I think it’s safe to say that our inaugural Rolex Course Walks for a Just World were an unqualified success, and I can’t thank the riders enough, and everyone who joined us, I hope you enjoyed them as much as Leo and I did. Sharon White and Doug Payne got the ball rolling on Friday lunchtime, and we had a great turnout of probably about 60 or 70 people, a large portion of them orange, and huge thanks to Course Walk App who gave away vouchers for their app on each walk, also to Kerrits for the caps, and Nunn-Finer for some lovely goody bags. Before we started, Doug and Sharon did a speedy poll and asked our walkers if they would prefer to do an abbreviated version including the more complicated combinations, or walk the entire course, and the general consensus was to go long, so we set off on the whole course from start to finish. Not quite everyone made it, but my heart swelled watching Doug and Sharon give so generously of their time and expertise, for such a wonderful cause – I’m not sure how I can ever thank them enough, repay them or describe how grateful I am but it’s because of people like them, and Buck and the eventing community as a whole that make our sport so unique.
While both Doug and Sharon’s horses were first-timers at Rolex, as they described them to us, they could not be more different – Sharon and her horse Rafferty’s Rules or Reggie as he’s known in the barns, are an orange flash across the country, and she told us at the beginning that she’d probably let him come out the start box and just gallop at the first fence without helping him too much, to try and settle him down a bit. Doug’s Running Order, he told us laughing, is incredibly spooky, and still has trouble getting over a novice sized log, so he’d probably need strong encouragement to get over the first fence. I think we all appreciated not only of course the excellent insights into how they hoped to ride the course, but their banter, and the obvious mutual respect between both riders.
Buck walked the course for us on Friday afternoon after the last dressage, and we had an even larger turnout including Buck groupies wearing T-Shirts with his own photo on it, some Windurra fans who’d missed Boyd’s walk earlier and quite a large delegation from the Cirencester Royal College of Agriculture who come to Kentucky every year to study the effects of horse business on the economy. At this point, as far as I know, Buck still had every intention of running both his horses and as something of an experienced international veteran of CCI**** events it was interesting to get his perspective on the course. He discussed his usual Saturday morning routine, he’ll ride early then put the horse away, then get on shortly before his time and a little tip which I found interesting, that when he’s getting ready to go at the last minute after his jumps, he’ll have someone lead him around, so that the horse can completely focus on what’s coming, doesn’t have to respond to his hand or leg aids, or concentrate on anything but has a couple of minutes before leaving the box of just total “in the zone” with no distraction. Buck was really fascinating to listen to, a wonderful mixture of witty and self-deprecating anecdotes, with tips and educational hints, and he had the sizable crowd spellbound. At some of the trickier combinations he stressed the need for a partnership with your horse, that your horse has got to help you out, and want to jump, for example the last jump of the coffin if you have a sticky jump in and get discombobulated. At that level, Buck told us, the horses know what skinny jumps are all about, and they should be looking to go between the red and white flags (not the insanity in the middle!), and also, he said, he takes jolly good care of his horses 23 hours a day, this is the one hour he expects them to step up and look after him! There will definitely be times on a four star course, he said, that things won’t go according to plan, and that’s when you and your horse have to count on each other.
Spot the Brits!
It’s easy to see why Buck’s picked as an ambassador for the sport, and for his country so often, he had us all eating out of his hand, and his delightful girlfriend Andrea told me she falls in love with him all over again when she watches him do stuff like this – aaah! If only we had been able to watch him go cross country too, but there will be many more opportunities I’m sure. We were thrilled that Caitlin, a representative from Just World, was able to join us on Friday afternoon for Buck’s walk, and as an eventing newbie, I’m glad to say that she was suitably impressed by Rolex, Buck, the turnout, and the generosity and spirit of eventers. Thank you again to everyone who attended and gave so generously to Just World, I hope you will consider joining us again next year, or by all means helping them out before then if you’re so inclined! Thank you again of course to Doug, Sharon and Buck, thank you for reading, and Go Eventing!
