My first Rolex. No, not the watch, the three-day event in Kentucky. I could not be more thrilled to see this amazing competition first-hand for the first time.
To begin with, however, I had to miss two days of top-level dressage. It seems the fine establishment of the University of Virginia does not smile upon the whims of a horse-crazy fourth-year student who wants to be excused from her seminars for two days. As I sat in class, pining to watch fit, athletic, beautiful horses trot down the centerline, I fidgeted, anxious to hit the road and make the seven-hour trip to Lexington, Kentucky.
On Friday my friends and I loaded up and began the long drive. Several Italian fast food pit stops later, we reached the prestigious EconoLodge that would be our home for the night. We checked in and fell asleep with visions of water jumps dancing through our heads.
After a long night listening to the ruckus of a dozen loud male college students who threw bottles and screamed obscenities in the parking lot outside our door, we knew two things: we would never visit this hotel again, and we were more excited than ever to get to the park, where the only yelling and screaming is that of the crowd when a horse and rider successfully complete a combination.
One of the most tortuous things about Rolex cross-country is that one can’t spectate every jump at once. We decided we would first watch the Head of the Lake combination. Horses jump a large hanging log, three strides, clear a big brush drop, leap a corner in the lake, exit, approach a log drop, and clear a skinny upon exiting once again. Riders could choose to use an easier option that would consume more time, but the vast majority chose to take the more direct route, leaping the skinny from a very acute angle that required the utmost precision. Not surprisingly, a very large crowd was gathered at this jump; the splashing and the complexity of it give it the most “wow” factor of any jump on course. Each rider that went through demonstrated a great deal of skill, safety, intelligence, and integrity. Riders made the best choice for their horse and the circumstances, and we moved on after 40 minutes impressed at what we had seen so far.
Other jumps on course presented exciting challenges as well. One upper-level rider’s horse landed on its knees after a particularly large A element, rising without missing a beat and leaping the B element (a ditch and wall) and finally the C element. A younger rider had a rough trip over an A element, then only barely cleared a brush corner B element, her horse skimming the top of it with almost no room to spare.
The coffin tripped up its fair share of teams. Several experienced horses seemed unprepared for what lay beyond the A element, and halted in mid-air. The re-approaches we saw were all successful, the horses continuing over the ditch and the uneven brush without too much of a hitch.
Near the end of the day, as we watched the Duck Pond, we heard the announcement of Oliver Townend’s fall. A long hold was implemented on course, and we decided to walk over in the direction of incident. Rumors were flying, and several volunteers asked us not to approach the area of the fall. After Townend was taken away by the medical helicopter, we heard several very scary rumors regarding Ashdale Cruise Master’s condition. We called it a day after that being too far away to see the last horse complete its course.
Sunday was stadium jumping. Under a quickly darkening sky we watched each pair complete a rigorous course. A very tricky final combination asked that the riders clear a vertical, an oxer, and a final vertical, testing their ability to readjust and think on their feet. Some teams seemed overfaced by the combination, and had rails, seemingly due to their inability to jump the very upright final element after the lofty and lengthy jump of the oxer before it. Hardly in a position to be critical, however, we sat there deeply impressed by how much talent passed through that ring, and how many riders graciously patted their horses or thanked the crowd after their round.
William Fox-Pitt’s round was the last of the day and certainly the best of all. Cool Mountain was awe-inspiring in his ability to clear the jumps cattily and carefully after the exhaustion and stress of cross-country the year before. This horse’s energy and enthusiasm was matched only by Fox-Pitt’s skill and carefulness. Together, they wowed the audience. After completing their course without jump or time penalties, the spectators went wild, and Fox-Pitt lapped part of the ring, celebrating with the crowd and praising his horse. His success was a thrilling end to the weekend.
Erika Preve