How To Meet Calvin Borel

It's really very simple. First you go here...

then you notice a not-too-tall guy who looks extremely familiar, and realize that you watched him on TV winning the Kentucky Derby the year before, and then you nearly faint, and then you pull yourself together and try to act cool and wait until someone else asks if they can get a photo with him, and then you shake his hand and smile like a grinning fool when he puts his arm around you and his wife takes your picture...

and then you send it to all your horsey friends and they're really, really jealous. :-)

Yep, I met Calvin Borel at the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC) in 2010 during the WEG! I actually had been told he was going to be in the MMSC trade fair booth signing autographs later that afternoon, and the employees and volunteers were very excited to meet him. Since I was on my way out of Lexington I was very disappointed I would miss seeing him. What nobody knew was that he was going to drop by the Center (which is in the KHP) before he went to the trade fair. I was happily looking at horses in the barn when all of a sudden I turned around and there was Calvin!

The rest happened just the way I described. We were all kind of tongue-tied but Calvin could not have been nicer or more friendly, and his wife was a doll, too. She was also an expert at taking people's photos with her famous husband. I can't imagine what that would be like... I think Mrs. Borel probably gets a fair amount attention herself, though as she is taller than her husband and an extremely attractive young blonde.

One of the OTTBs in the barn. I especially noticed this one because he was a) grey and b) had the most Arab-like head I think I've ever seen on a TB:

After my barn tour I stopped by the MMSC office. I really wanted to scoop up this mailbox and spirit it out to my car but I think they might have noticed. I did get Calvin to sign a poster of Big Red that I bought from them, though. 

After I left the MMSC, I had one more stop planned before I headed back to St. Louis. It, too, was related to Calvin Borel: I went to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum. I am going to try and post about that visit before I leave for KY this time so you all will feel ready for the First Saturday in May!

*            *             * 

P.S. I may go back to the MMSC on this trip to Lexington, but I'm not sure if I'll have time. I will definitely be stopping by their booth at the Rolex trade fair, though, to see if any other celebrities make an appearance on their behalf!

2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) - Part 2 - Behind The Scenes!

I apologize for the long delay in posting the second half of my WEG discussion. I finally managed to get into Photoshop at home and find some more pictures. Doing this has definitely gotten me psyched up for my Rolex trip, needless to say!

This table was the second jump by which I stationed myself on WEG Cross Country day, after trying - and failing - to get close enough to anything at the Head of the Lake water complex. I think people staked out spots there at about 6:00 AM (no doubt it will be the same for Rolex).

Anyway, once I got the hang of when to hit the shutter button on the iPhone, I actually managed to get some fun pictures.

You can baaaaarely see the simply enormous ditch before this fence  - it was wide AND deep!

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my favorite things is how excited the horses are to be on course. I never get tired of watching them gallop by!

A lot doesn't go smoothly on x-country courses. Here's someone I caught sadly meeting the end of their competition at a ditch (the rider may have actually fallen in it, I don't recall):

You can see by the sky what a gorgeous day it was for WEG XC. What a blessing for participants and spectators alike! (I will be packing my raincoat and Wellies for my Rolex trip, though, as I will be out on course even if I am slogging around in muck.)

Unfortunately, the next day dawned cold and rainy. I was extremely grateful I'd thrown my raincoat in the car at the last minute or I would have been truly doomed. As it was, I hadn't thought to bring a down vest so I piled on literally every top I'd brought with me. I was also glad I had my paddock boots since they kept my feet pretty warm. I would have been dying in the sneakers I'd worn the day before.

 The stadium jumps were gorgeous, of course...

and the winners were deserving and proud. Unlike most of the spectators, I stuck around for the medal ceremony:

Afterwards I got to thinking about the warm-up ring. I had left my assigned seat and wandered around the stadium a bit, and caught a glimpse of it. The riders were going back in that direction after the ceremony. I wondered if maybe, just maybe, I could go over there... I figured it would be guarded and I'd never get near but I had to try. Guess what - no guards. Here's who I spotted first:

Why, I do believe it's none other than New Zealand's Mark Todd, one of the Eventers Emeritus at these games! Demonstrating good horseman's behavior, his main concern was getting blankets on his tired and patient mount. He was oblivious to me snapping photos and I dared not to even say, "Congratulations." (NZ finished third)

Here is the second-place Canadian team, doing a group photo with their coach David O'Connor. It was weird seeing one of the best American riders ever a) not riding and b) coaching somebody else. No worry: he is now the new American coach, back where he belongs.

