Upperville – Shady News Tuesday A.M.
Tuesday, June 05 2012
by Editor
WELCOME TO THE 159th UPPERVILLE COLT & HORSE SHOW! We love Upperville and while we have not had the pleasure of showing at Upperville, we’ve known some great riders and horses who have performed under the oaks in the hunter rings and across the street in the jumper rings. There is state of the art footing in the main jumper ring – we think that Tommy Lee Jones, show manager par excellent, has done a fantastic job. We had just a moment to say hello to Tommy yesterday – he’s so busy all the time, but if you know him, give him a warm hello, because he and all his people, volunteers and staff, put their hearts and souls into making Upperville a great great show. Here are two links to visit: WUSA9.com story about Upperville and a WUSA9.com Upperville slide show of photos by Teresa Ramsey, official Upperville photographer (with seven taken by yours truly at the end!)
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
archives, awards-dinner, chasin', december-2011, education, eventing-nation, february-2011, jeers-sidelines, show world, tails & trails, the-barn-book, wordpress-org
AHP Conference: Counting Down to Awards Dinner
Saturday, June 02 2012
by Editor
Okay, we’ll admit it. We don’t know how to relax. We think that we have been racing from deadline to deadline for so many years that we have totally forgotten how to relax and enjoy “leisure” – and that’s what this conference is, compared to our real life. This is leisure.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
archives, chasin', december-2010, february-2011, in the irons, lauren-giannini, november-2010, tails & trails, wordpress-org
ON THE ROAD AGAIN & MORE ROLEX
Friday, June 01 2012
by Editor
It’s been too long since our last post, but we have an excuse – endless deadlines. Now, we’re not complaining per se, we love to write. However, the pressure of making each story unique and special and fresh can be uber-challenging as well as extremely brain-draining, especially when you are writing about 3-day riders who hope to make the US eventing team for the 2012 London Olympics Games. There is only so often you can contact an Olympic-hopeful to acquire more quotes: she/he has spent years and years to get to the top of the game and therefore tend to be hounded by other members of the working press
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
adrotate, archives, chasin', education, november-2011, september-2010, springer-usa, toasts-allison
Rolex in Retrospect: Beverly Equestrian Toasts Allison Springer, Karen O’Connor & Marilyn Little-Meredith
Tuesday, May 08 2012
by Editor
Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event provided the first major step in the US team selection process for the 2012 Olympics. Several riders made incredible bids for their ticket to London and on May 6 Beverly Equestrian Center (The Plains, VA) celebrated the three eventers for their rides ’round Rolex. Marilyn Little-Meredith, Allison Springer and Karen O'Connor celebrate Rolex and their quest to make the US 3-day team for the London Olympics this August with a congenial crowd at Beverly Equestrian Center. © Lauren R Giannini Allison Springer & Arthur – they broke through several years of bad luck and misfortune to finish second overall and the best of the Americans to win the USEF National Four-Star championship. In the event that Allison & Arthur make the team, this will be their first Olympics.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
archives, chasin', december-2010, december-2011, eventing-nation, february-2011, february-2012, martin-usa, september-2010, show world, wordpress-org
ROLEX IN RETROSPECT: 1st of May Thoughts, A Few Cheers & Jeers
Tuesday, May 01 2012
by Editor
Hello, horse sports fans - Rolex was its usual three-ring, four-star greatest equestrian show on earth. We love being there, in spite of & perhaps because of the marathon-intense dawn to midnight work days, and we’re already planning for next year, but in addition to great cheers, there were some serious disappointments. JEERS to the official videographers of Rolex KY It sucked in places, the video coverage of the XC by the official videographers – such as only two fences shown of Sara Kozumplik and Manolo Blahnik – I mean, what’s wrong with these people? I would mention them by name but don’t care to give them any ink! How many riders did they “cheat” of XC footage? They wasted precious time filming riders who had just come off the course, showed at least one derriere view of trim/slim female rider (lovely but this is not a nightclub, it’s cross-country!), no sound but several seconds of rider being interviewed, and lots more footage of horses being sponged off – gee whiz, get your priorities in order. We want to see the jumping, the action – the cross-country heart of eventing!!! Sara Kozumplik has devoted years to Manolo Blahnik - here they are in Manny's four-star debut at the third last fence on the cross-country, the double offset brushes which demand precision and momentum so late in the course. But the official video shows them at two jumps only - WTH??
