End of Days.
Tuesday, April 05 2011
The sun is shining, the champion is here... Just one more reason that we all wish we were Laura Kraut….. above, Laura walks Cedric out of the ring after being awarded the Oliver O’Toole Perpetual Memorial Trophy during Saturday’s Parade of Champions on the second to last day of the 2011 Winter Equestrian Festival. Laura and Cedric were the top money winners over the 2011 WEF season. Who can guess how much they won? Anyone? Let’s see, they won three big classes this season: $75,000 Adequan CSI2* $150,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier Grand Prix $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale CSI5* Grand Prix And placed in a slew of other classes.
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
Their Moment to Shine.
Wednesday, March 30 2011
Semi well-behaved polo stallion. There’s never a dull moment in Wellington. Even though the show jumping season is winding down, polo season is still in full swing, with the U.S. Open brackets being fought out during most of April. And last night the 2nd Annual National Polo Pony Show was held over at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, which normally hosts CDI dressage shows, and of course, the recent Masters. But with nary a dressage horse in sight, polo ponies had their night in the spotlight with this event, dreamed up by one of polo’s most talented female players, Sunny Hale
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
Cream of the Crop.
Monday, March 28 2011
And the hooooome of the, braaaave...... Photo ©Kym Ketcham Because if a skydiver trailing an American flag hadn’t touched down in the International Arena just as Ki-Juan Minors sang the final, pitch perfect note of the National Anthem, the night would have seemed incomplete, somehow. Fortunately, that is how the 2011 WEF season’s finale class opened, and the 7,000 show jumping fans filling every available space in the International Arena (a sight that warms On the Line’s heart) were thoroughly impressed.
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
Spring has Sprung, the Grass has Ris’
Thursday, March 24 2011
Spring in Aiken is unfolding in all its glory. Azaleas are in bloom, Banksia roses are open, the city has become a haze of lavender Wisteria
You Gotta Start Somewhere
Monday, March 21 2011
Several weeks ago when I was the photographer at Sporting Days March Horse Trials, late Sunday afternoon featured the Beginner Novice and Tadpole Division starters finishing their Eventing debuts with the cross country phase. I was struck by how many horses were getting their first serious start at Eventing that afternoon, piloted by some of the most capable in the sport. I’ve put together a collection of photographs of these Beginner Novice horses paired with their same riders at Intermediate and Advanced events over the last year or so. I think it is fun and I hope you do, too.
A Star is Born.
Monday, March 14 2011
For the first time in six weeks, trainers all over the West Coast are gratefully waking up without the assistance of an alarm clock. HITS Thermal wrapped yesterday as a great horse show should – with an exciting finale grand prix and top notch riders battling it out over a difficult course to the sounds of an enthusiastic crowd. Designed by Olaf Peterson, the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert drew 53 star studded entrants. But no one, not Rich Fellers, not Jill Humphrey, not Hap Hansen, not last year’s winner Jill Henselwood, could get the best of a certain blond haired girl with a pixie face. That was how I described Lucy Davis when I interviewed her less than one year ago, after she won her very first Grand Prix in Los Angeles. That article, which ran in Sidelines’ August 2010 issue (and is reproduced here for your reading pleasure,) introduced a promising young rider. I write about a lot of talented youngsters like her, but with changes in horses, college, and other roadblocks, only a few of them go on to make a bigger impact in the industry.
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
He’s The Man.
Friday, March 11 2011
It may have been all sunshine and Lamborghinis in Thermal yesterday, but in Palm Beach, dark and stormy clouds unleashed enough rain to cancel Thursday’s classes at WEF. Luckily, the highly anticipated Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5* were beginning down the road at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center under a much appreciated covered arena.Purely a fan of dressage with no desire to ever pick it up myself (where these people find their endless tolerance for flatwork, I don’t know), I nonetheless can appreciate how very difficult it is. And beautiful. And fluid. And when performed correctly – harmonious. Steffen Peters traveled from California to prove as much with the great Ravel, scoring miles above the 2nd place finisher with 80.87% in the Grand Prix test. We can safely say that they’re the favorites heading into today’s Grand Prix Special and Freestyle classes….dontcha think?
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
Meet Me At the Waf
Sunday, February 20 2011
The Waffle House Restaurant, Whiskey Road, Aiken, SC Anyone driving through the South is familiar with that little box with the yellow roofline placed strategically at every interchange of every major highway. While some might characterize The Waffle House as Cheeze Whiz to aged Cheddar, I, for one, am smitten with their Pecan Studded Waffles (877,388,027 waffles served since 1955) and have become a regular breakfast customer. There are three Waffle House restaurants within five miles of my home in Aiken so I can stop on any of my errands to Walmart (two of those in Aiken, too), the tack shop or the feed store for a quick bite to eat. But, a romantic candle lit Valentines dinner for two at the Waf? Reservations needed, no less. Three weeks ago I signed my oh-so-game husband up for a dinner for two and off we went on Valentines Day for a 6:30 dinner date. While we waited to be seated, we were served Sweet Tea (this is the South, after all) and chatted with the hostess