And last but not least, I was truly thrilled to lurk not 12' feet away from the champion British team, who were doing a TV interview with a reporter! I actually captured some of this conversation on video, too, but due to technical ineptitude I afraid I don't have it for you. After a couple minutes I was shooed away from the scene by a volunteer, but it was very cool.

Yes, even though the goofy (undoubtedly custom-made and extremely expensive) British hunt cap William Fox-Pitt is wearing adds a few inches, William Fox-Pitt is extremely, and I mean EXTREMELY tall. Very pleasant and polite, too. His height only adds to my awe of his eventing accomplishments, because imagine the potential for lawn-darting when you're so far above the horse's back.

I made one last trip through the shopping area on my way out of the Games, stopping to admire these bracelets. Only slightly out of my price range, LOL.

After another very long walk, I arrived tired and happy back out front of the KHP where my friend would pick me up. I'll be seeing this sign again soon, though, and I can't wait!

Rolex, Here I Come!

Been a little busy lately, helping Son plan and carry out his Eagle Scout project. All went well and I'm extremely proud of him. However, my busy-ness has not prevented me from laying plans to finally, FINALLY make it to Lexington for ROLEX!!! Yahoo!

I wanted to go last year but started a new job in April, so leaving town for several days was not in the cards. So despite much hemming and hawing, rearranging and feeling guilty on my part, the tickets are bought for the weekend phases, the vacation from work is secured and the lodgings with my friend (same one who kindly housed me for WEG and the National Horse Show) set up. I've also notified a couple other bloggers of my acquaintance that I'd like to meet them there. Wendy (From Racehorse to Showhorse) and I got together the last time I went down to Lex, but I have not met Stacey (Behind The Bit) so I'm looking forward to that. Maybe I will trail around after her in the shopping venue watching her scoop up lots of goodies.

My own shopping is probably going to be limited to a Rolex t-shirt. I already have a cool hat from WEG, so I'll get a Rolex pin to add to my collection that I have on it (WEG pin and NHS pin). While I might not be actually buying much, you can bet I'm planning to try on or sit in some fun stuff, like helmets and high-end saddles. I've read that my bony rump will undoubtedly love the butter-soft environs of a CWD, for example, so maybe sitting in one isn't such a hot idea - I don't think a saddle like that is ever going to be in my budget, alas!

I debated a great deal over what ticket to purchase for the stadium jumping on Sunday. The most coveted seats are those close to the ring, but I finally opted for sitting up higher in the grandstand underneath the covered part. Rolex has a bad habit of being rainy and I didn't want an excess of water to spoil any part of my fun. I'll be sitting towards the in-gate end of the arena which I'm hoping will facilitate me being able to scoot over to the warmup ring, either during the competition or directly afterwards. As you will see in my next post - World Equestrian Games (WEG) Part 2 - doing the latter yielded some up-close and personal photos of Very Famous Eventing People, which was a lot of fun.

I have also gone all to pieces and purchased an actual camera. No more relying on my trusty iPhone for photography! My budget was miniscule, so it's nothing fancy, but I'm hoping it will be useful enough for some decent jumping and galloping photos. It does do HD Video so I'll be filming a bit, too.  Probably nothing will emerge as good as this...

but I will certainly try. I think my favorite part of watching eventing is seeing the enthusiasm on the horse's faces when they're going XC. My plan is to track down Wendy and her husband Matt and see what they are shooting. In case you think they don't know what they are doing, may I present the cover of the brand-new issue of Practical Horseman... photo taken by none other than Matt Wooley!

I'm just tickled for him and Wendy - it's actually his second Practical cover, too. Congratulations!

2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG) - Part 1

I have been meaning to do a post about my adventures at the World Equestrian Games, and I just found some photos I had handy on this computer. There are lots more but if I wait until I remember to send them over this will never get done. So, without further ado - the WEG!

I picked up this promo brochure way back in '08 and had it stuck in my bedroom mirror. I thought it was Rich Fellers and Flexible but the blaze is wrong. ETA: Sapphire and Mclain Ward, thank you to reader L. Williams!
The minute I read in Practical Horseman that Lexington/the Kentucky Horse Park had landed the World Equestrian Games for 2010 (which I think was in 2007), I was determined to go. No way was I missing such a  huge event located only six hours away! Never mind that tickets would be expensive... and lodging, if I could find it, even more so: I. Was. Going. Right away I planned on watching the 3-Day Eventing, as I'd thoroughly enjoyed that at the Atlanta Olympics. I've seen some famous show jumpers, and I do love that, too, but there's just something so cool about being a spectator on a x-country course, even if eventing isn't "my" equestrian sport.

I watched the horse news carefully and found out when tickets would be going on sale. Then the prices were announced - ouch. The dream began to slip through my fingers, as I added up the cost of tickets, gas, food and lodging. By spring of 2010 I'd kind of given up on the whole thing, I'm afraid. But never fear, it was Facebook to the rescue! I found an old friend of mine going back to elementary school. We had lost touch years ago and I was tickled when she turned up on social media. I was even more tickled when I learned that she lives not 10 minutes away from the Kentucky Horse Park. I couldn't believe it - would she be willing to have a weekend guest? YES!

Once I had a bed to sleep in, the rest fell into place. My mom graciously agreed to buy me tickets for Saturday and Sunday as my birthday gift. My friend said she'd feed me dinners. She even said she'd drop me off at the KHP so no need to fork out $20/day for parking. It was on!

I arrived in KY Friday night and my old friend and I had a great reunion (we still like each other, whew :-). The weather, if I recall, had been a bit iffy, but Saturday dawned sunny and pleasant, perfect for horses and riders on x-country and spectators, too. I got up and dressed and out the door in record time, anxious to be at the Park. My friend dropped me off at the entrance, as planned, and I started to walk.... and walk.... and walk. I'd forgotten that it's a loooooong way in from Ironworks Pike! Lots of people joined me from the parking lots, though, so I felt pretty smug about saving my $$.

I bought my ticket and entered the park right by the main grandstand. The horses had already started on the course, and I followed the crowd right to where hundreds of people had gathered, at the Head of the Lake water complex. Folks were really packed in and it was hard to see, but I didn't care - I was THERE, hurray! When the first horse came through I think I cried. Wow, what a grand partnership and those horses are so freakin' BRAVE! Full of run and jump, just point 'em in the right direction and by golly, 98% of the time they're gonna go over it, whether it's down a huge drop they don't even know is coming, a log they can't see over, or some other insane creation that no right-minded rider would ask a horse to negotiate. But as eventers will tell you, they aren't normal!

(Not my photo, found online)

As the day went on, I figured out a couple things. One was to keep going until I found a place to stand where I could actually see something. My best view of the water turned out to be alongside the galloping lane going in. After I'd had my fill of that, I decided to find some other jumps that weren't quite so popular. Another tip was how to - believe it or not - actually capture some halfway decent photos with my iPhone. Viewing my frustration, a fellow spectator gave me the tip of hitting the shutter button just as I heard the horses' feet go "thump" upon takeoff from the ground. Hence,  I was able to get these:

Not too bad, right? I don't know who the first two riders are but that one with the "cottage" jump is Philip Dutton. It was late in the day and I believe he was the last US rider on x-country, and had a fault-free round which we badly needed.

Speaking of spectators, one of my most favorite aspects of x-country day - out of a truly magical  day that I spent literally in horse heaven, just awed and overjoyed to be there - was talking to my fellow onlookers. I am not shy and retiring so everywhere I went and sat or stood for a while, I struck up a conversation with someone nearby. Quite often they weren't even from the U.S. I met people from Great Britain, Australia and Germany (who spoke excellent English). I met a professional photographer slung about with giant lenses and camera bodies. I met people who were decked out in full (expensive) casual horsey regalia, like Hermes scarves and Dubarry boots, and others who had on well-worn jeans, scuffed paddocks and a battered fleece. Regardless, it was just such a treat to be surrounded by so many fellow horse-lovers. I did talk to a few people who didn't know much of anything about horses and were there because it was a "big event" taking place nearby - good for them!

