Washington International!
On the rare (and I mean rare) occasion that I go to watch an A/AA show, I like to remind myself that no matter how expensive and talented those horses are and no matter how much precise care they receive because of that cost and skill, there is still a small number of them that poop in their water bucket. Or, as I saw last night, there's a small number who fart over every fence in the Grand Prix.
Yes, that actually happened. One of the horses in the Presiden't Cup farted over every single fence except one, and the one fence that it didn't fart over was the one where it had a rail.
Callan Solem had the best ride out there and came very close to the win. Only .11 seconds separated her and the winner. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
And it all would have been just a little bit more amazing had the girls behind me kept their commentary at a lower decibel. Not only were they loud, but they were constantly complaining about the equitation (read: LOWER LEGS) of upper level riders. Allow me to rant for a moment. I am American, and like many American riders, I have been educated on and encouraged to compete in equitation. It's a very American thing, and it's not bad, it's just what we do differently from other countries. I fully understand that what we consider "proper equitation" puts the rider in a balanced position over their horse and allows them to communicate effectively. I whole heartedly agree that riders should start in equitation because I believe that it teaches invaluable skills with lower risk (slower speed, bruh). That being said, if a rider is making it over 4'0"+ fences in a manner that is effective and not detrimental to the horse, then I am going to kindly ask you to shut your trap. Every rider has a style. Find yours, stick with it, and don't complain about others'.
And as an aside, if you're going to complain, in an equally loquacious voice, about a girl you know for riding western, you have 0 business complaining about any other rider on any grounds. Fix your attitude before it comes back to bite you.
Back to a happy note, I did exchange money for goods and/or services. I'd like to formally apologize to the woman running the Equiline box. I did not mean to make awkward conversation with you. I was just trying to look at stirrups. The vendors were pretty good, and there was a PRI booth. I absolutely had to go; there's no way you can pass up PRI. Baby pads were only $12, but there was also a 2 for $22 deal. Alliteration is my weakness. I got pastels. I couldn't resist.
Music is gonna look like a million bucks in these babies (which is not bad considering that the initial cost was only $22, how's that for return on investment?).
Yes, that actually happened. One of the horses in the Presiden't Cup farted over every single fence except one, and the one fence that it didn't fart over was the one where it had a rail.
Callan Solem had the best ride out there and came very close to the win. Only .11 seconds separated her and the winner. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
And it all would have been just a little bit more amazing had the girls behind me kept their commentary at a lower decibel. Not only were they loud, but they were constantly complaining about the equitation (read: LOWER LEGS) of upper level riders. Allow me to rant for a moment. I am American, and like many American riders, I have been educated on and encouraged to compete in equitation. It's a very American thing, and it's not bad, it's just what we do differently from other countries. I fully understand that what we consider "proper equitation" puts the rider in a balanced position over their horse and allows them to communicate effectively. I whole heartedly agree that riders should start in equitation because I believe that it teaches invaluable skills with lower risk (slower speed, bruh). That being said, if a rider is making it over 4'0"+ fences in a manner that is effective and not detrimental to the horse, then I am going to kindly ask you to shut your trap. Every rider has a style. Find yours, stick with it, and don't complain about others'.
And as an aside, if you're going to complain, in an equally loquacious voice, about a girl you know for riding western, you have 0 business complaining about any other rider on any grounds. Fix your attitude before it comes back to bite you.
Back to a happy note, I did exchange money for goods and/or services. I'd like to formally apologize to the woman running the Equiline box. I did not mean to make awkward conversation with you. I was just trying to look at stirrups. The vendors were pretty good, and there was a PRI booth. I absolutely had to go; there's no way you can pass up PRI. Baby pads were only $12, but there was also a 2 for $22 deal. Alliteration is my weakness. I got pastels. I couldn't resist.
Music is gonna look like a million bucks in these babies (which is not bad considering that the initial cost was only $22, how's that for return on investment?).
lol @ the farting horse! also funny about all the spectator commentary...
ReplyDeleteI'm convinced that tooting gives them that extra thrust to get over the fence.
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