Wednesday, April 26 - First Horse Inspection
Wednesday, April 26 - First Horse Inspection
Apr 26th, 06
First Horse Inspection - Wednesday, April 26 This past Monday, while flying into Lexington’s Bluegrass airport, I managed to relinquish the white-knuckled death-grip I had on my armrest (and the poor soul next to me. I’m no fan of small planes) to lift the window shade, and once again marvel at the beauty that is Kentucky. Instead of the ubiquitous skyscrapers, urban sprawl, and congested freeways, an aerial view of Lexington revels nothing but open land, dotted with horse farm after horse farm; in the midst of these farms is the Kentucky Horse Park, the site of our nation’s only Four Star three-day event. I am fortunate (small planes aside) to arrive a few days early, and catch a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the effort involved in producing a three-day event of Rolex’s magnitude. The work involved in erecting the enormous tents for the trade fair (where I plan to lower my credit score another 100 points), the coordination, and technical know-how of setting up the media tent, with its miles of T-1, DSL, and electrical cables is mind-boggling. The creativity, whimsy, and brilliant construction that go into the cross-county course always amazes me, as do Janie Atkinson, and her team; they could give lessons on organization, and administration skills. The “official” kick-off to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is Wednesday’s veterinary horse inspection. Here, each horse must be presented to the Ground Jury and panel of veterinarians to ensure that it is fit, and sound enough to compete in the rigors of Rolex. This year’s Ground Jury is comprised of Mrs. Angela Tucker (GBR), President, Mr. Martin Plewa (GER), and Mr. Brian Ross (USA). The Technical Delegate is Mr. Andrew D.S. Griffiths (GBR), and the Veterinary Delegate is Dr. Catherine W. Kohn (USA). The first to present their horses today were the riders from the foreign countries: Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) was the first to trot-up with Mr. Keith Scott’s Coup de Couer, then William immediately followed with his second entry, David and Margie Hall, and Jeremy and Judith Skinner’s Mr. Dumbledore. All 58 horses presented to the Ground Jury were accepted, except Mr. Don J. Good’s Roundabout, ridden by Canadian Penny Rowland. There was, however, a nervous moment for riders Cathy Wieschhoff and Team Ocotillo LLC Wieschhoff’s Ocotillo (USA), and Kai Ruder (GER) and Christine Strube’s Edward 16. Both horses were held for re-inspection, but were accepted after being re-presented. Special kudos should go to Kristen Bond (USA) who managed to jog her horse Blackout, in a skirt, and high-heels. Tomorrow’s dressage will begin at 9:00 AM with the test ride performed by Christine Lies, aboard Sir Edgar. The first horse in competition will be Buck Davidson (USA) riding Wendy Lewis’ Hyperlite at 9:30 am. Don’t forget that you may begin e-mailing your favorite riders on Thursday. Just click the “E-mail riders” link on the website. Also, we appreciate any and all feedback, and look forward to hearing your comments. See you at the Horse Park! Alden Murray