Photo courtesy of TheHorse.com

The crowd that day was a record, some 55,000 strong if I recall. The perfect weather certainly helped and I was thrilled for the organizers. Now, out of that enormous crowd, are you the least bit amazed that I ran into someone I know? The horse world is only so big, I guess! :-) And unsurprisingly, it was the horse I recognized first. This was not a competitor: no, it was someone in foxhunting attire who was serving as an outrider. She and her lovely B/W Pinto gelding were standing in one place, on hand in case of a runaway or other mayhem. I thought, hmmm, that pair looks familiar... I went up and yes, they were from the Bridlespur Hunt Club right here in my neck of the woods, and I'd actually been hunting with them twice. The lady is well-acquainted with my friend who used to be very active in the hunt club and though I had to remind her we'd met, she did remember me. I was really delighted when she gave me her "volunteer lunch" that she didn't want - having checked out the prices in the food concession stands, I was more than happy to snarf down a warm baloney-and-cheese sandwich, broken potato chips and some crumbly cookies.  (Yes, I'm a cheapskate and will eat almost anything that's free.) I did attempt to feed the horse one of the cookies, lest you think I'm a total pig...

Becky Holder and Courageous Comet - somehow missed seeing them, unfortunately, but one of my favorite TBs! I think I missed them because Comet was injured on course and had to retire before they got to "my" area at the time. Photo courtesy of TheHorse.com.

In Part 2 I'll cover Stadium Jumping day and the rest of the many delights at the WEG!

Behind The Scenes At The National

Following the Grand Prix, I was not ready to go home yet. It was time to do some exploring, specifically of the Arena and any other interesting area I could get into... like, say, the barns. I had little hope of accomplishing the latter since I figured there'd be an Exhibitor pass required, but I thought I'd scope things out anyway.

But first I had some other urgent business: what was for sale here? Checking out vendor booths is always lots of fun for this dedicated window shopper. I figured if the prices of stuff I liked were anything like they were at the WEG I wasn't going to buy a thing (e.g. $25 for a commemorative t-shirt), but it never hurts to look. I started out on a circuit around the Arena. It really is a nice setup, with a wide concourse just made for exhibits around the whole place.

My faux-shopping plans were derailed in a hurry, though, when I quickly stumbled upon a hospitality area set up for the VIPs. There were a number of presumably well-heeled individuals present in black tie and they needed to be wined and dined while watching the show. Apparently they were willing to include the riders in this little bash post-GP because I spotted a couple right away. I am not embarking on a career as a paparazzo anytime soon, since these blurry pictures were the best I could do (without looking like some kind of weird stalker - I'm not shy but taking someone's picture when they don't know it is icky). I kind of recognized both of these guys but I do not know who they are. If YOU do, please tell me!

Balding rider in blue jacket w/ burgundy lapels is the one who caught my eye, but I guess the fellow in the red vest was also a competitor.

This guy was young, good-looking and holding court for a bevy of attractive females. A rough life, indeed!

A local fine art gallery had some works on display in this VIP area for sale. I literally gasped aloud when I spotted this group of pencil sketches:

Holy cow! I instantly recognized these as original illustrations by CW Anderson, one of my most favorite horse artists ever. These were done for the book "The Blind Connemara" which I probably read a half-dozen times, just like all of his books. Boy, would I like to own something like this... but at $6,000 for the set, I guess it's not going to be anytime soon (try ever). There was also this print, which I thought was interesting because it reminded me of the fabled "dogs" painting that inspired the Jacksons to name Barbaro and his brothers after them (not sure why, because I've never even seen that painting!):

There were a number of people selling jewelry, but further along the concourse I came across this vendor's wares. Ooh la la... I could just go crazy over this stuff.

It was truly the nicest equestrian jewelry I think I've ever seen; all the proportions were just right (a frequent error in this genre, I've noticed) and the details were perfect. This is my dream pendant:

Those are tiny diamonds set across the tread. I like English stirrup motif pieces because they aren't generic "horse" jewelry. I also like things with horse shoes, for example, and have several, but a Fillis iron clearly proclaims the wearer as an English rider and I think that's cool. Right now I have a cheapo Finish Line brand gold-filled stirrup pendant which is starting to show silver edges. Some day I hope to replace it with the real deal but with the price of gold skyrocketing, that, too will have to wait (and of course I'd rather be financing a real horse, anyway). (I wonder if the gold chain is included for $655? I didn't ask because unless he was going to give me a 90% discount I couldn't afford it anyway, LOL).

