To say that the 2009 Festival was rained out doesnt really begin to tell the story
Wash out is a better description
Relentless is probably the best description.
Morale stayed above board and everyone coped. No one would have wished for this out come but considering the fact that these horses are so important, it seemed like the right thing to do.
No one will ever know what would have happened if they had carried on and run the third and final legs of the Intermediaire Freestyle and Grand Prix Special. But sometimes, that is just the way things go.
The future of the sport of dressage appears safe, as both the small tour horses and some of the younger riders looked awesome. I have a total horse crush on Rutherford. Katherine's leggy bay gelding is such an exciting horse for the future - her mare (who won the I-1) is a serious talent as well. Katherine said that Rutherford is the kindest horse ever, and you can tell by the look on his face just how hard he tries with every single step.
They say misery loves company, so does being soaked. We all kept smiling the best we could at the venue, but everyone is exhausted. I caught up with eventer Sinead Halpin last night, she recently broke her arm and has a pin and eight screw in her upper arm. She looked great, said she has been riding - it is always awesome to see her, we had a fun dinner and a good laugh and we even convinced Ken Braddick to do some piaffe in the bar.
I'm sitting in the airport now, my flight is already delayed, I'm watching Tiger Woods' interview and he says he doesn't even know what day he played or what day it is. I feel the same way. The US Open suffered from the same weather as the Festival and they say they will be playing until 8 pm tonight. It is difficult for the competitors and for the people behind the scenes, how often do you get the chance to contest these events - to bring your A game and test it against your peers? Once a year, if the stars align... but you can't stop the rain, and although both events were compromised, the performances are still worthy of championships.
I just noticed that Ricky Barnes is wearing a Verve! shirt on the US Open interview... they are also a sponsor of ours! That is totally cool.
So next stop for the dressage focus is Aachen, where Steffen Peters and Catherine Haddad will wave the flag for the US. Shannon Peters (Steffen's wife) was in Gladstone holding her own in the I-1 championship. She said Ravel arrived in Germany and is doing great. I hope their roll from Las Vegas continues!!!
This fish traveled all the way from the cross country course in Hong Kong. It was very appropriate in all the water in Gladstone! Thanks to Ken Braddick for the photo!