From Hannah:

Just talking about Rolex gets me excited, I can smell the fresh Kentucky air that I grew up on, see the bluegrass (it’s really blue), and taste the funnel cakes…yes, funnel cakes are probably what sticks out in my mind most when I think of Rolex. When you’re as obsessed about food as I am, it is always the first thing on your mind! So make sure to check out all the wonderful food vendors in between shopping, and of course watching!

 

 Lindsey Rairden, a Kentucky native, says she looks forward to the brisk Kentucky mornings and watching the first horse on cross-country breathe steam as it gallops around the course. “Another favorite Kentucky pastime is anxiously awaiting and then finally observing what flamboyant fashion statement Christian ‘Red Pants’ Landholt will make.”

 One of the biggest hometown heroes and many-time competitor at Rolex Kentucky, Cathy Wiescchoff, says her most memorable part of Kentucky are the crowds on cross-country day and how supportive they are as we are jumping around!

 Joni Morris, USEF Communication Director, High Performance and Event Director for the NAJYRC says, “My favorite thing about Rolex Kentucky is that is an annual pilgrimage for so many people: Riders, grooms, horses, dogs, fans, staff and volunteers – I see the same faces and friends year after year at the event. It is that sense of camaraderie that makes it special. There are people that I only see once a year, but I can count on the fact that I will see them at Rolex. It is always a culmination of so much work – and something that is on everyone’s calendar every year. Watching horses grow up and evolve to be CCI4* horses and then prove themselves at the Kentucky Horse Park is one of my very favorite parts of the event. When I groomed, seeing them come across the finish line was always the best part.”

 Liz Millikin, who competed her horses Samson and Decision Time all through the 90’s, “Rolex is always like coming home for me, as I lived there for a couple of years working with race horses. The crowds are the best and it runs like a well oiled machine! It is such a rush galloping down through the crowds. We are so blessed for the Kentucky Horse Park! The adrenaline starts pumping when you pull into the entrance and there is white fencing as far as the eye can see!”

 Matt Fine, Equestrian Events Inc. Board Member says the best thing about Rolex is the atmosphere. “I believe few other equestrian competitions can boast the variety and commitment of the Kentucky Rolex Three Day Event’s crowd. From decade long volunteers to first time ticket holders, the excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd is truly remarkable and a priveledge to be a part of every year.”

 

 Emma Ford, head groom for Phillip Dutton since August 2005 writes, “My favorite thing…first is probably the fact that I have a chance to socialize much more at Rolex due normally having only 2 horses as opposed to the general 5-7! The food would be second…the grooms get fed well at the hospitality tent by the stables. Also the coffee on tap in the stabling office…a must have for me!!”

I feel really blessed that I have been able to experience Rolex as a competitor, but I think a big part of what makes Rolex so special isn’t even the competition in itself. It’s the thousands of people who experience it in a variety of ways–from the grooms behind the scenes, to the directors, organizers, officials, and spectators. Each person has a different role but we all unite for that one weekend under a common bond of love and appreciation for the horse. We’re less than a week out now, and I can’t wait!!!

– HSB

From Hannah:
 
Growing up in Kentucky, there are few things I look forward to more than Rolex every year. Now that the Fork is over and Nike is fit and happy, I can actually allow myself to realize that we are headed to Kentucky in less than two weeks! At this point, it’s slightly overwhelming but through the next ten days I will hopefully get used to the idea.

The Fork went pretty well, Nike, William, and Galactic went well on the flat. Nike was ready to put in a very good test and I got a bit nervous and froze instead of showing him off. I had a few technical errors on William but overall, he had a steady test. Galactic had a better test than last time and show jumped very impressively. He has really stepped up and I’m excited to see who he’s going to be. All three were great cross-country thanks to my new Devoucoux Chiberta cross-country saddle. William felt like he could have jumped around the Advanced, and I had to actively make sure I jumped the jumps with the red flags instead of the blue! Nike was very confident and it was a great run before….the next run. 🙂

Show jumping was a bit of a downer on William, I rode him a bit backward and with the turny course it caught up with me. We had one rail and one time penalty and moved down to third place. Frustrating but it only makes me more determined to give him a better ride next time. Nike jumped great and because I was a little frazzled about making sure I didn’t go off course like I did at red hills, my head got quick and I didn’t take my time enough around one of the turns to a vertical and we had it down. All things I can work on and sort out. We’re off to Ocala horse trials this weekend, with Nike in the Advanced combined test and some young horses in the lower levels. So exited for Lauren who is also back to competing with only 6 (!) over the weekend!

