LaurenGallops

highest placed American at Rolex 2009

The countdown to Rolex has started – at least in my mind, having just met the print edition deadline of the Rolex preview for Sidelines. Here’s some of the overflow…

Mentioned Buck Davidson in the print preview, but he deserves lots of ink since his breakthrough Rolex last year on My Boy Bobby. Talk about coming into his own… Buck and Bobby are prepping for another crack at Rolex. Buck also has Ballynoe Castle RM, another Rolex veteran from 09, both owned by Carl and Cassasandra Segal, and a third ride on his own Titanium.

But Buck’s famous father, one of the lions of eventing and one of this year’s featured Rolex rider bloggers, won’t be there while he recovers from surgery for several herniated discs. He plans to be there with special lady Susan Tuckerman, cheering and champing at the bit, so to speak. When I needed a good subject for the Eventing 5Q profile, Bruce immediately sprang to the top of the mental list I’d been compiling. [Buck - you're "on deck" - I just didn't want to risk messing with the fates before Rolex!]

Bruce Sr couldn’t have been nicer on the phone, and it’s a sure bet that he’s still dealing with pain – they went into his back twice – not my idea of a pleasant ride in the park!!! Anyhow, here’s one ‘up close and personal’ bit that ended up on the ‘cutting room’ floor, because I tend to write way longer than the space allowed – honestly, just ask my long-suffering editor Cornelia Henderson, who is thrilled that I’m blogging and can yak-yak to my heart’s content and indulge in all sorts of off-piste topics, such as my wonderful Connemara pony, but I digress… here’s that snippet:

Sidelines: Is it true that Susie Tuckerman is riding again?
BDsr: That’s right – Susie had three rides, thanks to Sue Moffett who brought a wonderful Quarter Horse down from Michigan this winter so Susie could get on. Susie had a fabulous time. We’re both the handicapped, taking care of the handicapped. We’ve been together quite a while now. We keep each other going. We have races on our walkers.

Why isn’t someone running a videocam of the USEA HOFer and his lady, going head and head? I’d pay for a bootleg copy!

Sidelines’ May issue will be out around April 18 – you can subscribe for print and/or on-line access – be sure to check it out.

09 FHI CCI*** winners Boyd Martin & Neville Bardos

Boyd Martin, shown here, tuffing out the conditions at last fall’s  FHI three-star for the win on Neville Bardos, has been riding Bruce Davidson’s Rock on Rose. The mare has the wonderful stable name of Lusty, no doubt inspired by sire Amber’s Lust. Bruce wanted to see how she ran for Boyd at The Forks and said: “If we have a good run there, she’ll go on to Rolex. If she has a bad run, she’ll go to Jersey Fresh.”

Boyd, at any rate, has Neville Bardos, an Australian off-the-track-Thoroughbred – the duo motored through the rain and mud at FHI for the win. The goal is not just a bling watch, but also a crack at making the line-up for WEG in the fall.

Who’s sittiing on the sidelines for Rolex:

Sinead Halpin – she decided not to risk aggravating a minor but pesky injury to Tate (Manoir de Carneville), even though the disappointment must have been devastating – BUT good for her to put the horse before ambition! Here’s a fun photo from last year’s Rolex of Sinead and Lynn Symansky, who’ has several prospect from novice to prelim – No It Tissant finished 19th at ’08 Rolex…

Lynn "presents" Sinead to the ground jury...

Jan Byyny’s still finding her voice, but doing better after surgery on the arm fractured at Pinetop – goodness, what a nightmare for one of the nicest people! You can get the details on her ordeal at www.surefireeventing.com

Jan Byyny & Syd Kent Rolex '09

Best wishes for a complete recovery, Jan!

Rebecca Howard (CAN) was another casualty in GA, and she’s home and on the mend. www.rebeccahoward.ca – check out her blog – here’s to your speedy recovery!

Am sure there are others sitting out Rolex, but am still trying to decompress from the demands of meeting the May deadline. Stress leads to insomnia, which does little for the weary brain cells… Part of the problem is relative inactivity while being good about letting a wrist broken mend. It happened in a hyperflexed, one-point landing on heel of hand, thanks to black ice after the blizzards ended in February – was being good samaritan and feet just shot forward, giving no chance to react. Am very lucky – it could have been worse…

Please visit Facebook and become a friend of Sidelines:

If you have any requests for rider or horse profiles – leave a comment and I’ll see what I can do – and remember to stop back and see what’s new in all the Sidelines’ blogs!

More anon…

It doesn’t get much better when your work is also your play. Writing and photographing horses in the discipline of eventing and other fast-paced sports reflects my fondness for going fast on the wings of a horse.

But I don’t pretend to aspire to the upper levels of eventing – not any more. I just don’t have the heart for those monstrous cross-country fences. Granted, I love to run and jump, but most of the panels found in fence lines throughout the horse country of Virginia are reasonable. Oh, there may be the occasional ‘ohmygawd’ fence (usually a drop), but mostly the coops, stone walls, post & rails, and telephone poles etc top out at about 3 – 3’3 – a few are bigger, but when the adrenaline’s running, it’s so easy to find the moxie and fly…

Eventers, however, do it three ways for three days – with Cross County as the big attraction. Upper level three- and four-star horses and riders have my unabashed admiration, but do not pooh-pooh Prelim. That’s where the discipline gets seriously real – not to take anything away from Novice and Training, which offer plenty of excitement. But it’s the upper levels to which most aspire, the pathway to international competition and a chance at Olympic or WEG or Pan Am glory.

Often described as the equestrian triathlon, formerly known as “The Military,” eventing’s going through a lot of changes since dropping the long format’s roads and tracks (A & C) and steeplechase (B). Still, the  cross-country (D), survivor of the long format’s four-phase  endurance test, packs beaucoup thrills and excitement.

With Rolex Kentucky coming up the last week in April, blogging provides me with the opportunity to keep you close to the action. In the run-up, there will be weekly posts, talking about who’s entered etc. At Kentucky Horse Park itself, thanks to Classic Communications who run the best daggone press tent, there will be daily updates  with photos as the event unfolds, a great expansion to the coverage that Sidelines provides in the June issue – but daily, right there, literally on the spot – zip zip buzz!

It’s a great joy finally to blog about what I do for a living. To be able to share my thoughts and impressions, which don’t usually belong in a story – like the “holy wow” thrill bumps that I got when Ringwood Cockatoo and Bettina Ward (GER) strutted their stuff at 2009 Rolex and danced into the lead. I mean, you had to be asleep not to realize that their test was the winner. They finished second overall to Headley Brittania and Lucinda Fredericks (AUS), who got all misty-eyed and emotional talking about her brave mare. Buck Davidson pulled it all together with My Boy Bobby to finish third overall, the highest-placed American. Buck also rode Ballynoe Castle RM to 15th, a good result after placing 38th in dressage – he’s already entered “Reggie” for Rolex, along with Titanium.

Entries aren’t huge right now, but it’s early – more on that next week after the closing date on the 24th. UK eventer Oliver Townend’s coming back (he rode Carousel Quest to 8th last year) for another crack at Rolex – this time with three horses. He’s won two legs of the Grand Slam of Eventing – Badminton and Burghley – and the talk across the big puddle is that he’s set his cap on the Grand Slam, which comes with a major $$ payoff. But first, he has to win Rolex. More on this anon…

Meanwhile, think spring – it’s time to ride!