I'm back with lots of excitement to post about. We got home last night from Kentucky and the FEI World Equestrian Games, the biggest equestrian event of the year. I doubt I'll ever see the Olympics or go to Europe for any other World Games, so this was my one chance to experience that kind of craziness.
And I had a crazy good time! We went mainly for the driving competition--strictly for four-in-hand teams, driven in dressage, marathon and cones phases. My driving trainer, Bill Long, was there with his team of gorgeous Gelderlanders. The best drivers in the whole world were there, including Chester Weber, whom I've mentioned before. The US took the team silver, which was wonderful, and Tucker Johnson from the US took the silver individual medal. I was pretty thrilled that Australia took the team gold. After seeing the Aussie driver Boyd Exell's dressage test, I knew he would win. Such precision, control and grace! Something to aim for with my own horses.
The slideshow shows some of the pictures on my camera. I'll load in more from another camera, too. My camera's not all that terrific--doesn't do good closeups. But you get an idea.
We watched the last round of stadium jumping, which was a thrill. And we took in some of the other demonstrations, including Roman riding. I'm still wondering if the Romans had lame' costumes for their horses. And did the riders wear black sunglasses?
We visited the International Museum of the Horse, which I've talked about before, and it was fabulous. After our visit, I suspect the sequins the Belgian horses wore last weekend would have been gold or brass ornaments dangling from a Roman harness. Heavy, but very impressive. The Belgians probably appreciated silver cloth, instead, because it was quite warm at the Games--cloudless skies all day long and temperatures in the 80s. We walked what seemed to be miles and miles, but somehow managed to eat enough so we didn't lose any weight.
Today is about getting back into the routine with our own herd, and it's time to go for a ride. Seeing a spectacle like the World Equestrian Games inspires you to reach higher for your own horses and for yourself, trying to be the best your ability allows. I may not control a 4-horse team, but TBone and I can go for a nice, invigorating drive on a gorgeous October day.
Cheryl, who's glad to be home