Thanks to my mom for helping me so much and keeping my horses beautifully turned out at Red Hills and the Fork. I also want to thank John for the entertainment after show jumping with the dirt bike stunt 😉 Can’t wait to see everyone at Kentucky! Until then I’ll be practicing my 5-loop canter serpentines! -HSB

From Hannah:

The last few weeks were supposed to be a time for me to practice, settle down, and take a couple weekends off of high-pressure competition, and prepare mentally for The Fork and …the three-day that comes after The Fork.  I was really looking forward to this time and it seems to have passed me by without really being able to check those things off my list. I did get some practice: Ocala Horse Park had a nice schooling show where I got to ride Nike in my borrowed shadbelly (thanks Lindsey!) and practice not running away from the tails in the 90 degree weather, while also getting some sideways glances from the other competitors who were told to “not wear a coat.” Good times! In all seriousness, it was good practice and I also took Galactic who gained a lot of confidence from the experience.
 

    I’m not really sure I mastered the settling down part. With everyone away at Poplar and then David off to teach the California-Canadians for a week, I haven’t had a whole lot of the supervision that I like at this stage of the season. I had a tough lesson on Monday with David and I hadn’t realized how much I strayed from my original plan of keeping my cool, using my body instead of my spur, and not using my hands. I also picked up a very annoying habit of staring at my horse’s heads. Grrrrr!!! Although it was deflating and irritating, I definitely have benefited from the lesson and then dissecting it every day since.
 

    I had a lesson with Mark on Wednesday afternoon here at The Fork and he was happy with how Nike was going and encouraged me to keep working him really through and then raising his pole so his ears were on top. David watched my lesson which always makes me feel more confident. Even when he’s hard on me I know he’s on my side and believes in me, which can really make a big difference in the way I ride. If you know someone stands behind you whether you win or fall off trying, you take more chances and ride with guts.

    Even though I’ve been struggling to find that confidence and groove this spring, I feel like I’m getting closer through the mistakes. I hate feeling like I’m not progressing, so often times I push too far, just to feel a difference. The day to day progression and patience in the process is the hardest thing for me to accept and practice. It can’t always be perfect, or hardly ever for that matter. I’m trying to focus on much smaller goals right now, such as: riding with my core and thigh instead of my lower leg, looking where I’m going (can we say, first riding lesson?), and not immediately getting angry when there’s a mistake.
 

    I have Nike, William and Galactic at The Fork this weekend and I’ll be working on achieving my small goals instead of going for big wins. 

Until next time, I’ll be taking deep breaths….

-HSB

—-

Although I would rather move on from the majority of my performance at Red Hills last weekend, I think it’s a good exercise to write it out in a somewhat organized manner. Eventing, and horses in general, have a way of humbling us. I really thought I was ready to have a great weekend on Nike (St. Barths). Things started unraveling when, for some unknown reason, my shadbelly tails started bouncing and basically beating Nike behind the saddle. I have worn these tails for the last 5 years and they have never done this. Obviously Nike didn’t appreciate the extra encouragement from my coat. We unsuccessfully tried to safety pin them to my saddle pad, which didn’t work and then they were flying around with open pins (a bit scary). I eventually cantered back to the barn and grabbed Karen’s hunt coat but by then they were announcing me to go into the arena. I had to canter all the way back and straight into the ring with an extremely frazzled and he would tell you abused red head. So our test was less than stellar. I’m proud of him that he held it together in those circumstances and stayed in the ring. He could have been a lot worse. Still, a 60 in the Dressage was not what I was looking for. 

Harbour Pilot was fantastic all weekend. Mr. Consistency. He put in a good test (even with the beatings of my tails) and jumped around the biggest and toughest course he has ever seen like a champ. Nike had a great run around cross-country also. He was very good technically and felt great over the galloping fences. He gives me such a cool feeling; he’s completely fearless and quick on his feet. My new ride, Galactic also had a great weekend. He was more confident on the flat and jumped around the twisty Preliminary with his eyes closed. We’ve been working on his show jumping and he jumped a clear round so I am psyched about him. I rode the Preliminary show jumping just before the 3* and the course was different. 

It’s slightly humbling to write this, but I don’t have a ton of experience with multiple upper-level horses at the same event. I also have always had a very good memory when it comes to dressage tests/show jumping courses. It’s something I’ve done since I was 4 years old so I had always been a bit over-confident about it. Not anymore!! Nike warmed up great, but I cantered right by number 3 (just like we did for the preliminary) and jumped 4&5. So my weekend on him ended a bit too quickly. Luckily, Nike thinks he was just such a super star that he only had to jump 4 fences in the show jumping!! He was very proud of himself and he should be.  I took a lot of time memorizing the 2* course after that mishap. I will take learning the courses more seriously from now on. David also suggested to canter into the ring and halt, look around at the whole course and then pick up the canter and start instead of just going right away. That gives you just a minute to collect your thoughts and see all the jumps before starting. I took his advice on William and had one of the best show jumping rounds of my career. I love that the horse can be perfect in show jumping, unlike cross country where you more than likely will have one bad jump or a stumble or something wrong with the course. William finished 3rd in his first CIC** and I couldn’t be prouder of all of my horses. 

I’m staying home Poplar/Southern Pines weekend to give my horses a break and be mentally fresh for the Fork. Until then–I’ll be practicing memorizing show jumping courses!! 

~HSB

 

From Steph: