Photocred: Drew Windhorst
From Chelan:
So I realized that I had not yet commented on my Canadian buddies in the dressage. Yesterday Selena and Columbo went and I think they got a little robbed. I imagine Jessica, Hawley, and Rebecca each hoped to have scores a little lower than they did. Steph had the test of her young life (44.2) and I had a lump in my throat. Go Ollie, go Steph. Kyle had a disappointing day, enough said.
The blood in the mouth issue is a bit ridiculous as far as I’m concerned. How absurdly heart breaking. I do believe that horse welfare is of paramount importance and I myself try to walk that walk as well as talk that talk. However, could there not be a way to incorporate common sense here? I won’t waste a whole lot of time on the topic because the FEI won’t let us give our equine athletes any aspirin after cross country. So asking them to consider a horse being allowed to continue during competition after sustaining a vicious hangnail, oops, I mean biting his tongue, is unlikely to happen.
The video of Edward and Totilas winning the Grand Prix Freestyle Friday night is already online
The freestyle tonight was pretty fantastic. I was excited to get tickets at the last minute. I won’t go into my thoughts about who should have won and whether Totilas really earned his score of 91%, because I know not what I speak. Anyhow, a definite highlight was getting out of the parking lot with Dorothy Crowell at the wheel. For those not there, imagine if you will 25,000 people on a post dressage high trying to get out of the parking area that funnels down to ONE lane out on to Iron Works Pike. So after sitting completely immobile for a period, cheered on by her passengers, Dorothy decided to make like a Formula One driver and got us out of there in record time. Driving in busy traffic is a little like riding cross country, except we didn’t walk the course! Fortunately, Kentucky’s finest were otherwise engaged and failed to notice one of our passengers leaping out of the van and moving cones in the middle of the road so we could turn left.
Speaking of walk the course, I met up with my buddy Bruce Mandeville and spent considerable time during the dressage break today enjoying the Veuve Clicquot tent. Then we walked the course again. It’s hard to express exactly how excited I am for tomorrow. I still wish I was riding, but clearly that is not happening so the next best thing is to be ridiculously excited about my fellow Canadians XC. They may have had some hiccups Thursday and Friday, but they will wipe the floor with that course Saturday. That is my feeling. They want it, and they will go get it!!
The attached photo is from the men’s loo in the main stadium. And, no John did not mess up and accidentally post a photo from ha ha horses. Don’t ask how I got this photo. I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. Let’s just say Mexico has their game face on.
