CEqE 201 – Getting On With It
Sunday, July 10 2011
Well, sooner or later every rider buys a ‘cheap’ piece of real estate and we’re no exception. We were in a jumping lesson on Saturday (only yesterday, seems more like a week, but we’ve got our nose back to the wordsmithing grindstone and time takes its own line…) and Lord Peter was acting spooky – noticeably so, compared to his relatively calm demeanor for the past three months, truth to tell. Later we realized that the last time he was on this sort of sensory alert (stallion on the lookout for danger to his herd) was last summer when… oops, getting our tongue over the bit in terms of this anecdote
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
CEqE – From May to Now
Tuesday, July 05 2011
CEqE rocks at The Fine Equine in Amissville, VA! Bet you thought that we (Lord Peter and yours truly) had gone to ground in turns of our Continuing Equestrian Education. Oh no no no! We’d been up to our ears in the spring fever of deadlines, trying to eke out a living and, of course, when it came to work, Peter got pushed to the bottom of the list. But not anymore: our pony is our priority, and we’re working on getting to the barn by 8:30 or earlier (method to our madness, more on early mornings in due course)
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Upperville – Saturday’s Action Under The Oaks
Sunday, June 12 2011
Well, we are really behind this morning: we got up uber-early and galloped through a gazillion photos from Saturday. We missed a few of our favorite classes, but were fortunate to snag some pix on the run, so to speak, of the Silver Foxes (Piedmont Invitation) winner and third place, but totally missed the Family Class (we’ll probably beg a photo of the winners for print coverage), and the rains came after we shot Connemara Mare and Stallion (purebred) champions, but not before we turned in time to catch Tracy Weinberg and Larone scorch to the win in the $10,000 Junior/Amateur Jumper Stakes – they’re trained by Joe Fargis
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Upperville – Proving Ground For Talent
Saturday, June 11 2011
Upperville: ask any show rider who lives somewhere in Virginia about the Upperville Colt & Horse Show and you’ll get chapter and verse about what it means to compete under the hallowed oaks or across John Mosby Highway in the jumper rings. Upperville is Mecca – it’s not the only version of Mecca, but here in Virginia, it’s a showcase for horses and riders, a country atmosphere that retains its unique and individual voice, a place where the shops offer goods ranging from tack and horse-related supplies to high fashion to riding fashion to jewelry to whatever might capture your fancy. Tori Colvin won the $25,000 Welcome Stakes, sponsored by Windsor Farm and Friends, on June 10th
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Thursday at Upperville
Friday, June 10 2011
With that old saying in mind that one picture is worth a thousand words, you all must make do with pixies as yesterday was a very long day and we collapsed as soon as we got home and fed our dog, who also collapsed after a long day accompanying us via golf cart on both sides of John Mosby Highway at Upperville. Because Upperville is too huge for one person to cover with a camera, we decided to concentrate on the jumpers on Thursday, because that’s part of the soul of Upperville and there is a committee to raise funds to improve the jumper rings similar to the hunter side which boasts great footing. Upperville show manager Tommy Lee Jones told us to speak with committee leader, rider/trainer Joe Fargis, and we caught up with him early Thursday evening. More on that later: if we don’t post photos and get out of here pdq we won’t get to ride our pony and that is one of our greatest joys… So, here are a few pix and ‘deep captions’ to describe Thursday at Upperville. Allen Richards and Copper Futures in the Adult Amateur Jumper class where they placed 2nd to Alison Wichman riding Mrs.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Upperville’s Oaks vs Heat Wave…
Thursday, June 09 2011
It’s tough for the oaks at Upperville to counteract this horribly muggy heat wave – like breathing underwater. We just don’t have much energy tonight
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Upperville – Under The Oaks
Wednesday, June 08 2011
This is the 158th year of the Upperville Colt & Horse Show – the oldest show in America boasts some great improvements, but more than anything else it is a timeless tradition in the heart of Virginia’s horse country. The week is young, but already competition is heating up on both sides of John Mosby Highway just east of the picturesque village of Upperville. Here are a few photos to make you wish you were there… Oh, and we have to tell you that we were very remiss about jotting quick notes while catching quick pix of winners and we simply can’t figure out who is on #149 or what class it was on Tuesday, but the shot is win-win all the way. Be sure to check out the results on horseshowsonline – Upperville has two listings, one for Hunters and one for Jumpers. First stop at Upperville - get your golf cart! We do a lot of running back and forth between hunter and jumper rings.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Mary King Crowned at Rolex!
Sunday, May 01 2011
Wow – it all came down to the last six rides at Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event – Mary King went early with the second-placed Fernhill Urco, putting in a double clear to maintain their score of 49.7 – the only question was whether her top-placed Kings Temptress would leave up all the rails. Before that happened, however, Oliver Townend and ODT Sonas Rovatio put in their double clear, William Fox-Pitt hunted Neuf des Coeurs around for a double clear, then Hannah Sue Burnett and Exponential took out two rails to drop a bit. Next it was Manoir de Carneville and Sinead Halpin who put in a double clear. The tension amped up as 3rd-placed Clayton Fredericks and Be My Guest pulled one for four faults, which dropped them one place, because Mary King and Kings Temptress came in and showed the world how a first class rider rides double clear rounds under pressure. They left all all the pretty painted fences untouched and we had our Rolex Champion and Reserve Champion – making history and scoring a first. Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville (“Tate”) earned the four-star championship as highest placed American, along with third place, a rosette above William Fox-Pitt and Neuf des Coeurs with Fredericks and Be My Guest in fifth.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
Britannia Rules Rolex XC, Dramatic Impact On Leaderboard
Sunday, May 01 2011
Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes – David Bowie’s rocker kept playing in our head as the Cross-Country, designed by Derek di Grazia for the Rolex Kentucky 3-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone, provided its own dramatic footage to rival the opening credits of the old Wide World of Sports show hosted by Jim McKay for ABC, featuring the kettle drum roll as film rolled about The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat. But at Kentucky Horse Park it wasn’t that luckless ski-jumper tumbling off the end of the jump run, it was the Rolex four-star cross-country course that looked straightforward and yet tested the best of our riders. Right now, Mary King (GBR) reigns in the two top spots with Kings Temptress and Fernhill Urco, 2007 Rolex winner Clayton Fredericks (AUS) sits in third with Be My Guest, and the highest placed American, Sinead Halpin and Manoir de Carneville follow in fourth place – both of them contesting their first-ever four-star. Allison Springer & Arthur - bittersweet disappointment after a brilliant start.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs