 |
| My sweet husband called me on my birthday last year to tell me he had won tickets to the World Equestrian Games in Lexington Kentucky. |
The prize was awarded by our feed company, Triple Crown Nutrition. They put us up at the Lexington Hilton, provided us tickets for reining the first day and dressage the following 2 days. Lexington itself was amazing. The art on the streets is another post in itself! We had a great time.....
My reining photos leave much to be desired. These guys do not play around. True professionals.
There were clinicians through out the week, someone always in the arena. They were very approachable and interactive. I could have stayed at the clinic and been happy watching! I wish I had gotten photos of them all. Lynn Palm was amazing!
John Lyons. He is my hero. I could have listened to him alone for 5 days. He pulled a woman out of the crowd, put her on his new horse Buddy and gave her a lesson! His sons were working in the other end of the arena on Preacher and a new mount. I respect that he is an amazing horseman and a man of God as well. It is rare that you find a man in his position who openly thanks God for the gifts in his life.
Not sure who they are! They were walking the cross country course early one morning.
Yep....I was this close to Edward Gal and Totilas. AMAZING to say the least. I am sad that they are no longer together. It is an inspiring if not daunting thing to watch people of this level ride. I did enjoy seeing for myself that horses at this level act like horses and not machines. There were several tests that included bucks so it just shows that your never done working!
They had so much team spirit! Our hotel was covered in Orange and I think the majority of the country was here in support of their team. What a fun group of people to hang out with!
I have suggested that my husband enter every contest available and win us tickets to the next WEG in Normandy in 2014. I can only imaging this event is as close to the Olympics as you can get!
We also visited Old Friends Retirement Farm and got to meet Bull in the Heather and Gulch. Its a beautiful place doing a wonderful service to these old guys who deserve retirement for all they have given of themselves to their owners and fans.
Took a detour to Churchill Downs and saw Secretariats jockey Ron Turcotte. He was there to sign the starting gate used in the movie. The museum was amazing and had a huge Secretariat exhibit for the opening of the movie. Out back they had a memorial for 8 belles...that made me cry.
I will have to post on the art that was everywhere! The streets of Lexington were covered as well as the Kentucky Horse Park. It was an amazing experience!
i love john lyons for that reason too. i attended one clinic with him as an observer and he had his stallion zip, and they were playing together and that horse, i swear, he understood english. john wouldn't even use noticeable body language, he'd just murmur, "get outta here" and the stallion would leap away playfully. i know it bothers people that he "makes" them pray at lunchtime, but oh well, take what you like and leave the rest like at any clinic. i'll take the prayer.
ReplyDeletei'd like to exchange a package with you...what do you want?
~lytha