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
december-2010, education, eventing-nation, higher education, in the irons, paget-nzr, rolex, the-barn-book
Rolex Kentucky – 27 Jumped, Fox-Pitt & Parklane Hawk Won 2nd Leg of Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing, Allison Springer & Arthur USEF Nat’l…
Sunday, April 29 2012
by Editor
Sunday – the grand finale of Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone, spotlighted 27 horses in the show jumping, which began at 12:45 pm. At this morning’s final veterinary inspection, of the 30 horses presented, one did not receive the ground jury’s nod and two horses, held for re-inspection, withdrew. Before the jog, two horses were withdrawn: RF Rovano Rex, but Marilyn has her second horse RF Demeter (one of the few mares entered in this year’s Rolex) and Saturday night, after cross-country, Sara Kozumplik withdrew Manolo Blahnik, who comported himself great at his first-ever four-star even though he didn’t complete. Kudos to Sara for putting her horse first – she’s a class act rider and trainer all the way. This morning, Sara texted to me: “He was amazing yesterday. I had silly mistake at easy fence. so proud of him.” Manny is fine, by the way.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
action, adrotate, december-2010, february-2011, february-2012, higher education, rolex-kentucky, springer-usa
Rolex Kentucky: Fox-Pitt (GBR), Springer (USA), Paget (NZR), Martin (USA), O’Connor (USA)
Sunday, April 29 2012
by Editor
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes – Ka-CHANG! Yep, Derek di Grazia created a cross-country test that demanded precision and riders minding their Px & Qs every step of the way.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
adrotate, december-2010, december-2011, education, eventing-nation, in the irons, martin-usa, on the line, paget-nzr
ROLEX KENTUCKY – AM Cross-Country CH-CH-CH-CHANGES!!!
Saturday, April 28 2012
by Editor
Wowie zowie – what a morning – we’re still reeling from the changes in the leaderboard. Even before the XC began, there were three withdrawals: Buck Davidson pulled out with Absolute Liberty, who would have been first out of the start box this morning, & his Pan Titanium, Jolie Wentworth & Killian O’Connor. Then, only two completed the cross-country out of the first seven horses to start this morning! Two retired on course: Andrew Nicholson (NZL) took out a frangible pin at 9abc – Bridgestone Park Question (coffin combination), picking up 21 penalties, and James Alliston (GBR) and Jumbo’s Jake after they accumulated 20 penalties at 9abc – and 17abcde, the Sunken Road. Three were eliminated – Karen O’Connor had a splash crash at the HSBC Water Park (5abcd) – no injuries to horse or rider, just dampened spirits, but Karen has another chance with Mr. Medicott this afternoon. Becky Holder and Courageous Comet got to #22abc, the HSBC FEI Classic Series Normandy Bank, but parted company and Becky bought a cheap piece of real estate that cost dearly in terms of her goals with her wonderful ex-racehorse
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
action, chasin', education, eventing-nation, february-2011, february-2012, higher education, in the irons, lauren-giannini, november-2010, on the line, september-2010
Rolex Kentucky: Where The Action Is!
Saturday, April 28 2012
by Editor
Sara Kozumplik and Manolo Blahnik, exuding class at Manny's first ever four-star in spite of boogie moments during their waltz... © Lauren R Giannini Okay, so we’re only one person and we can’t be everywhere & do everything, but on Friday, we made a point of getting to the dressage arena to watch our friend Sara Kozumplik and Manolo Blahnik who was ready and eager for the cross-country, but a day early. Their score put them well down on the leaderboard standings, but ya wanna know something? That test might have been a disappointment to Sara and Brian Murphy and Lara, who’s grooming her first Rolex – understandable after all the years of preparation to get here, but we felt very proud of Manny for not leaping out of the ring and thundering off to the XC. It’s his first four-star and he’s a bit of a sensitive, complex creature under the best of circumstances and the horse gods know what an electric atmosphere Rolex tends to be
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Allison Springer & Arthur In First Place After Dressage, Stalked by Fox-Pitt & Parklane Hawk
Friday, April 27 2012
by Editor
Allison Springer has been in the catbird seat after dressage before, but not on the last day. This is her fifth Rolex with Arthur, and she entered the arena at 11:30 a.m. with the brilliant but somewhat quirky gelding who gave her pretty much everything she asked. The judges rewarded the duo’s test with a score of 39.8 penalty points, thereby ousting Parklane Hawk and William Fox-Pitt (GBR) on 41.3pp from the first place berth they had earned a couple of hours earlier
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Tagged under:
adrotate, dubarry-babies, february-2012, horses, in the irons, november-2010, november-2011, on the line, rolex-kentucky, september-2010, the-barn-book, wordpress-org