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| The AQHA demo arena at the WEG |
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| The view as you enter the vendor area and the Kentucky Experience from the main stadium |
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| Rodrigo Pessoa! |
On Monday we caught the 'speed competition, part 1'...it was way exciting! Basically, you go out there and jump the course, a damn difficult one too, as fast as possible. Should you be cursed with any rails down, they are then converted to time faults. Therefore, speed is the name of the game in the class....no regular faults, just time faults. Kinda cool huh?? The course was crazy difficult....triple bar in, one stride to a vertical out - open water to a severely upright vertical - a super scary 'kentucky fence' combo - and a funky shaped skinny vertical...all of that craziness made for some really excitement. I was reminded how much I enjoy show jumping and just how safe it really is. Horses would chest through a jump and gallop happily down the line - um yeah, in eventing that would have been a !!Gasp #@*!! (i.e. possible disaster). I got the pleasure of watching Rodrigo Pessoa ride!! so cool...I have never seen him ride. The man can actually equitate over the mountian-ous fences....beautifully too. After the morning session an American, Mario Deslauries was in the lead. He flew around the course and put in a thrilling ride.....From what I understand he remained in the lead and won the class!!
To wrap up the eventing....I am forced to bring you bad news. The Americans didn't have a very good show jumping day and bumped down to freakin' fourth place! really?? Buck went in first for the team, thanks to his refusal at the sunken road (wasn't that the same fence that gave you issues in 2009 Buck?? was it really the dog's fault? LOL). Unfortunately, he dropped a rail with Ballynoe - a total freak thing. bummer. But we can drop the lowest score...so that is cool, it is up to Boyd, Phillip and Karen now....
Boyd came in and gave us all hope with a flawless ride! Clean! Phillip followed with Woodburn and rode like the god that he is until....the wind blew just the wrong way and caused the Rolex combo to come down. I swear he didn't even touch it and it crashed to the ground.
** A very large handful of the other riders racked that very same jump and the freakin' pole sat happily in the cups. Why? why were we the unlucky ones??**
But still....one rail....that was ok - we were still in medal position. Then Mandiba came into the ring. The wonderful Karen O'Connor rode that snot of a horse over each and every jump. He never really looks like the horse that 'takes' her to the jump....he seems to be the kind of horse that needs Karen to take him there every time. Well, he pulled a "bad pony" at the Kentucky gate and refused it!! what?? a refusal?? it looked like a sure thing, but Mandiba had other ideas and pulled out a dirty stop. Poor Karen took him back around and still flopped over it, pulling the rail. talk about a bummer ride. No more medal for the US. We ended up in fourth place. Still a very reputable placing when you think about it...the US eventing team is the fourth best in the WORLD! Great Britain took the gold (very deserving) - Mike's new fav. is William Fox-Pitt :) Canada came in silver and New Zealand stole the bronze. Overall, the competition was thrilling, breathtaking and very very SAFE!!
Out of the 79 riders that rode the XC course...only 19 had ever ridden at the 4 star level. Only one horse has to be taken away in the horse ambulance and has been given a 'favorable' prognosis. The other horses than went down, all got right up and are doing well. Every rider made it though just fine and only 19 horse and rider teams didn't complete the course. Incredibly awesome!!
So, I'll bet you are thinking that is because the course was toned down a bit....Heck no!! it was THE most impressive course I have seen! Very technical and demanding. It's saving grace was the amount of options given to the riders to ensure safety! Go Eventing!!
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| The whiskey barrel jump...my fav :) |
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| Lauren Hough for show jumping team USA |
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