting with various people, but decided to head home because we weren’t dressed for the consequences of the rain that preceded our arrival. When we returned around 4:30, we were in time to capture some of Warrenton Hunt Night’s very special moments…

Warrenton Hunt enjoys a lot of family history with Warrenton Horse Show, thanks to the Laimbeer siblings who are grown and married with riding progeny: Rick (jt-MFH) and Alice, Daphrie and Matt Van der Woude (huntsman) and Sara and Brian Hogan – the grand-patriarch Frank was ringside, of course.

We love watching the Ladies Sidesaddle – a beautiful form of horsemanship that we dabbled in years ago and absolutely loved. We’ve always wanted to get serious about it. In fact, showing at Warrenton Hunt Night, aside and/or astride, is on our list for next year – no time like the present to fulfill equestrian dreams…

 

The hospitality throughout the Warrenton Horse Show was absolutely fabulous – huge round of applause and bravos and thank yous to the people and businesses who support WHS from A to Z and from hors d’oeuvres to dessert! Special thanks to the sponsors of the Warrenton Hunt Night and its reception: Marion Maggiolo & Horse Country Saddlery, Dr. Csaba Magassy and Plastic Surgery Associates, Warrenton Toyota and Miller Toyota.

Other sponsors of Warrenton Hunt Night include: Mrs. Courtney Curtis Bowes who sponsored the Ladies Sidesaddle division,  Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Bowes who sponsored the Hunt Teams class and the Hunt Championships, and Charles Owen who donated five helmets to the champion hunt.

 

We have to mention Sally Lamb whose horses every year contribute greatly to the Hunt Night success of Keswick Hunt’s riders. Keswick won the Hunt Night championship again this year, with reserve honors going to Warrenton. There’s no getting around the horses fielded by Sally Lamb – there isn’t room for all the results, but here is a roster of some of the top rosette earners and title winners: Uno, Wingman, Texas Hold ‘Em, and House Calls.

The Warrenton Horse Show honored Jonelle Mullen Stern, member of  the Board of Directors, for her hard work and diligence with the Special Achievement Award. Jonelle has a long connection with WHS as a rider and trainer, thanks to her mother Tracy Mullen. This year Jonelle stayed very busy with her riders and horses who garnered a lot of ribbons, including division honors for Sue Bopp & Chawton – two Reserve Championships ; Joseph Mullen & Esquire – one championship and one Res CH; Devan Graham & Nimrod – Res CH; Kerry Hannon & Saintly, Res CH.

When the rains rolled in, they produced a “frog strangler” – according to Jimmy Wofford, one of our favorite horse people who is a legend in 3-day eventing – BUT the show went on in spite of the lashing downpour, thanks to the absence of lightning, which would have prompted Tommy Lee Jones to call an immediate halt. That’s why this post is called “When the going gets tough, the foxhunters keep going” – because they did. Oh yes, a number of people packed it in and went home, but the show did go on!

The formal attire in the Foxhunter Corinthian class took a total soaking, but the horses splashed through the standing water in the ring and navigated the course of fences safely and securely. The winner was a young equestrian, who competed in junior classes for 14 & under riders – what a great ride. We happened to venture out into the deluge (trying to keep our camera relatively dry under our raincoat, albeit we got soaked rushing from the shelter of the hospitality tent to our car to don said raincoat!) and, rattled around the ring to the Laimbeer’s tailgate spot where we shot literally from the hip to take advantage of the only photo opportunity that presented itself. Here it is, complete with funky exposure, raindrops and backlighting, but oh yeah, what a ride!

So, that’s the wrap for the Warrenton Horse Show and Hunt Night for 2012. We have left out so much information, but the good ladies in the show office are still recording results and the special awards don’t really have a place in the results on horseshowsonline.com and we are NOT bothering anyone if we can help it. These people all deserve a long weekend at a beach resort where the drinks all have fruit and umbrellas…

One last reminder: Susan Carter and Rich Clay did an outstanding job all week taking photos of the action, presentations of awards, rosettes and division championships, etc. Please visit the official website for photos from the Warrenton Horse Show – Equine Event Photos – and support these two professionals who put in long days ring-side and many many hours editing photos. Their photos are very reasonable priced – your memories of Warrenton Horse Show are priceless.

For more information, visit the Warrenton Horse Show website and make plans to come out next year. It’s a blast, because the people are genuinely nice and fun, plus there is so much community spirit. We certainly had more fun this year, blogging for WHS than we ever did just attending. Oh, don’t get us wrong – we had a lovely time acting like a spectator, but there is something very special about being involved in the “labor of love” that is Warrenton. We felt like part of the show, like a genuine member of the WHS  team. We even went home with a great cotton tee-shirt in dark hunter green, long sleeves, with the Warrenton logo.

In 2013 make Warrenton Horse Show your Labor Day Tradition – guaranteed to please!