36 SIDELINES JANUARY 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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By Mallory Johnson
T
he last Friday in October began much like any
other; while waiting for the commuter train that
takes me from my home near Fairfax, Virginia to
Washington, DC, where I am a law school student. I heard
my phone signal a new email had arrived. Unexpectedly,
the message was from the Sidelines editor, Jan Allan,
with the animated subject line, “YOU WON!”
On a whim earlier in the week I’d entered a contest to walk the
course of the Washington International Horse Show $100,000
President’s Cup with a Grand Prix rider; but expected nothing
to come of the entry. Trying to contain my rising excitement,
I opened the message and was quickly informed that I had
indeed won the drawing! The rest of the morning went by in
a giddy blur as I tried to imagine what it would be like to meet
one of my athletic heroes and stand on the very course where
they competed.
I’d come into the equestrian world late; I’d ridden
recreationally since I was a child; but it wasn’t until my last
few years of high school that I started really following the
sport. Later that afternoon, I got another email with the news
that Brianne Goutal was going to be my guide for the course
walk! I’d watched Brianne come in just behind Great Britain’s
Nick Skelton in the President’s Cup the previous year and had
been thoroughly in awe of her incredible skill and talent.
Saturday night came quickly. After spending some time
perusing the WIHS vendors, we made our way to our seats
for the evening program: the Equitation Finals with a Work-Off
and the Championship presentations, terrier races, Australian
trainer Guy McLean and his four performing horses, and, of
course, the Grand Prix. We met up with Jennifer Wood, the co-
coordinator of the contest, who gave us a behind the scenes
tour. We descended the VIP elevator to where the stables
and schooling ring were set up underneath the seats in the
arena. We turned the frst corner, only to see Margie Engle
relaxing calmly while the ring crew began assembling the
course and I was offcially star-struck. We watched for a few
minutes as many of the riders warmed up. I recognized Olivier
Philippaerts, who’d cleared a 2.13 meters puissance wall the
Walking the Walk with
Brianne Goutal
Grand Prix rider Brianne Goutal and Sidelines Magazine “Course
Walk” winner Mallory Johnson pose for a photo while walking
the course of the $100,000 President’s Cup at the Washington
International Horse Show.
All photos by Grace Darnell
Editor’s Note:
Sidelines Magazine was pleased to join forces with the Washington International
Horse Show and offer a contest in which one lucky person would win a “Course Walk with a Grand
Prix Rider.” Our winner had such a wonderful time that we asked her to write an account of her night
at the Washington International Horse Show. Here is Mallory’s story.