Competition Photos

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I wanted to share some of the photos I took while working as a member of the media at the Rolex KY 3 Day Event last weekend.

Rolex is a 4 start event. . . the only 4 star in the US.  It's the highest level of 3 Day Eventing and it's often part of the Olympic selections, as it was this year.   I'll try to explain Eventing briefly as I post the photos.

 The first phase is Dressage.  The horse/rider pair will ride a dressage test on either Thursday or Friday (there are too many horses for them to get done in one day). Dressage is the discipline I ride.  It's "dancing" with your horse.  You must complete a certain pattern with certain movements at certain points in the arena.  (similar to figure skating)  Each movement is scored give up to 10 points and then there are overall collective points at the end.  A good score is say 70+ . .  and that is reversed to 30 for eventing.  In eventing the lowest score wins.  So you want your dressage test to be the best that it can be because you won't be able to reduce your score after the first day.

This is Michael Jung and Ficsherrocana.  They led after dressage and proceeded to win the whole competition.

Saturday is the second phase of the event.  Cross Country!!  It's the heart of eventing and probably the reason these crazy people actual do this discipline.  The horse/rider combos gallop a course that is approx 4 miles with many obstacles to jump and water to go through. Some jumps are combinations of 2-3 jumps, so there are even more jumping efforts than the amount of numbered jumps.  There is an optimal time to complete the course and if you go over you get points added to your score from dressage.  If you have a refusal or another jumping penalty (broken pin, etc) you get points added.  If you fall you are eliminated.   It rained all day on Saturday and was pretty miserable.  The course got muddier and harder on the horses as the day went on. 

Again this is the winning horse/rider - Michael Jung and Fischerrocana 

On Sunday the riders have to present their horses in what is called a "jog".  The riders are not on the horses, but they lead them in a trot away and back from a panel of vets.  If they pass (at this level they most always do) they proceed to the last phase of the competition.  This is Show Jumping. . . it's a course inside an arena.  There is a time limit just like in cross country.  Time over adds to your score. Rails down and refusals also add to your score.  Remember lowest score wins.  These riders are riding horses that are pretty tired at this point and the rails can fall very easily!

The winning pair

That's a wrap!  I hope you liked the photos.   It's always a fun weekend with a lot of perks being a member of the media.  I enjoy every moment and some years I count down to Rolex like a child counts down to Christmas.

Stuffed my face

I'm back from Rolex.  I apparently stuffed my face.  A  lot.  I gained over 4 lbs in 5 days.  I gained another pound yesterday stuffing my face some more. :(   Ugh.  Seriously.  I know what I ate.  I ate a lot.  I though the walking would help, but I learned (from wearing my fitbit) that there isn't as much walking as I thought.   Some days it was hard to reach my step goal.  When you walk from the press center, to the stadium and stand there for hours taking pics of dressage, you don't get any steps.  This is me in the dressage ring.

I'm really bummed about this, but I'm determined that today will be a good day.  My hubby and I are starting the Advocare cleanse this week (tomorrow I think) and that will help.  I'm excited to cleanse again!

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I might have mentioned I bought my first pair of skinny jeans.  Jeggings I suppose.   I bought them to wear with my Dubarry boots at Rolex.  I saved and saved and bought the boots last year.  This year the weather sucked royally on cross country day and I didn't want to even wear my boots.  Yes they are made for rain and water and crappy weather.   And yes I baby the shit out of them cause they cost a pretty penny.  But I was convinced they would live.  So I wore them.

And I was pretty dang happy with how I looked.  Too bad I was a drowned rat at the end of the day and even during the day, I was covered in a rain jacket and a poncho and no one could see how great I looked.  :)

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Every year they have a contest for the media.  You fill out an entry stating which horse and rider you think will win.  The entries have to be in by noon on Friday.  At the press conference following the competition on Sunday, everyone that chose correctly gets thrown into a hat.  The winning rider selects a winner.  This year I actually chose the winning horse and rider (with the help of a friend) and Michael Jung selected me!