I went past a restaurant that was part of the complex and it was really hopping with people and more riders. I spotted Richard Spooner near the front of the throng. This affair was clearly the big apres-Grand Prix event. Lots of throbbing heads on Sunday morning, I would bet!

While I was wandering around, the Arena jump crew was busy taking down the GP fences and dragging the ring. All of this was done at warp speed. Seriously, there were about 25 crew people and they were unbelievably fast and efficient. The dudes driving the tractors were hauling around at about 30 mph, neatly avoiding the people on foot. I would have been petrified to be in there but this group operated like a well-oiled machine.

The Maclay contenders were then allowed in to exercise their horses:

And look what I found on display? The very thing they were all aiming to win. What a gorgeous trophy!

Solid sterling silver. Used to be lots of horse events handed out silver - I have a few itty-bitty plates myself - but not anymore! Glad the Maclay still does it right.

It was time to head out so I returned to my car and drove out of the Arena parking lot. As I said, I figured I couldn't get near the barns. So imagine my surprise when I noticed as I cruised slowly by that there didn't seem to be any security checkpoints near them (located very close behind the Arena). Hmmm... I parked again (in the media area, which was largely deserted by then) and headed that way. Nobody stopped me. I was wearing an equestrian-type jacket and my paddock boots with some khaki pants, so I guess I kind of looked the part - maybe that helped? But actually there was simply no one around. It was kind of spooky, to tell you the truth. Usually barns are full of activity and it was only about a half hour/45 minutes since the GP had wrapped up. Where were the grooms? How come some stranger was allowed near what I'm sure was some very costly horseflesh?

Soon, I was standing in a barn and checking out this fine fellow and his neighbor:

I'm pretty sure both these horses competed in the Grand Prix. Why else would they be standing in such massively-bedded stalls, with heavily-poulticed legs? Both of them also had buckets of concentrates that they were not eating. One held grain, and the other what I would assume was a mash or else soaked grain. It made me sad that they weren't eating. Again, why were these guys by themselves? All I can say is if it was MY horse, I would have been hovering nearby to see if he cleaned up his after-work meal. They both looked completely disinterested and ignored me to boot.

Bran mash? 

The barns and stalls were really nice here and obviously well-maintained. I left the barn where these two horses were (not just without human company, there weren't even any other horses there in the whole rest of the structure) and went into another. A few more horses were to be found, also sans any human presence. I said hello to them and then lit out for my car before anyone did come around and question me. The whole experience was a bit unsettling; I mean, even here at home at our C-rated shows there are always people in the barns. I guess the quality of the parties at the NHS was a lot better, and everyone was out whooping it up? I just know if I was an unscrupulous sort or God forbid, a representative of PETA, I could have caused a lot of mayhem when nobody was looking!

Here's another horse resting in his spacious stall:

And last but not least, a close look at the National Horse Show ribbons:

While these are pretty nice, and do have the medallions in the middle, would you believe this type is ALL the winner of the Grand Prix got?? No neck ribbon, no extra-long regular ribbon. I'll tell you, I may not agree with everything/a lot of what the gaited horse people get up to, but by golly, they DO know how to properly adorn their winners! Come on, hunt seat world, get a clue: people actually do like all that folderol. It makes for attractive stabling areas if nothing else. :-)

I finally left the KHP and headed back to my friend's house. I had a fun excursion planned for Sunday morning...

 Next Up: My Visit To A Fellow Blogger's Barn!

Alltech National Horse Show $250,000 Grand Prix

I arrived in KY late Saturday afternoon, at my friend's house where I was staying. I had a little time to socialize with her and eat dinner before heading out to the Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) for the Grand Prix, which was scheduled to start at 7:00 PM. By the time I slid into a seat in the Arena at about 6:50 (you could sit wherever you wanted) you could say I was pretty excited...

First of all, let me back up. Just entering KY makes me happy. The closer I get to Lexington, the happier I get: you start seeing beautiful farms several miles out. My head is on a swivel. It's like I'm playing a video game: Horse! Horse! Horse! There's another one! Horse! Horsehorsehorse! Driving past the KHP itself (my friend lives at the next exit, five miles up I-75 but only a mile as the crow flies from the actual boundary of the Park) I'm practically bouncing off my seat. I saw all the cars in the parking lot at the Alltech Arena, and could hardly wait to join them. Last year at the WEG I had no reason to go in the Arena, so I'd never even seen it.

