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Psssst, are y'all watchin our cuzins at Rolex??

Hunting
#1

Are any of my hunting buddies watchin’ our hunting cousins, the eventers, over at universalsports.com on the Rolex cross country course? :eek:

I have always been a closet eventer- love the formal dressage clothes and the colorful cross country outfits. As a lowly fox hunter, who doesn’t really jump anymore, I’m limited to either my black lightweight wool or heavyweight wool coat. Yup, that’s the closet eventer in me. :lol: I event vicariously through our brethern out there today. :yes:

I am in decent shape for my age and recreational riding but I am in 4 Advil P.A.I.N thinking of galloping 4 miles with all those jumping efforts! :dead: If the Rolex cross country fences were all lowered to a MAXIMUN height of 18" high and/or wide and left in the same spot so that the technical question of pace, approach and exit were still asked, I would need a potty break at say, fence 4, the covered bridge. That looks like a nice place to take a short break doesn’t it?? :smiley: Mr. Wofford labeled fence 12 a “breather” so a second break would perfect there. They could leave the existing fence up- at 6’6" wide it would large enough to stretch out on and maybe sip a ice cold Corona with a lime in it?? :stuck_out_tongue: At the “head of the lake” I think I might want to cool off in the water, take a quick swim. :yes: I bet I could get around the course in just a couple hours. Have y’all noticed they aren’t carrying flasks and they are JUMPING.REALLY.BIG.JUMPS?? :eek: Heck, after a good 10 minute run we toast to the old coyote! :winkgrin:

All jokes aside my heart sings when they succeed and sinks a little if one of them has to say “time to call it quits for the day.” :sadsmile: What horsemen and horsewomen they are, like equestrian astronauts, out of this world aren’t they? And those horses, brave and bold. :eek: I am so in awe of those eventers…and also little skeered of them…I think they are a lil bit crazy. :rolleyes: :sleepy:

#2

Totally agree!
I’d be jumping “Head of the Puddle” :winkgrin:.

#3

Its love/hate for me I guess…

Eventers-shmenters. Not MY cousins mind you…none of my cuzz’s would work that hard to attain something or compete!! :winkgrin:

Those that compete at that level are unreal and brave but I’m thinking of the zillions of goofy folks pretending to be eventers or espousing to BE eventers As a group; I find them silly. I know, lotsa wannabe’s in every sport…I guess we all want a label.

The upper level folks I admire their horses. And what it takes to make a horse like that.

I guess I’m not fond of them eventers cuz overall I don’t find them funny. No sense of humor. Too serious for me. They don’t seem to be having fun. Whatever!!

#4

Maybe they are more like the Crazy Uncle who works at NASA. (I’m staying on my astronaut thought) You know, super smart, a little odd and willing to jump in a ship and get launched into outer space. :stuck_out_tongue:

The only Big Time event horse that I’ve touched was Poltroon back in '79. I was working at a farm in Middleburg and the mare had to stay there after a trailer problem. She was so cute and not a big thing at all. :slight_smile: I looked at her legs thinking "she must have super sonic springs built in to help hurl her up and over those jumps.

We have a few eventers who hunt with us. Ours are fun folks!! :winkgrin:

#5

[QUOTE=wateryglen;4827004]
Eventers-shmenters. Not MY cousins mind you…none of my cuzz’s would work that hard to attain something or compete!! :winkgrin:

Those that compete at that level are unreal and brave but I’m thinking of the zillions of goofy folks pretending to be eventers or espousing to BE eventers As a group; I find them silly. I know, lotsa wannabe’s in every sport…I guess we all want a label.

The upper level folks I admire their horses. And what it takes to make a horse like that.

I guess I’m not fond of them eventers cuz overall I don’t find them funny. No sense of humor. Too serious for me. They don’t seem to be having fun. Whatever!![/QUOTE]

Ha! I cannot believe that someone thinks the same thing I do! But I won’t come out and say it ; -)
I jump judge a couple of times a year as a favor to a friend, and those eventers seem to obsess about stuff like the footing, which of course to us seems luxurious!

#6

HaHa A little romp across good footing - nothing like sliding down a ravine side and taking out small saplings or jumping a raincoat on the top strand of barb wire, from the cornfield into the woods, in the rain - hey :smiley:

#7

My involvement as a (very, very, very) low level eventer hit a definite snag when I made the personal decision never to jump any obstacles upon which I could comfortably take a nap. :wink:

Fortunately I found foxhunting shortly thereafter and I have no regrets. Rolex is fun to watch but I wouldn’t want to try it myself!

#8

Hey PonyGrandma-
Methinks your flask had been emptied BEFORE those episodes?

#9

Eventing, my favorite SPECTATOR sport. :yes:

#10

[QUOTE=3dogfarm;4826822]
Totally agree!
I’d be jumping “Head of the Puddle” :winkgrin:.[/QUOTE]

Oh my… I LOVE this!!! Teeheeheehee :smiley:

#11

[QUOTE=wateryglen;4827004]

I guess I’m not fond of them eventers cuz overall I don’t find them funny. No sense of humor. Too serious for me. They don’t seem to be having fun. Whatever!![/QUOTE]

You must not have met the right eventers then… we have a blast! :winkgrin: Immediately AFTER we have survived the XC course!