You win a bottle of champagne.  A  big bottle of champagne.  Apparently bottles are named after biblical kings.  I got a Jeroboam of champagne. I'm a beer and wine girl and I was underwhelmed. I knew the prize was champagne, but it was still fun to actually win (heck it was exciting to know my name finally got in the hat cause I chose the right horse and rider!).   But what will I do with a huge bottle of champagne?  A Jeroboam is the equivalent to 4 bottles!  I got home, cracked open the crate and then decided to see what this bottle is worth. . . . umm . . . maybe I should sell it! I'd rather have the money!!! 

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The story of this year's Rolex is about this adorably cute jacket I bought.  It's an Ariat jacket and it's water resistant.  It wasn't cheap ($180 after tax)

Did I mention I shopped like a crazy woman?  Well I wore this jacket Saturday during the craptastic rainy weather.  Then I had it on Sunday.  Low and behold Sunday was the only day I got hot.  I was sitting in the media seating for stadium jumping.  I hung my jacket on the rail in front of me. Just like the smoking hot dude next to me did.  After stadium I met up with my friend and we went back to the press center.  We had the press conference, I sorted photos and put them on a flash drive to transfer to the guy in charge of our group, I changed clothes for the trip home. . . . it's now 5:15 pm.  Jumping ended around 3 or just before?   I'm sitting there chatting, waiting for the photos to transfer. . . . when suddenly - where is my jacket?!?!  OMG!   I ripped my bags apart, but I don't remember having the jacket when I left the stadium after jumping.  Holy crap!   My brand new jacket - left hanging on the rail in front of my seat.  A friend tries to find out where lost and found is - but let's be real - no one is going to turn in a jacket like this.  I race back to the stadium . . . running almost the whole way.   I went in at the opposite end of where I sat, ducked into the seating area as the aisle connects all the way across. . . I look to my section, people are there packing things up. . . I spy my jacket on the rail - hallelujah!!!!!   I sprint to my area and grab my jacket.  Whew!  I have no idea how I had such luck.  I was sitting in an area that was split between media and rider friends/family so the access was limited.   I bet if I was in general public seating the jacket wouldn't have been there.  Who knows.  Maybe there are good people in this world! I'm so thankful I thought of it before I left - I was about 5 mins from leaving the park to drive home.  I'm so thankful it was right where I left it. If it hadn't been I'd have probably cried all the way home.  On the race back to my seat, I couldn't decide if I should cry or be super duper pissed at myself!  But it all worked out in the end.   Another Rolex (my 11th - my first was 2005 according to my friend) is in the books.  Next up is the PanAm Games in Toronto Canada.  The question of the day is: do I drive (11.5 hours without stops according to google) or fly to Toronto? 

My Photo

I change my blog address so to continue following me, unfortunately you will have to add my new address to your reading list:
http://ilikewarmhugs.blogspot.com/
Sorry for the inconvenience. :(

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I took this photo earlier this month in the crazy blowing wind and snow:

I love it.  And I want to print it to hang in my house.  I have taken so many photos for other people that I'm jealous of them having photos to hang in their house.  I can't decide to print this and frame it or get a canvas.
Tuesday night we were at dinner with Roger's family for his birthday.  It's kind of odd because we don't get together for his sister's bday.  At least not that I can seem to remember.  Yet we almost always go out to dinner for his birthday. I don't get it.  Not at all.  And this year he was a cranky person leading up to his birthday and didn't want to do anything.   I don't know. . . . anyways, we were not getting along as we got to dinner and it was probably obvious to his family.  However, near the end of dinner we were talking about the snow and I mentioned that I took photos.  I confess that I'm really in love with this photo and I'm pretty proud of how it looks.    I showed it to his mom (she lives on this property with us) and she was like oh wow!  Then she told Roger's sister that she should paint that.  WHAT?   I was like "I'm going to print this!"  In my world photography is a form of art and it's no less so than painting.  But apparently a photo isn't quite as good as a painting. Whatever.  Once again my feelings get hurt.  I don't love being an in-law.