Celebrity Sighting! Photo by Shelby Allen.
Pinch me! I can’t believe we are actually on site at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Thursday dressage is Rolex Stadium is normally quiet as spectators trickle in, but today was a different kind of eerie white noise. Without the massive VIP and rider tents nearby, the surroundings of the area look bare, too, leaving us with flashbacks of when this event had grass seating.
We’ve been pleased to see the Kentucky Horse Park and this event go above and beyond in managing strict COVID-19 policies. Our numbers are limited in the media center, and we sit between panes of plexiglass to work. Temperature checks are required and they have staff members dedicated to doing random checks to see if folks have the appropriate armbands indicating they’ve been screened before entry. It’s a weird year, but as always, our eventing nation is taking the requirements seriously.
There’s three of us on site this weekend, which is an absolute treat compared to the last time I was here as the lead reporter in 2019 going solo. I had a hell of a team working remotely to keep me afloat, and we do again this year, but these events are always more fun with friends (even if we sit six feet apart).
That said, there’s still one person who isn’t with us this year. Press Officer Marty Bauman gave tribute to Ann Haller before this afternoon’s press conference, and I realized I have never been here in Kentucky without her. Growing up riding with her, I came to Kentucky in 2009 at her suggestion as a bright-eyed spectator and then spent many years interning for her and Marty in the Media Center. While coming to events like this fills my heart with joy, realizing she won’t be here rips the scab off the slow-healing wound of my grief. Last week, we memorialized Ann locally at the farm where I met her, in the cross country field that Roger Haller designed. Their memorial stays nestled in a shady spot with a great view. Be like Ann.
Sara Kozumplik Murphy and Rubens D’Ysieux. Photo by Shelby Allen.
I feel very grateful to be here, and I have to credit Sara Kozumplik Murphy for that. She spearheaded the fundraising effort, with the help of many, many others, to keep this event alive, so it was an extra special treat to watch her have a lovely test with the dreamy Rubens D’Ysieux in the CCI4*-S. Thank you, Sara!
That gratitude permeated my entire day. I didn’t complain (as much) about being cold, and I felt like I soaked in more of each test as a more active viewer. That let me appreciate tiny details that I might have missed before, like seeing the tiny, quick pat that Jonelle Price gave Grappa Nera after a trot lengthening.
As usual, it’s a pleasure to photograph these incredible athletes, and I look forward to doing it again tomorrow. Can someone beat Marilyn’s bomb 21.7? Spoiler alert: statistically, there is/are one(s) who can. To find out who, crack open our Ultimate Guide:
