On the Line

Here’a a few quick photos from the eveinings reining events at the Kentucky Horse Park last night. Karen O’Connor must not have been too tired after riding a 4* cross country track yesterday…. because she gave the Alltech Arena a hell of a show when she picked up the reins and rode a reining pattern.

And not to be outdone, David reined as well -bridleless-

Check out Cheval Photos’ online store for more shots and a growing library from the weekend. Stadium jumping begins today at 1pmEST – MUCH more to come!

Her breeches and tall boots are an excellent touch. Photo Cheval Photos

That David, he's such an over-acheiver! Photo Cheval Photos

It was all about the flatwork Friday at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Flatwork, in the form of the Rolex KY 3-Day Event’s dressage phase, and flatwork in the form of sleek and shiny reiners inside the Alltech Arena. On the Line has a great appreciation for reining, enough so that even after staying awake (kidding, kidding, it was all excellent) through the eventing dressage, I was motivated to watch today’s reining competition via USEFnetwork’s excellent live online coverage. For those of us who can’t be onsite in KY this weekend, USEF’s online stream has provided a great window into Rolex and now the Kentucky Reining Cup, so three cheers for them. I plan on parking myself in front of the computer tomorrow morning at 10:00amEST for the broadcast of cross country day, to watch 45 riders much braver than I navigate the soggy footing that’s been the topic of so much conversation this week.

No, that's not supposed to ride in one stride over the creek.... Photo by Cheval Photos

But I digress. Holding world class eventing and reining at the same facility on the same weekend begs a few comparisons; which sport is more exciting? Reining definitely beats eventing’s dressage phase. But tomorrow eventing will probably eat up all the excitement points with the inevitable accumulation of thrills and spills moments. But reining’s got an ace in the hole, in the form of that discipline’s enthusiastic fans, who whoop, holler and whistle their encouragement through every ride. Other equestrian disciplines could do with more whooping and hollering in general, don’t you think?

For the full report on today’s Rolex dressage phase, jump over to fellow Sidelines blogger LaurenGallops, who has spent the last two days faithfully posted at the ingate to the KY Horse Park Main arena, capturing every competitor in the ring and staying abreast of all the action. Here’s hoping that her Dubarry’s serve her well tomorrow in what’s sure to be a full day out in the field.

And as for enthusiasm…. does it really get any better than the crowd going nuts as Lyle Lovett rides a reiner for all he’s worth? We’ll find out tomorrow. . . .

Someone had fun out there! Photo by Cheval Photos

On the Line has every excuse for dropping off the Internet blogosphere for a week or so. First of all, there is very little that could top John French’s epic save, as featured in the previous post. Second of all, post-WEF recovery takes up a significant amount of one’s time. Pools need laying next to, cocktails need sipping. . . .well, actually, it seems that it doesn’t matter whether or not it’s season, certain equine bloggers are perpetually buried in “real” work.

And most importantly, just what has been happening in the horse world these past two weeks? All of our top show jumpers have scattered to their respective corners of the world, and keeping track of them all can be like herding cats.

Luckily, the biggest tomcats in that herd have made the job easier, at least for the next three days. Twenty top American riders are all gathered in Leipzig, Germany this weekend for the 2011 World Cup Final of show jumping (and dressage, and driving, and vaulting…) Sadly, On the Line’s expense account did not include plane fare to the Final, so all of that action will have to be followed virtually. The only live feed available in the U.S. is via FEItv.com, and it’s not free. But if you’re willing to plunk down 25.99, you can get coverage off all the happenings in Germany, and join me in hoping that certain dramas do not repeat themselves this year. So far, the U.S. is off to a solid start, with four of our riders placing in the top 12 of Round 1. Full synopsis here, and more on that later.

But wait – that’s not all! As if the World Cup Finals of Show Jumping and Dressage weren’t enough action for one weekend, the U.S. eventing calendar’s biggest weekend is happening closer to home, at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Rolex CCI4* Three Day Event began its dressage phase today under sunny skies (the opposite of yesterday’s exciting weather), with 45 horses and riders qualified to compete.

