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FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE SIDELINES JUNE 2011 19

Fernhill Urco and Mary King danced through the Rolex Head of the Lake en route to a double clear, putting the veteran rider into the catbird seat for the show jumping fnale with this horse in second and her mare, Temptress, in frst. Mary joins an elite band of riders – Ian Stark (Badminton 1988), Mark Todd (Burghley 1987) and Blyth Tait (Burghley 1998) – to fnish frst and second at a CCI4*

Photo by Lauren R. Giannini

Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister led after dressage and even though the California rider knew all about not being fooled by the alleged “straightforward” appearance of designer Derek di Grazia’s cross-country she experienced diffculties at three different obstacles and was eliminated, ramping up the dramatic changes in the leader board throughout Rolex

Photo by Elisabeth Harpham

Continued on page 20

Kim MacMillan and Pocahontas stand near Robert Costello as they listen to David O’Connor talk about the Head of the Lake obstacle on the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event**** cross-country course.

Photo by Allen MacMillan

by Kim MacMillan

David O’Connor smiled at us as he turned his mount Scout toward the east end of the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event**** course. “Welcome to the First Annual Rolex Media Trail Ride,” he said and off we went.

Sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A., and arranged by Merrick Haydon of Revolution Sports Marketing Group and the staff of the Kentucky Horse Park, the trail ride allowed us, a small group of journalists, to experience the view of the Rolex cross-country course that the riders see as they fy around on their wonderful horses. Though we didn’t jump the obstacles, we did get a true picture of their size and scope.

I had been invited to join the ride representing Sidelines and my frst thought as I looked at the Sunken Road obstacle from the back of Pocahontas, a mild-mannered Appaloosa mare, was, “Holy Moley, I am glad I am a writer and not a four-star rider!” O’Connor, and fellow four-star rider Robert Costello, were our guides as we toured the course. We stopped at a number of the obstacles and they explained the strategies and the options that would be used by the riders two days later. We were all mounted on Kentucky Horse Park trail horses and shepherded by Park wranglers. My thanks to Rolex Watch and Revolution Sports, David O’Connor and Robert Costello, the Kentucky Horse Park staff and especially Pocahontas. It was an experience I will never forget.

Rolex “Ride the Course” Media Outing