One thing that caught me by surprise is that there are literally thousands of horses competing at the Kentucky Horse Park this weekend. The KHP is simultaneously hosting Young Riders and several other competitions, including what one organizer said is the largest KHP hunter/jumper show in his memory. Even with all of the old barns and the new barns (built for the WEGs), the Horse Park had to put up tent stabling to accommodate all of the horses. When I walked past Frank Madden’s stalls and saw a 40′ x 20′ living area with two paintings, a huge mirror, an ornate wooden table, and several very comfortable looking chairs, I thought to myself: that’s a whole different World, but I like ours better.
The purpose of holding several big events simultaneously is presumably to prepare the Horse Park for the WEGs, and it seemed to me that the Horse Park personnel did a great job keeping things organized today–it never felt crowded. The WEG influences could clearly be seen at the Young Riders competition, including the use of photo barn passes, and the terrific veterinary team led by Chris Newton, who is a WEG head vet and EN favorite.
EN Videos:
As a brief aside, one very well respected person that I spoke with said that horse sales do not seem to be improving, but that lessons and leases have increased recently. The most likely explanation for these circumstances is that people do not want to spend the money to buy a new horse, but are instead investing in improving the one they have or leasing a different one. Either way, it’s still a very tough market out there. If you have been trying to sell a horse or are looking to buy one, don’t forget to check out www.sporthorsenation.com. We have multiple repeat customers posting classifieds, which I interpret as a sign that they got a positive response from their first classified.
Several jump safety devices were being used today, including frangible pins, and the above Prolog, which was the first element of the bounce into the intermediate water. From what I heard, one Prolog broke today.
We’ll have more on this early next week, but the WEG cross-country course is already well under construction and it looks superb. The 4* galloping paths are already roped off and the footing is already being groomed to be perfect for October.
Love to see the Ecogold pad–you know that saddle didn’t slip, and the pad is bomb proof
I heard about one rotational fall, but the on-scene paramedic told me that the horse and rider were both fine. The rider was wearing a Point-Two, and, without prompting, the paramedic said “thank God for those air vests, I thought they were a sham at first but I saw them at Rolex and here and they are saving lives.” Go eventing.