On my way in the door, I bought this. Rarely have I been in more of a hurry to dig $5 out of my wallet. Just the sight of the program practically brought tears to my eyes: it was true, I was actually back at the National Horse Show, for the first time in some 30-odd years.

(Doesn't hurt that it's a grey horse, either)

Here's the wondrous sight that awaited me:

Many more people showed up after this. Apparently the attendance was lower than the organizers would have liked, but I thought it was a decent crowd.

It was BEAUTIFUL. By far, the very nicest horse show facility I've ever seen. I don't think there was a bad seat in the house, for starters. I mostly stayed in this area, but went to a couple different vantage points during the proceedings. The footing looked to be super as well which is always a primary consideration for riders (JB, I'm thinking of a certain show in "our book," where they simply threw down tanbark over a wooden floor...).  The jumps were all beautifully constructed and immaculate. In fact, I actually saw the jump crew wiping down the poles!

Before the class started there were a variety of introductory events. A chorale group sang the National Anthem beautifully, albeit at deafening volume (I had to put a finger in one ear and I wasn't alone. The next day I actually fled to the Ladies Room to escape their performance :-)). Dr. Pearse Lyons, founder of Alltech, gave a little speech (between the WEG and this show the company has done its level best to educate me about just what it is they do, but I profess to willfully ignoring them - sorry!). The President of the NHS, Mason Phelps, also spoke but not about his garish orange pants. And then there was George. Yes, THAT George (Morris), chef d'equipe of the US show jumping team, who talked about the importance of supporting the United States Equestrian Federation. I felt as though I'd done my part since I'd paid the full admission fee of $30, half of which was going to the USEF.

Here's the course map for the GP:

My photo above is taken from in front of Fences #2 and #7a

And here are the entrants. I think that, like me, you will see just a few names you recognize from the showjumping world:

I was psyched! I had expected a bunch of great riders to show up since it was such big money (winner got $77,000), but was elated to find Spooner, Margie, Jessica Springsteen (her dad was there, but I never saw him :-), Farrington, Laura K, Skelton, Lauren H., Charlie Jayne, Brianne Goutal, Minikus, and Rodrigo as the ones I knew of. Oh, and I assumed that Nicholas Dello Joio is the offspring of Norman, who I remember seeing as a kid at the NHS. Nice turn of the wheel! I was especially tickled to see Brianne and Jessica, past Maclay winners, since they are so young and relatively new to the showjumping scene.

This course proved to be a real heartbreaker for a bunch of the riders, especially the final fence, which quickly was dubbed "Unlucky #13" by the announcer. Many a horse navigated the rest of the jumps just fine only to bring down a rail at the last gasp. The triple combination, a traditional slayer of good jumper rounds, also brought its share of woes, and I think that having to gun the horses through that and then immediately take back for the turn to #13 was the cause of trouble at the latter. A lot of the horses looked flat over it.

I took quite a few videos, but unfortunately I discovered that due to their quality (phone records in HD, according to Spousal Tech Support, which makes a difference) it takes a looooong time for them to load on YouTube. Nonetheless, I present for your enjoyment, Richard Spooner's first round ride on Cristallo. I'm extra-glad I caught them because they were the very first pair to go clear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6Ry3-AZzv4
I had heard he was an excellent horseman and seeing him in person did not disprove that. Cristallo appeared to be a happy and well-trained animal; you know it's a good round when they make it look "easy!" Other riders did not demonstrate such good equitation. For example, I really didn't care for the Russian woman's (#97) way of sitting down too early over fences, but the horse persevered and their only fault was for time. Others seemed rougher and not as "at one" with their mounts. On the other hand, the recent Big Eq background definitely showed in the two Maclay girls; both had lovely position in the air.

Here's a nice photo of Jessica taking the Keeneland fence, #1:

Photo by Shawn McMillen

Unfortunately, Brianne Goutal was one of the two fallers in this class. She seemed to struggle a bit throughout and when she and Ralvesther were approaching the triple I knew things weren't looking good. Sure enough, the horse stopped in front of 12c and Brianne came off. But what a graceful exit - it was like she merely stepped down, landing perfectly on her feet with zero drama and still holding the reins. Interestingly, the only other fall, by a US rider named Sarah Tredennick, also came at 12c. She attempted the whole combo again after a refusal. The second time, with another refusal, she fell and landed hard on her back. I was rather dismayed to see her Charles Owen GR8 helmet pop right off her head and roll away. Ugh... for that much money I want the darn thing to at least stay on. She did get right up and she and horse appeared to be okay, so that was good.

