Here we go again! #foreverjung
Photo by Julia Rau
One of my my favorite parts of the whole week at Rolex Kentucky was looking up at the jumbotron in the Rolex Arena moments after Michael Jung had won the event on his first attempt, to see a live clip of the victor making a long distance phone call to share the news, grinning from ear to ear as he struggled to hear the line over the din of the crowd. My other favorite is seeing him absolutely beaming as he looked adoringly upon his new watch and to continue seeking sparkling glimpses of it throughout the awards ceremony. Can you blame him?
As I type this, I’m sitting in the passenger seat on the drive home from an absolutely incredible five days in Kentucky. I feel fortunate to have shared that experience with thousands of other eventing fans, horse lovers and mesmerized spectators. What fun we had!
#RK3DE: Website, Final Scores,EN’s Coverage, Twitter, Instagram
U.S. Weekend Action:
University of New Hampshire Spring H.T. [Results]
Loudoun Hunt Pony Club H.T. [Results]
Fresno County Horse Park H.T. [Results]
Monday News and Notes:
Badminton is next. Rolex may be over, but the excitement is not, as the second of six four-stars in the world is coming up this very week in England. Cross country course designer Giuseppe Della Chiesa gave the Badminton course a major overhaul. What else is there to know about him? Like how he takes his coffee and his favorite kind of car? [16 Things You Need to Know]
Reign of the rookies. This was the year of the rookie at Rolex Kentucky. Our rookies, which we got to know well in our annual Rolex Rookies series, made us all so proud we could burst. Just making it to a four star is an accomplishment – to finish on your first attempt is a truly incredible feat. Our friends at the Chronicle asked a few of these rookies what it feels like to finish. [What does it feel like to finish your first four-star?]
Brits at Ballindenisk. Keeping one eye across the pond on WFP, Nicola Wilson and the other Brits competing at Rolex, the British team had a successful weekend at the Ballindenisk CICO3* Nations Cup with new stars on the roster. [Weekend of Success for British Riders]
Open letter to the FEI. Earlier this month the FEI released a list of proposals to alter the sport of eventing, from scoring and team competition changes to changing the name to equestrathon. Riders around the world have since been sharing their opinions, and Bruce Haskell of the Event Riders Association has penned an open letter with supporting documents in response to the proposals, which will be discussed at the FEI Sports Forums later this week. [ERA Response Statement to FEI 2015 Sports Forum]
UK Equine Studies celebrate. University of Kentucky Equine Studies students will receive their diplomas in 2 weeks, but their graduation day is a momentous occasion for an additional reason. Ideally situated in the heart of the horse capital of the world, the UK Ag Equine Programs celebrates its 10 year anniversary. [UK Ag Equine Programs Celebrates 10 Years]
Surprise! And for a sweet dose of Rolex-unrelated aww, a guard donkey named Jenny unexpectedly gave birth to a foal at the University of Rhode Island’s Peckham Farm. Those ears! [Jenny the donkey delivers a surprise package]
Monday Video: Here’s a look back at Michael’s brilliant round with Fischerrocana yesterday.
