UGH can’t wait!! Photo via Fair Hill International FB.
Number one unsurprising fact of Fair Hill week? It’s already raining! At this point, I think it’s pretty safe to assume that Mother Nature has a look at the USEA calendar every year, and schedules about 5-10 days of straight up rain the accompany Fair Hill International. While the jogs were more than a little eventful, and some hopes were dashed in the fashion department, everybody looked very dapper. The anticipation for the start of the weekend is palpable!
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West coast riders are taking over!! Here we have Cecily Brown, Super Socks BCF, Matt Brown, In It To Win It, Avery Klunick and Shannon Klunick. Also, I know Matt Brown’s ensemble looks lavender in it’s entirety, but it’s just a trick of the light. Only the tie is purple!
Photo via USEF High Performance FB.
Jimmie Schramm from Evention is competing her own TB gelding Bellamy in the CCI3*. They look a little chilly, but very happy! Bellamy was accepted and competes on Friday at 11:30 a.m. From Jimmie: “Fantastic jog day! Missed the rain and Bellamy was a good boy! First phase complete!!!”
Photo via Jimmie Schramm’s FB.
Kurt Martin has Anna Bella in the CCI3* this weekend, and Deluxe Z in the CCI2*. Here he is posing with his best lady (Anna Bella, obviously!) and James Daniel, aka Devoucoux rep to the stars. Anna Bella goes at 1:52 p.m. on Friday.
Photo via Kurt Martin Eventing FB.
Lauren Ferguson is competing her very white horse Mainways Dry Ice, or “Dice”, in their first CCI3* this weekend. From her groom Jackie: “Such a privilege to be grooming for such and an amazing pair, and to make it even better, at the end of dices jog out, the announcer said “and this is the cleanest horse in the event”, glad someone recognizes my hard work getting an all white horse clean in the mud :)”
Mainways Dry Ice & groom Jackie LeMastus. Photo via Jackie LeMastus’ FB.
For anybody who isn’t familiar with Fair Hill and it’s funny little quirks, here’s a classic. You have to walk yourself and your horse through a metal tunnel….under a road that has cars driving on it. Every day! In order to get from the stabling to the competition area, your horse has to brave the “tunnel of death” as many horse calls it. Plain Dealing Farm’s “Colin” is getting used to it now, ready for his first CCI2* with Lucia Strini in the irons.
Photo via Plain Dealing Farm FB.
While we are all over here getting rained on at Fair Hill, Le Lion d’Angers young horse championships are going on in France. Can we just talk about how freakin’ awesome these cross country jumps are?? Woah, man, I totally want to jump a musical instrument like that!
Photo via Simon Grieve’s FB.
Photo via Simon Grieve’s FB.
Allie Knowles has two rides this weekend, The Dark Mark in the CCI2* and Sound Prospect in the CCI3*. Here she is with The Dark Mark sharing a moment of silliness before the jogs. They compete tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
Photo via Jennifer Smith’s FB.
Everyone is getting a little bit of last minute schooling in before dressage begins, and Jon Holling is no different. He’s getting tips from a gold medalist! Leslie Law explains the finer points of dressage to Jon and Zatopek B yesterday before all the rain.
Photo via Fair Hill International FB.
Fashion statements aren’t just for riders and their only set of non-riding clothes fancy outfits, but also for horses. Pimp your bling!
Bug likes his pirate brow band. Photo via Jessica Bortner-Harris’ FB.
Did I mention the tunnel of death? Yeah, hope your horse isn’t incredibly tall, because you are going to be ducking a lot!
Photo via Fair Hill International FB.