As far as the other "name" riders, here's how they fared in Round 1:
- Margie Engle: Went clear on her pretty grey named Indigo :-)
- Kent Farrington: I LOOOOOVED his horse, a stunning dapple grey who was also a gorgeous jumper, so lofty and careful; sadly, they had rails at first and last for 8 faults
- Nicholas Dello Joio: Probably a green horse, 15 faults, but perfect through the triple on second attempt
- Laura Kraut: This pair positively ripped around the arena, and he had his knees up to his eyeballs, but 8 faults
- Nick Skelton: Yet another nice-looking and acting grey who went clear in excellent form
- Lauren Hough: A very hot horse. Lauren sensibly retired after just a couple jumps, having had a bad "sit-down" during a turn
- Charlie Jayne: LOVED this little bay mare (I think), Athena, who reminded me of Touch of Class and did great until #13 - 4 faults
- Todd Minikus: Not their night, 8 faults
- Rodrigo Pessoa: He and Let's Fly had a rail at fence #2, I believe, and then after a few more jumps and another rail, Rodrigo pulled up and exited the ring. I was very disappointed as I'd especially wanted to see him, but I guess he knew what was best for the horse and I certainly admire him for that
-  McLain Ward: CRAZY hot horse (not even going to try and type his name, hah!), 4 faults

Other rounds of note were Paulo Santana of Brazil, riding Taloubet (clearly of the Baloubet line, I would think) and Christine McCrea of the US, riding Avenir. The former horse had an unbelievable kick in his hind end. They only scored four faults but I guarantee I'd be off between his ears over a tiny fence. Unbeknownst to me until this night, Christine was the Individual Gold Medalist at the recent Pan American games (our team also won Gold) on this horse, and I could sure see why: they are a beautiful, beautiful pair. All went well for them until, you guessed it, Unlucky #13. That completely stunk.

Five riders made it back for the jumpoff: Spooner, Margie, Jessica, a guy (!) named Harrie Smolders from the Netherlands, and Skelton. Here's Richard Spooner, not nicknamed the "Master of Faster" for nothing:

Photo by Molly Sorge, Chronicle of the Horse

And here's Nick Skelton, on Carlo 273:

Photo by Molly Sorge, Chronicle of the Horse

In the end, only these two went clear again... but Spooner won by just fractions of a second: 37.97 seconds versus 38.33. Skelton said afterwards he added one stride where he shouldn't have and that made the difference. Jessica had four faults, as did the other two second-round qualifiers, but was fastest of that group so she placed third. She was delighted to keep such good company and her mare seemingly was excited, too, judging by the number of rears she put in during the awards ceremony! :-) I'm sure that $40,000 or so that they won will come in handy for her college tuition (she's at Duke, I was pleased to learn), LOL.

Here's my whole score sheet (the "V" meant I took video, by the way, and I'm going to try and get some more up on YouTube):

Some notes about tack/attire during this event:
- I saw the usual assortment of interesting head gear on these jumpers; mechanical hacks with/without bits, complicated bits, etc. On the other hand, I also saw at least a couple in plain snaffles.
- Spooner appeared for the awards presentation with Cristallo wearing draw reins, of all things. They certainly weren't on during the jumping so I guess he thought he needed more control at that point? I really don't know. All the horses were spooky during the awards, presumably because of the TV lights/cameras, but I thought this tack change quite interesting.
- Some of the riders sported show coats with shiny brass buttons front and back. This amused me because I have a show coat, ca. 1978, with similar buttons, and I thought those had gone the way of the dinosaurs.
- All/most of the riders were wearing navy blue sashes and I never could figure out why. I must need a new prescription because during this event and especially during the Maclay I had a tough time reading numbers, never mind if there was writing on the sashes.

Watching this Grand Prix was terrifically exciting and I was just so darn glad to be there. Certainly our Grand Prix held here in St. Louis is nowhere near the same scale: these were top-notch horses, largely capable of competing at the highest level of the sport. Only a couple horses really demolished the course (23 and 20 faults), and I thought it was tough but fair. I will be looking for some of these at the next Olympics, that's for sure!

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