Although this blog’s first love is show jumping, and although On the Line can’t be in Kentucky this weekend, those are not reasons enough to skip over Rolex completely. After all, On the Line’s official eyes (that would be the talents of Cheval Photos, official Rolex photographer) are on the ground at the Horse Park, bringing us moments like these from now until Sunday:

Katie Ruppel and Sir Donavan. Photo by Cheval Photos

Photo by Cheval Photos

As someone who has no desire whatsoever to fling myself and my horse across ditches, logs and the like, I’ve automatically got the utmost respect for any rider who is brave enough to send in their Rolex entry form. So Katie Ruppel’s moment of bad luck today during the dressage phase was one to empathize with – for whatever reason, her horse just didn’t want to play today. We’ve all been there at one point or another. Better luck next time Katie, and in the meantime, thanks for providing material for some photos that are far more exciting than what we’d get from a “regular” dressage show.

Moving on, and speaking of luck. Allison Springer and Arthur have experienced extraordinary luck, and talent, and fashion sense over the past 36 hours. Allison won best dressed female rider during yesterday’s jog, won a random drawing for a Rolex watch during the competitor’s dinner last night, and stands 1st after day 1 of the dressage phase.

Allison, like most eventers, is very down to earth and admitted that she was even a little dissapointed after her test, that she thought it could have been better. And as for luck? “You make your own,” she commented. We’ll see about that. Tomorrow the “big guns” of the eventing world will ride their dressage tests, and Allison’s luck could change. On the Line will be watching the livestream, wishing we could be live in Kentucky, but enjoying it all the same from inside an air conditioned apartment. Where will you be?

Like these pictures? Want to see more from Rolex Kentucky? Visit Cheval Photos throughout Rolex weekend for access to the very best moments from Rolex, as captured by award-winning photographer Selena Frederick. You can also follow Cheval on Facebook and Twitter for instant updates.

Who among us hasn’t had one of those am-I-or-aren’t-I, eyeballing the ground, thrown up the neck, hanging on for dear life close calls? You know what I’m talking about – when you’re very, very close to ending up with your butt in the dirt, but at the last possible second, you pull your shoulders back with a mighty effort, your horse puts his neck back up instead of farther down, and you’re saved -this time- from picking sand out of your shirt collar. It’s the close call fall.

John French experienced a very public close call fall yesterday afternoon during the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby class at the Blenheim Spring Classic III in San Juan Capistrano, CA. With six mounts entered in the class, and being the freakishly consistent competitor that he is, John rarely leaves a high level derby without a ribbon in hand. And yesterday was no different; he placed 4th with Pimm’s Cup, owned by Whitney Miller.

But after fence 1 during the handy round, a big, bright white coop going towards a crowd of spectators, his round on Oscany Inc.’s Clooney took a surprise turn. ”I don’t know what happened,” said John after the class. Clooney jumped a little bigger, and maybe cracked his back a little more over the spooky fence, and both horse and rider fell out of sorts on the landing side.

However, this is John French we’re talking about, and the popular, easygoing rider dug deep and saved himself at the last minute. Ever the consummate professional, he shook the moment off as he circled, grinned a little sheepishly while acknowledging cheers from the crowd, and continued on to fence 2. Clooney and John still placed 10th overall in the Derby. Morgan Geller won the class, and Sidelines April feature subject Nick Haness was third with Havana. Overall, it was a challenging course with a difficult handy round, and plenty of other riders had trouble. Destry Spielberg’s Rumba (the same Rumba that John French rode to the inaugural Hunter Derby Final championship two years ago) had refusals in the handy round, but previous round points helped them place 10th.

A challenging course, big spooky fences, thrills and near-spills. Hmmmm. That sounds like a hunter derby at its best! See HorseShowTime.com for full results.

Use the scroll arrows at the bottom of this photo to see how Cheval Photos captured John French’s close call fall:

The hunter pose finally catches up with JF. . . ?

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Guess what? Horse sports are making mainstream headlines this week! Is it all that On the Line was hoping and dreaming for in the previous, heartwarming post about stellar horseman Buck Brannaman’s big-screen debut? Are previously uninterested riders considering taking up riding themselves, and spreading love for horse sports around the globe?

Sadly, no. This horse news is, in fact, the opposite of what On the Line was hoping for. The shining spotlight of the mainstream news media has been squarely focused on one event that has caught attention in all the wrong ways: The Grand National. Many of us know this annual steeplechase race from one of our favorite childhood horse movies; National Velvet made Elizabeth Taylor famous in 1944, and the book that the movie was based on was one of my favorites. I remember reading the detailed account of Pie and Velvet Brown’s adventures in awe. Enid Bagnold’s words painted a picture of an extraordinary race that tested a horse’s strength and talent. The Grand National was the coolest race in the world.

