Notes From a Polo Staycation.
Tuesday, March 22 2011
Photo ©David Lominska My fondness for polo has been well documented, and for me, going to watch a game on a Sunday afternoon is a little like a stay-cation. After spending the week immersed in the horse show world, even the most dedicated show jumping fan/reporter/industry buff (which happens to sum up On the Line perfectly) needs a break from that scene.
- Published in On the Line, Z-Blogs
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.
Front Cover – April 2011
Monday, March 21 2011
Gonzalito Pieres takes a break between chukkers Departments Directories |
- Published in 04-2011, Front Cover
Letter from the Editor – April 2011
Monday, March 21 2011
In many ways, our April issue takes us back to our roots: polo! As our loyal (read older) readers know, Sidelines began as a polo tabloid, gradually evolving toward the other disciplines, and then discovering the majority of our - Published in 04-2011, Letter from Editor
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
Driving Miss Cindy
Wednesday, February 09 2011
An old friend of mine who was Co-DC of a Pony Club with me in Pennsylvania moved to Aiken several years ago. She came to town knowing not a soul but she did come with a horse and a pony. The horse was a retired three-day event horse which had belonged to a member of the family; the pony was her daughter’s surgery pony when her daughter was in vet school. The pony was basically un-broke but my friend took driving lessons, persevered and now Cindy is broke to drive and she goes out on excursions around town. On a quiet Sunday morning in Aiken my friend and another pony driver met at The Green Boundary, a large estate on Whiskey Road which adjoins the horse district, parked their trucks and tacked up their ponies for a drive through downtown. My horse being a been “there done” that sort of dude rounded out the threesome, although I was mounted