Pine Top Horse Trials Recap

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Sunday Morning in Thomson, Georgia dawned brisk and nippy, and, despite a layer of thermal underwear, gloves and a hat, the only remaining option to warm up seemed to be to march around the training course before the prelim horses set off at 9am.  There was a decent frost in the grass, but this didn’t deter Dana Ernyei from walking her prelim course again; she was just finishing as I headed to the start, and not only that, but she obviously reaped bountiful EN karma because she admitted to loving the site, and talked to me ON CAMERA, and then, I can now reveal, proceeded to finish 3rd in her horse’s first event at this level – Well done, both of you, and thanks for talking to EventingNation!

The training course, like the prelim, and from what I could see of the lower levels, is straight forward, bold and inviting, and I was aching to ride around them, cold be damned! About three quarters of the way around, I had another stroke of luck–I bumped into owner and lower level course designer Glenn Wilson, who took a couple of minutes off work to chat briefly.

The facility is breath-taking. Glenn, his wife Janet, the organizer, who I met later, and their brand new daughter-in-law, Virginia Betleyoun Wilson, are the walking advertisements for Southern Hospitality. I immediately felt a little warmer.

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A little later, the prelim horses were warming up and you couldn’t have dreamed of a more stunning setting. The tall trees with autumn foliage, blue skies, crisp leaves, and the lake in the background along with the sound of galloping horses, the slight steam of their body heat, the nerves as they waited their start time, anxious grooms and loved ones watching one-legged like flamingoes–it was a magical morning to be sure.  The Prelim ran like clockwork; it actually started a tiny bit early. As expected, the Open Prelim rode well, with the Prelim Riders finding the course slightly more troublesome but with only two riders from each section not completing. I did manage to get some footage from around the course, it’s certainly not Buzzterbrown but you’ll get a rough idea.

I can highly recommend PIne Top Thanksgiving Horse Trials for it’s atmosphere and it’s location, whether, as Glenn said you want to extend your season a tiny bit longer, or maybe because you’re chasing points, or perhaps it has become a holiday tradition or should be, or perhaps perhaps you’re escaping one – there must surely be a reason to put it on your calendar for next year, and don’t be too surprised if you see my name on the competitors list!  Thank you to Pine Top, and all the crew, volunteers and competitors. Go Georgia, Go War Eagles, (lovely to know I can still learn a new thing every day, even at my ripe old age!) and Go Eventing!
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