Fast forward to 2011. The 164^th running of the Grand National was held this past Sunday at Aintree in England. Horses died this year during the race, but unfortunately that’s hardly news. Today’s animal rights organizations hate the Grand National even more than they hate regular horse racing because horses die pretty much every year while trying to complete the Grand National. More often than not they die in very unpretty, gruesome ways: of broken necks, broken backs and broken legs. In the last 11 years, 20 horses have died while attempting to finish this race, run over 4 miles and sixteen fences, 14 of which are jumped twice.

This year, the horses Ornais and Dooneys Gate both died after falling on the downside of a fence and breaking their neck and back, respectively. It was reported that the winner, Ballabrigs, was too exhausted to walk to the winner’s paddock after the race, and his victory was marred when his jockey was penalized for excessive use of the whip.

But again, things like that have happened many times before at the Grand National. What hasn’t happened in the 164-year history of the Grand National is this:

Video still from television coverage of the 2011 Grand National

Poor Ornais and Dooney’s Gate both died instantly during the first circuit of the race, and with no time to move them, 600 million television viewers and thousands watching on site were treated to the sight of both horses’ bodies still laying on the track as the race continued around them. It was the first time ever that two jumps had to be bypassed on course because of “obstacles.”  Which is what commentators called the bodies as the race continued. Which kind of makes you want to stop watching the race because of the sick feeling in your stomach.

While it has to be noted that race officials have made big efforts to make the fences safer and the obstacles smaller, it doesn’t seem to help things as much as it should, and some trainers involved with the race complain that smaller fences actually make the course faster and more dangerous.

Is anyone thinking about cutting out the flat-out running at large obstacles with blind landings part? Just a thought. Steeplechase in general is dangerous, and with its annual body count, it’s pretty clear that The Grand National is just not cool anymore.

There is an amazing video making its way throughout the interwebs. And no, I’m not talking about the %$@^&*# jumping cow from Germany, which has gone viral faster than you can say springreiten.

I’d heard about “Buck”, a new documentary about the life of trainer Buck Brannaman, but until I saw the trailer yesterday, I hadn’t paid much attention to the fuss being made over it. Honestly, not until one magic word was attached to it:

Mainstream.

That’s right, mainstream. I live for the day when horse sports get their own “mainstream” TV channel, a lá Golf TV. I dream of riders making the Star Tracks section of People Magazine, just likes sports stars Derek Jeter, Tom Brady and Apollo Anton Ohno (you know, the speedskating guy) do on a regular basis. Hey, anything’s possible!

Those days may still be so far off in the future it seems like they’ll never happen, or, they may be closer than we think. Which brings us back to the big fuss that a lot of “mainstream” people are making over this documentary that could maybe, possibly, be a mainstream hit. In January Sundance Selects/IFC Films picked up the rights to the film, and after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it won the 2011 Audience Award. The documentary follows Buck as he teaches clinics, works with horses and recalls how his childhood shaped his horse philosophy. Buck is widely acknowledged as the inspiration for Robert Redford’s character in The Horse Whisperer (no, it wasn’t Monty Roberts. . . ), but he has mostly kept a low profile over the years. That may change now that first-time director Cindy Meehl has captured his story in a way that everyone, riders or not, can relate to. I’m no film critic, but the editing, the clips, the soundtrack (go Pearl Jam!), it all pulls you right into the heart of the story:

And that’s the big, giant, missing link. If you’re reading this blog it’s safe to assume that you’re some kind of rider, and it’s safer to say that you’ve heard all about natural horsemanship training methods to the point of just being tired of all that round pen, rope halter nonsense. But I think that what we horse people tend to forget is that the concepts these guys are quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) promoting will never fail to blow the minds of our non-horse counterparts. Horse whisperer Zen is captivating, and the well-done story of this “cowboy philosopher” could very well go mainstream.

Whether you’re a show jumper, dressage rider, polo player or some other participant in horse sports, Buck’s lessons in horse training apply to you. No matter the discipline, partnership and good communication are the best horse training tools we have, really. We horse people may understand the whys and hows of Buck’s methods, but to our non-equestrian friends, it will all look like magic. So don’t just go to see the movie. Tell your friends who don’t know horses about Buck, and take them with you. The film gives us one more reason to love horse sports, but it may give countless others their very first.

The sun is shining, the champion is here...

