A World of Horses

     I was especially lucky this year to be able to go to the RolexThree Day Event in Lexington, Kentucky for my birthday!

     It was really quite an adventure we undertook to go see this event. Firstly, our hotel wasn't all that great (besides being surrounded by sprawling horse farms,) and we ended up "roughin' it" for the first day or two. That meant trying not to get lost on highway, trying not to spend too much money, and trying to figure out why that bathroom smelled burnt.

       Secondly, we truly didn't know what to expect on our first day at the Kentucky Horse Park. We must have walked at least 50 miles rushing around trying to see all of the horse shows and exploring the stables and museums.  Still, at the end of the day, we felt that we had managed pretty well----for tenderfoots. Clara and I had been able to watch a good 3 hours of the dressage anyways, getting badly sunburned in the process:) We absolutely loved seeing such beautiful horses.

     For our second day at the Rolex, we were much better prepared, having examined the map and carefully decided which events to go to.

       One of the demonstrations we attended was performed entirely on Friesians. There were 4 of them pulling a wagon, one of them being ridden in dressage, and another in training for harness. Remind me to get one (or two) of these magnificent creatures when I grow up.

     Also, the five of us were able to see a presentation called "Hall of Champions" where in a large gazebo, famous retired racehorses were paraded about for the audience. Among these horses were Be a Bono, Funny Cide, Cigar, and Da Hoss.

      Cross Country was next on our list. We managed to find a nice shady spot to sit on the grass and eat our lunch as the horses went by. Cabe and Dad became our professional photographers and only got about---300 pictures, while Clara, Mom and I were the cheering squad.

    The picture on the bottom is of William Fox-Pitt who actually ended up winning the Rolex this year.

      Our AMAZING trip concluded with the World Championship Freestyle Reining Competition. There were only about 12 competitors but they were all absolutely wonderful! (Much to our dismay, Stacy Westfall was unable to compete in this event due to a minor injury her horse had.)

      It was a great way to end our adventure---but I plan on going next year if at all possible! 

                                  

      I would like to thank both Cabe and Dad for providing pics for this post!