LaurenGallops

Hello, horse sports fans - Rolex was its usual three-ring, four-star greatest equestrian show on earth. We love being there, in spite of & perhaps because of the marathon-intense dawn to midnight work days, and we’re already planning for next year, but in addition to great cheers, there were some serious disappointments.

JEERS to the official videographers of Rolex KY

It sucked in places, the video coverage of the XC by the official videographers – such as only two fences shown  of Sara Kozumplik and Manolo Blahnik – I mean, what’s wrong with these people? I would mention them by name but don’t care to give them any ink! How many riders did they “cheat” of  XC footage? They wasted precious time filming riders who had just come off the course, showed at least one derriere view of trim/slim female rider (lovely but this is not a nightclub, it’s cross-country!), no sound but several seconds of rider being interviewed, and lots more footage of horses being sponged off – gee whiz, get your priorities in order. We want to see the jumping, the action  – the cross-country heart of eventing!!!

Sara Kozumplik has devoted years to Manolo Blahnik - here they are in Manny's four-star debut at the third last fence on the cross-country, the double offset brushes which demand precision and momentum so late in the course. But the official video shows them at two jumps only - WTH??? Except for one glance-off at the hollow, which Sara owned as totally her mistake, they did brilliantly. boo, hiss, jeers to the official Rolex KY video that shows only a few scant seconds of footage of them, because everyone who runs XC at Rolex deserves as much as possible. © Lauren R Giannini

Do these so-called official videographers not understand the importance and value of cross-country film in terms of rider education (what went well/wrong & how to do it better?), owners & sponsors (nice to have a lovely memento of their horse on course – good for PR and promotion), spectators/fans/working press – since that’s what we are  but especially working press, we do NOT get to watch the cross-country per se whilst hoisting cameras with varying lengths of lenses to capture the moments on digital film to include in blog posts and print coverage. We are righteously indignant on behalf of Sara, her owners & sponsors, Overlook Farm Equestrian Center, Sara’s beau and groom for Rolex Brian Murphy, Sara’s Rolex groom Lara Chance, Sara’s parent, and everyone associated with Sara and her horses… gaaaaah – no video of a horse & rider having a run ’round the cross-country at Rolex Kentucky  – we’re also very outraged on behalf of anyone else who got shortchanged on XC video. Maybe if enough people complain, it will be better next year. Right now, we’re miffed as heck and you can bet that we’re going to have a copy of the order of go when we do watch the am & pm DVDs of the XC and make notes so we can see who else got gypped on video of their XC rides.

Cheers to Brian Murphy & his Chronicle Blogs from Rolex

Brian Murphy of Berryville, VA is a show jumper who records his very funny, very Irish perspective on traveling to Rolex for the first time as a groom. Eventing Nation (a favorite site to visit – more on that in a minute or two) gave Brian and his posts their nod of approval and here’s the direct link to that page on the Chronicle of the Horse and from there you can find your way through the other blogs if you’re clever – of course you are, you’re reading this!

Cheers to Eventing Nation

We love Eventing Nation – it’s a fun, fact-filled (well, mostly) and very entertaining look at eventing from all around the world. There is a very amusing post today by a rider whose air vest deployed early in the XC when her horse “changed feet on” the table and she went airborne but landed back in the saddle – it would make a great cartoon – hmmmm, must dust off  old abandoned love for sketching and give it a go. Best of all, big thanks to EN who gave us two mentions for LaurenGallops during Rolex!!! Another reason to love them – so CHEERS to everyone at Eventing Nation!

Okay, wordpress did it again – ate most of our post – duh, yes, we do hit save draft regularly! -  so now you can add cranky to very  tired. It’s a gorgeous day and we’re going to the barn, right now!!!

It’s about time we reinstated our lifelong motto: “Write. Ride. Not necessarily in that order!” For too many years, we’ve been thrashing away at deadlines, putting everything but fresh air and quality time with the gee-gees first… CH-CH-CH-CH-CHANGES!!!

Stay tuned for more Rolex In Retrospect!

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