Just one more reason that we all wish we were Laura Kraut….. above, Laura walks Cedric out of the ring after being awarded the Oliver O’Toole Perpetual Memorial Trophy during Saturday’s Parade of Champions on the second to last day of the 2011 Winter Equestrian Festival. Laura and Cedric were the top money winners over the 2011 WEF season. Who can guess how much they won? Anyone? Let’s see, they won three big classes this season:

$75,000 Adequan CSI2*

$150,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix

$500,000 FTI Consulting Finale CSI5* Grand Prix

And placed in a slew of other classes. Laura didn’t show Cedric every week, of course, just when it counted. Her plan to target the biggest classes worked out well. $236,800 well, to be exact. Lauren Hough and Quick Study were the 2nd highest money winners of the season with $205,000. Full list of WEF’s top money winners is here.

And with that, the winter season is officially over and done with. Wellington is quiet again, trailers are heading north en masse, and On the Line will have to find something else to write about for the next six months. It’s been an oxygen bar, alligator chap, Le Club-filled season of equestrian ridiculousness, fun and sunshine in paradise. Is anyone else ready for a vacation?!?

Semi well-behaved polo stallion.

There’s never a dull moment in Wellington. Even though the show jumping season is winding down, polo season is still in full swing, with the U.S. Open brackets being fought out during most of April. And last night the 2nd Annual National Polo Pony Show was held over at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, which normally hosts CDI dressage shows, and of course, the recent Masters.

But with nary a dressage horse in sight, polo ponies had their night in the spotlight with this event, dreamed up by one of polo’s most talented female players, Sunny Hale. She’s president of the American Polo Horse Association, which was created to register and recognize polo ponies, promote breeding programs, and generally give this sport a little more guidance and structure when it comes to the horses that are such a critical part of it.

Polo requires so many horses per player (in a high goal game one player might use up to 10 horses) that sometimes, looking at the horse as an individual gets passed over. Polo ponies are meant to be uniform in size and type, and there are just so many of them that sometimes, they blend together. But Sunny, daughter of legendary female polo player Sue Sally Hale, is on a mission to give the ponies some more recognition, so hats off to her. She organized the whole event, which included a silent auction and benefitted the Polo Museum and Philadelphia’s Work to Ride program.

There were halter classes:

The 2-4 Years Old Halter Class lines up

Cibby, winner of the Halter Class Stallions

Performance Classes:

...which included a set pattern and a "freestyle" to show polo pony handiness.

A Nations Cup Competition/relay race, in which four teams of three competed against each other on a set pattern. The t-shirt wearing team from Grand Champions Polo Club won the class:

The teams all listened to the rules before the class...

And then they relayed!

Show attire was not judged...

Finally, there was the very best thing that ever happened to a polo pony show; the Grooms Competition. On the Line spent a couple of summers as a high-goal polo groom, and knows all too well the pressure that grooms are under on the sidelines, when they must switch horses for their player in a matter of minutes. How long would it take you to remove wraps-boots-breastcollar-standing martingale-draw reins-bridle-saddle w/ two girths, hose and ice a pony and throw aforementioned tack on your next horse? Really good grooms can do it in under 5 minutes, and Sunny Hale accurately likened polo grooms to a Formula One pit team.

Again, teams of three relayed two horses on either end of the ring; they had to tack one up, race to the other end where their teammate was waiting, switch the tack to a new horse, and race back. A high form of entertainment, to say the least.

Team Audi finished last when their groom had trouble mounting up on a skittish horse, but here they are with ponies and tack before the race.

Two grooms to a (very patient) horse, wrapping at lightening speed.

Racing to the end of the ring..

And all three teams raced to switch tack to their second horse. Vale!

On the Line is of the opinion that to truly be an excellent polo player, one’s first thought has to be on the game, and then, if there’s time, the pony. Events like this are rare, but appreciated because they give the ponies well-deserved attention and importance that is too often passed over. And sometimes, the polar opposite of a hunter/jumper show is a bit refreshing, helmetless children and all…..

Helmetless children atop polo stud, no less.

And the hooooome of the, braaaave...... Photo ©Kym Ketcham

Because if a skydiver trailing an American flag hadn’t touched down in the International Arena just as Ki-Juan Minors sang the final, pitch perfect note of the National Anthem, the night would have seemed incomplete, somehow.

Fortunately, that is how the 2011 WEF season’s finale class opened, and the 7,000 show jumping fans filling every available space in the International Arena (a sight that warms On the Line’s heart) were thoroughly impressed.

The $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5* provided an interesting end to the winter season’s grand prix circuit. In difficulty, it didn’t come close to the Nation’s Cup course, but it did do its job of letting the cream of the show jumping crop rise to the top. It’s just that last night, there was a whole lot of cream.

