Riding is an empirical art. When we witness that rare round or freestyle, we know that we’re watching something beautiful. But how do we know?
“One of the most dramatic demonstrations of concern and affection for GMHA took place following the flood of 1973,” wrote former Green Mountain Horse Association President Eileene Wilmot in Green Mountain Horse Association, 1926-1990s. “We all met to view the disaster and destruction, some of us with faint hearts. I never will forget Wilson Haubrich, who quietly said, ‘We have 120 children arriving in two days; we must get this fixed.’ Friends and members came down from the hills and up the valleys… In two days we were ready to receive the children.”
In London, 1961, authorities announced the discovery of a clandestine Soviet spy ring. In Liverpool, little-known skiffle group the Beatles first gigged in the Cavern Club’s cellar. And in Leeds, an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease left sportsmen dismayed that the annual three-day event at Harewood House, home to the Earl of Harewood, would likely be canceled.
Stand beside the finish line of any racetrack in the world and dare yourself to remain unflapped. I’ve tried; it’s futile. The pack rounds the turn, and involuntarily your pulse quickens, eyes darting from hooves to outstretched necks to flying manes and tails as the hijinks of the bettors beside you intensify, the final moments igniting in a blaze of speed so fast it almost takes your breath away. You ask yourself: horsepower? Have I just felt the physical effects?
At one arena at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, whooping and hollering will be encouraged, and no one will need an excuse to don a cowboy hat and blue jeans. I’d be willing to bet that the reining competition at this year’s WEG is going to be the loudest and proudest. In fact, the tickets to the reining individual final are the only event so far to sell out.
When author Helen Thompson wrote, “In riding a horse, we borrow freedom,” she was probably referring to the way horses allow us to experience things we could never accomplish on our own two feet. I like to think that Ms. Thompson’s sentiment is doubly true when it comes to para-equestrian.
We’re less than a month away from the opening ceremonies of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, and time has been flying here at The Chronicle. We are all working hard to provide you with the best possible coverage of the Games, so make sure you tune in starting Sept. 25!
While walking the two-star cross-country course at the Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, our editorial intern, Ali Taylor Lange, and I came across a jump that had us scratching our heads. Clearly, it was not intended for the two-star riders, who might have cried a little upon approaching the massive creation.
When I was at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships last week, I was driving through downtown Lexington, Ky., and found myself brimming with excitement about the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Not only were there totally beautiful horse statues everywhere, but we drove under a countdown clock to the Games!
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