#12

[QUOTE=bounce;4827654]
You must not have met the right eventers then… we have a blast![/QUOTE]
I was just about to say that! I’ve never met an eventer without a serious sense of humour :wink:

#13

This, it is correct!!! :winkgrin:

My Rolex Lite cross country course would include the following jumps:

  1. The Umbrella- rum drinks in my choice or pink, blue or green served with lil umbrellas in it with iron patio furniture to sit upon. :yes:

  2. No coffin jump, too dreary sounding. How about “Wedding Chapel”- an 18" in-and-out surrounded by red roses. :stuck_out_tongue:

  3. The Sofa- just that, a sofa for a quick rest at the halfway point. :yes:

  4. The Outhouse- next question (dontcha love how everything is a question out there???) immediately after the sofa. Potty break.

and so on…you get the idea. This would be for spectator/closet eventers ONLY!!! No big guns, not even Training level eventers!! :cool:

#14

It’s closer than you think

Foxhunters and eventers are very closely related. Some of us do both in the same season with the same horse.:smiley: I found that a day with Piedmont made a useful happy cross country “school” for my upper level horses. We were happy as clams and not bored in the least!

The Foxhunting joy of a run is very similar to the cross-country run. Foxhunters know how to cross country at speed with many obstacles. Do not sell yourselves short. The foxhunting makes the eventer even braver and bolder. The horse has to think and analyze and be aware. The rider has to learn to help the horse without taking over the thinking. Puzzles are good. Trappy is good, too.

Eventers do have a wicked sense of humor. We are up against the course, not each other. There is comraderie. We do know how to party, Waterglen! ( You know that from experience, :D)

Besides, after hunting season, one has a fit horse, so might as well do something interesting to get out of the barn… Of course there is that genteel Homestead, Va endurance ride in the spring that Mr. Mellon started…:winkgrin:

#15

You say that like it’s a bad thing! :lol: I think eventing is a great sport - no matter what level the person competes at.

I disagree with Wateryglen - the eventers at BN are every bit an eventer as the person competing at the upper levels.

Just like a hilltopper is every bit a foxhunter as someone who rides 1st flight. Folks who ride to hounds are foxhunters, and folks who participate in eventing are eventers. It’s our chosen sport.

We don’t all have the ability, horse or time/desire to compete at the upper levels - so why disparage people who aren’t riding at Prelim or above? How unsporting.

It’s hard enough to work and commute and foxhunt - just think how hard it is for folks to work in 3 different disciplines and work and commute. Much less raise a family, clean the house, do clinics, school… etc.

It’s a great sport. I wish I saw more eventers out foxhunting. Used to be we saw more; guess things have changed.

Guess I’ll be the odd man out and say KUDOS to our eventing cousins. Y’all rock. And you look faaaahhhhbulous! I heart Becky Holder (foxhunter who used to whip in for Ft. Leavenworth Hunt - now a kick ass eventer)

#16

[QUOTE=3dogfarm;4827323]
Hey PonyGrandma-
Methinks your flask had been emptied BEFORE those episodes?[/QUOTE]

:lol::lol::lol:

And … I was riding my timber horse!! Yee Haw.

(Like Roseanne Barr said, she believed in that Shirley Maclaine previous life thing, because before she had kids, she HAD one!) love Grandma :cool:

added: I evented too, I recognize the down-hill skiing white ring in their eyes!

#17

Oh dang, I bite at tongue in cheek on the world wide web keyboard. :sadsmile: I am 100% in awe and admire the eventers!! And great point, I can’t imagine practicing three skill sets. I am pea green with envy with all of them! :yes:

As a hilltopper up at Leavenworth when I was a member 9 or 10 years ago, it was my pleaure to follow behind Becky’s Pop who was often the Hilltopper Field Master and always a Gentleman. He rode a Black percheron mare who was so funny, the longer the hunt, the stronger she became. :winkgrin:

#18

Aw - now I am pea green with envy of you. I doubt I’ll ever get to hunt out that way. Waaaa… poor me. Chained to my farm. A friend in my club hunted for years with Ft. Leavenworth - he is full of great stories about that hunt and its history.

I bow low before you.

I went to the 96 games and saw the 3 day. I wouldn’t climb those jumps with a ladder. :lol: They’re all nuts. And their horses are nuts too.

But I say that in a good way. I like crazy in good way kind of people. Eventers and foxhunters both seem to have a screw or two… slightly loose. Just slightly. :cool:

I guess the only wildness we can show is a funky stock tie for cubbing. Though I suppose you could wear a leopard print bra if you wanted to feel daring.:wink:

#19

I kinda did that once. :rolleyes:

I had a leopard print sports bra and put it on one Sunday morning. That was a scorcher of a day, so coats ended up being waived. I didn’t have a vest with me. So…everyone could see my leopard bra through my shirt. :eek::lol:

I should’ve also put on the matching leopard print hat cover I had.

#20

I met a lady at the Fair Hill Shell with her mount in the trailer coming home from riding who is a local eventer among other things. She had a young grey mare in the trailer.

Soon the eventers will be at Fair Hill routinely on weekends, I love that. I love their attitudes, their nerves of steel all of it and I’m a wanna be, LOL, but wouldn’t dare be. Even when I was young and foolish I doubt I would have tried that sport but I do so admire everything about it. 2 of my Nokota horses did some low level eventing and I was very proud of them, they did a good job. Now they are just parked in the pasture bored out of their minds because no one is riding them. They like gutsy riders and that’s not me. They are solid cross country and jumping horses, that’s what they love. They also tolerate the ring.

I have a friend who paints fine art in MN and she painted my two boys, Teddy and Leo, check them out:
http://michelemelina.com/nokota.htm
This was their first horse trial at Fair Hill.

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