Marilyn Wore Pretty Sensible Heels and Other Notes From the Bromont Jog

Practically Pony Club approved! Photo by Leslie Wylie.

When it comes to eventing jog footwear, Marilyn Little is kind of an American hero.

She’s a pioneer who, in her interminable quest to find the balance between fashion and function, isn’t afraid of a little trial and error. Wearing heels while dragging a 1,200-pound kite down the jog strip isn’t always easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a conquest worth pursuing. And this weekend at Bromont, girl may have just discovered the golden stiletto.

Chunky heels. Why haven’t more riders caught on to these things? They’re loads sturdier than the flimsy ballet flats that seem to be the trend…

This makes me so nervous. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

…and if your horse starts losing its marbles and skittering sideways, you can just dig your heels into the ground and keep jogging with a smile on your face. They are, truly, the road studs of the human footwear world.

“Are you jogging sideways? Sorry… didn’t notice.” Photo by Leslie Wylie.

"Oh you want to bump into me? Just try that." Photo by Leslie Wylie.

“Oh, you want to bump into me? Knock yourself out.” Photo by Leslie Wylie.

In fact, I’m just going to go ahead and call it: I think Marilyn was the best dressed kite-jogger out there today. I like that she refused to buy into the spring sundress hype — let’s be real: that Canadian breeze was nippy, y’all! — and instead was like, “You do you but Imma stick with my turtleneck and tweed.” (If you want her look, and why wouldn’t you, it’s the Dubarry Blackthorn 3/4 Length Tweed Coat.) The aviator shades were a cool touch.

Go Marilyn. #winning

Marilyn Little & RF Demeter. Photo by Leslie Wylie.

Anyway, back to the jog, that nail-biting crucible that determines whether you actually even get to compete in the three-day you trained for years and paid hundreds of dollars to enter.

A synopsis:

All 21 CCI3* horses passed. Peter Barry’s Kilrodan Abbot was held but passed upon re-inspection.

Five of the 34 CCI2* horses were held. One, Ariel Grald’s LBF Oleagh’s Image, was unfortunately spun upon re-inspection.

There were a few re-jog requests in the CCI1* but all passed on the second go.

CCI3* Photo Gallery: