too much Rolex!

There can’t be such a thing as too much Rolex, right?!  It’s the best weekend of the year (excepting my birthday!)!!

So, during the watching of Saturday’s XC, solid plans were made to get out to Kentucky for Rolex 2016.  I’ve had just an absurdly good time watching all the horses, international and domestic, compete this year, and I needz to see it in person!!!!!!  I am willing to shell out all that money, especially if I have a real job then!

There have been many, many impressive rides.  Michael Jung, of course (to which my MIL responded “Yes, we Germans really know dressage!”).  I almost half expected one of Michael Jung’s horses to be a little less game XC, because they were so good in the dressage, but they were foot perfect, both of them.  Which goes to show you can have a really, really good dressage horse who is also a cross country beast.  Sooo yeah…. there’s that piece of evidence against one theory.

Elisa Wallace and Simply Priceless impressed the pants off me.  Such a bold, forward ride.  I found myself gasping multiple times during her ride and not out of fear — because of the bravery of herself and her horse!  You can check out her helmet cam footage on Horse Junkies United!  I’ve also got to love that Johnny’s an Australian thoroughbred — two words I loved more could never have been uttered, except maybe “salted” and “caramel” — oh and that his barn name is Johnny.  Really, that’s just hysterical.

also hysyterical: this goatling climbed into my lap at a friend’s house!

Loving that some of my faves are up towards the top right now — Boyd, Lynn & The Deer, Elisa Wallace (new fave!), PDutty — and equally sad for those who didn’t make it through cross country today.  However, that is the world of eventing, as Dom Schramm put it, and to walk away with a sound horse and continue to fight another day is a pretty good outcome.

Anyway, “too much Rolex” means I’ve not been writing my thesis much this weekend (oops), but will hopefully get to it tonight and tomorrow morning.  I hope.  There’s much to do.  Too much Rolex also means I’ve been riding Murray like we’re at Kentucky Horse Park and having shockingly good rides!  After I got  Murray’s head screwed back on yesterday (yes, we can dressage, yes, you do know how to be steady in the contact, no, canter departs do not require you to kick the arena wall but A+ for effort), suddenly I was riding this really forward, through horse with a lifted back.

I was pretty shocked.  As are we all, I know.

also shocking: kitten and Ellie sleep together in harmony!!

Anyway, I got some really great trot work and made a perfect turn down the centerline using literally only my legs.  It was badass.  I felt like I was coming around the corner in some kind of high level dressage test — you know, like First or Second level even!!  The centerline itself was a noodly disaster, and our halt was neither straight nor square, but whatever.  The corner felt amazing.  I asked for some lengthenings across the diagonal — which we actually don’t do yet — and Murray totally got it.  As long as by “got it” we mean he kinda confusedly trotted bigger and then broke into a canter and was like “WTF DO YOU WANT LADY.”

No matter, nothing can kill my enthusiasm.

I thought his forwardness was just an artifact of getting a whole bunch of days off while we waited to get his shoes back on after the x-rays, and was shocked when it showed up today as well!  And the lifted back!!  And the steady contact (after reminders)!!!  I am pretttttyyy pleased with this result, and am sure it has something to do with all that Rolex I’ve been watching.

DUDE THIS GOAT. I NEEDS HER!!!