"The best weekend all year" is the slogan for the Rolex Kentucky 4 Star Three Day event in Lexington, KY. There are only three 4 Star events in the world (Kentucky, Badminton, and Burghley). And while I cannot tell yet if indeed it was "The best weekend all year" JP and I had a blast. Almost 37,000 people showed up on cross country day to cheer the competitors on, contemplate the incredible efforts required of both horses and riders, and yes - do some shopping and taste a few Kentucky Bourbon Ales.
The competition was nail biting until the end - what's a German-French-American couple to do if out of 69 competitors the first two are German and French, respectively? Michael, of course, won. Third time in a row. Just unbelievable. But I would have been equally happy with the French leading. I had a chance to have a quick chat with Maxime, and, well, yes, I do have a soft spot for charming Frenchmen, especially when they are from Saumur.
On the home front we thought we had it all under control - and it was, on Friday and Saturday while my friend (and hairdresser) Ellen stayed at the house. Our regular farmsitter was not available Friday/Saturday, and Ellen offered her help so we could have our traditional anniversary weekend at Rolex. Ellen is very busy, so jumping in to take care of our critters was super nice of her.
Sunday our farmsitter took over, and I didn't expect any major surprise. Was I wrong: First stop when we got home Sunday night was at the barn of course - and I almost had a heart attack: The farmsitter left the feed bin latched open, Remy had grabbed the feed container and spilled the contents of a 50 pound (!) bag on the floor in front of his stall. Luckily Remy's half-door was high enough so he couldn't get to it. With just a bit of more angling he would have had all the pellets in his stall - with most likely deadly consequences.
So, there goes my entry to the upcoming show at Majestic. It would have been our 3rd level debut, but alas, no way leaving all the critters and worrying what might happen while we are gone! Ah, well, there will be other opportunities... but still, this would have been an excellent one, low-key and low-pressure. On the bright side, Judy found me a spot on Jan's schedule this weekend, as well as squeezing me in her schedule for extra lessons. Remy and I will be ready to kick butt when it counts. Yay!
As they say: Good help is truly hard to find. I better be extra nice my farm manager. He complains from time to time about being underappreciated. Here, have some chocolate, JP! :-)
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