Out of 40 starters, 15 made it to the jumpoff, and of those 15, 9 jumped double clear. The time allowed was 90 seconds, and most riders finished under 85. That’s a whole lot of clear rounds for a 5* grand prix, and On the Line would have liked to track course designer Guillherme Jorge down after the class to pick his brain on the subject. However, celebrating “someone’s” birthday in Lé Club took priority over press conferences yesterday evening. . . . but that’s another story.

Moving on. In any case, the jumps were big, and the most challenging question was a bending, s-shaped line from the water, to a skinny vertical, to a one stride. And with Cedric, Laura Kraut capped a very good season when she jumped fastest of the double clears to win the class:

They look good in blue. Photo ©Kym Ketcham

Lauren Hough and Quick Study were a close second,

Photo ©Kym Ketcham

And Andres Rodriguez surprised himself by finishing 3rd with Secret.

Nick Skelton finished 4th, and capped his own memorable season by winning the $100,000 FTI Consulting Rider Challenge. Don’t we all wish we could pick up a $50,000 bonus after a few months of hard work! Congratulations to him:

Photo ©Kym Ketcham

And with that, WEF’s 2011 grand prix season closes its doors. People are starting to talk about packing up the horses and getting back home, the weather’s getting warmer every day, and there’s an overall feeling of winding down at the showgrounds. Next week will focus on the hunters, and while On the Line will be front and center for the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, the sad fact remains that the International Ring has seen the last of our beloved show jumping superstars. On to springtime, and on to that next big class, where ever it may be. . . .

Va-Va-Voltaire!

When was the last time a saddle was likened to Sex and the City, or designer shoes? I would venture to say, um, never!

Until now, that is. If you hang around horse shows, chances are you’ve already met Brice Goguet. The tall, 32-year-old Frenchman is on quite the mission to tell the world about his Voltaire saddles. With a prime vendor booth at WEF that is right on the path where all the warm ups intersect, Voltaire has been impossible to miss all season. And why, you ask? It doesn’t actually have to do with the location of their booth, at all.

Two words: blue stripes.

Brice, who worked with Devoucoux saddles for 7 years, branched off on his own last year and formed Voltaire. Olivier Puychiot, former head of Devoucoux’s saddlemaking workshop, joined him, with the two setting up a small shop in Brice’s garage in the south of France. But after officially making their U.S. debut at the Menlo Charity Horse Show in California last year, Voltaire has quickly expanded. Beezie Madden was riding in a trial Voltaire when she won the $50,000 G&C Farm Jumper Derby in February; the next week she came back and bought two saddles. Voltaire now has offices in New York and reps across the country, and premiered a line of tall boots last month.

But wait, back to the best part, those blue stripes. In addition to building very high quality, durable custom saddles and tack, Brice wanted his saddles to have some kind of unique, head turning trademark. Something understated but flashy. Something that took a little risk, but wouldn’t scare people away. Something like Brice’s favorite suit jackets, which often had a flashy lining on the inside. Something a little like a very famous designer shoe. . .

Carrie Bradshaw, we <3 you so...

Which brings us to Sex and the City. Among the many designers/trends/fashions that On the Line’s all-time favorite TV show made famous were some very hot designer heels. Red soled Christian Louboutins were a Carrie Bradshaw staple, and once she wore ‘em, the already famous Louboutin name was racheted to legendary status forevermore. After all, what girl doesn’t love a look that’s business on the top, party on the bottom . . .

. . . right?

Brice was on to something. He took the red sole concept and applied it to his saddles, and voila! Voltaires are just as impossible to forget as Louboutins.

The underside of every saddle sports this blue striped design, which harks back to a pattern from the Basque region in Southwest France, where Brice is from. In that region, the stripe pattern differs from family to family, and Voltaire plans to unveil a new pattern (with same fabulous color palette) every time they release new saddles.

On the Line just looooves this modern take on saddlemaking, and in case you’re wondering, Voltaire doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to craftsmanship and saddle functionality. The flashy underside is just where the cool factor of Voltaire saddles begin, but I’ll let Brice tell you more. You have a few more days to catch up with him at WEF, but something tells me that he’ll be at a show near you sometime soon, too. In the meantime, you can follow Voltaire on facebook or check out their website.

In addition to talent and loads of ambition, Voltaire's President and Founder is also in possession of a hypnotizing pair of smokey green eyes. No wonder he sells so many saddles...

Voltaire-Design.com for more