I like to watch dressage. But several rounds before lunch is enough. The rest of Friday is spent at the vendors and doing a XC walk.
Sunday morning - after the jog and before show jumping - was when my daughter and I checked out the museum. We did not really do it in depth, but it was enough. Depending on your tolerance for dressage, Friday might be a good time too. We watched almost all the dressage, but I guess we are in the minority there - of course, my daughter was 22, not 12.
Our strategy for x-country was to go to the farthest point from the start (Land Rover Hollow) and then work our way back. The out vs back routes on course run somewhat parallel in many places so you can swap from one to the other.
In addition to the museums/horse park attractions, they also have a bunch of demos going on in an outside ring during Rolex. One that’s a lot of fun to watch is the Pony Club Prince Phillip Cup games. It’s like relay races on horseback, and there will be games played on Friday and Saturday. They also have other demos like a drill team, minis, etc. My only trip to Rolex was as a parent to a pony clubber on one of the games teams. We were able to see all the vendors, some dressage warmups, an hour or so of X-C in the rain, and did not stay for SJ because we had to drive the ponies home 9 hours. The awards for games were at 11 or 12, then we packed up and headed out as SJ was starting.
[QUOTE=soloudinhere;8540815]
we are flying SWA and are flying into Dayton, OH because the flights were MUCH cheaper, for whatever reason. I have to go through BWI either way from where I am. I don’t remember Louisville being a SWA hub - I have flown more than a million air miles on Southwest and I have never been to the Louisville airport, but almost every flight I take goes through BWI.[/QUOTE]
If driving back to Dayton Sunday? Expect a typical bottleneck down the cut in the hill at the Ohio River bridge and HORRIBLE construction both ways on 75 in Ohio between the river and the 275 loop, including overnight lane closures and ever changing lane configurations with barrels and those concrete barrier things.
Might just go around on 275 thru Lawrenceburg Indiana-it’s on the border right on 275. Just a heads up if you will be trying to make a flight or even just driving down 75 from the north. That will let you miss both the construction and the typical bridge back up.
I mention this having spent an hour going 12 miles up 75 from the river to 275 at 1pm on a Wed, and it’s just the latest chapter in an ongoing struggle. I go around when it’s an option. Oh, it won’t be done anytime soon, year 2 of a multi year project including multiple bridge renovations. That’s if they don’t knock another bridge down…
More thanks to everyone for all the info!
Came up with a few more questions:
- should we order headsets?
- what is the vet box?
- what is the sunday jog?
- Can you bring food and drinks into the stadium (i.e. carry in a small cooler?)
Many thanks again!
Headsets–yes, definitely for dressage. Save your money for showjumping.
Vet box–at the end of XC, where the horses are checked over by the vets.
Sunday jog (free) is held before show jumping to make sure the horses are physically capable of competing (not lame). It consists of the riders trotting their horses out in a straight line, turning and trotting back in front of the ground jury and vets.
I have a nifty gadget, which is backpack with an insulated pocket and attached seat. I don’t know if they are still sold, but a cooler is a PITA and may not be allowed. The Rolex rules change on that quite frequently. IIRC, the backpack is a Horsewares/Rambo product. IMO, it’s perfect for XC. It’s the Rambo Eventing Seat and is apparently no longer sold. However, any backpack with an insulated pocket would be better than a cooler–if you can find one.
Here it is. They’ve changed the look and the name, but it’s still for sale.
http://www.theoriginalhorsetackcompany.com/horseware-ireland-newmarket-eventing-seat-14845-prd1.htm
I’m with Allpurpose, a 13 yr old will have a lot more fun doing a course walk on Friday and meandering and spending the seats headset money at the trade fair! Buy the DVD and then she can study the rides later. Watch some of the dressage in action on the jumbotron in the trade fair in the indoor arena. Same thing plant yourself for awhile in the cross country field/tailgating area, that has the jumbotron so you can see some of the rides progress (and buy the DVD to see it all later- rinse repeat!).
There is TOO MUCH to do it all. Plan on going for other years and then you can spread it out and experience more. Personally I’d need a week! the first part of the week, before being exhausted walking around Rolex for 3-4 days, to spend enjoying the surrounding sights around Lexington; then 3-4 days at Rolex. The first day is always the bargain shopping dive. Then the course walks.
HInt buy the DVD! and then enjoy the rest of the Rolex experience at more leisure. Maybe order a past year’s copy to watch now so that all of you will have a more educated eye and an idea of how to approach enjoying the experience. Yes the individual phases are extraordinary and exciting and educational but accept that you cannot do it all and try to balance it with more of the experience that a 13 yr old girl would appreciate. Then build upon it in future years. No 13 yr old is going to want to sit in the stands all day watching dressage when the crowd is milling all over the place and there is so much more to see. Like others mentioned there are demos going on also.
Great BDay present!! It will be a big memory of her with her parents and you will get just as much out of it, time spent together, and it is the world’s best weekend, a pilgrimage.
Oh my goodness Vineyridge, I love this backpack gadget! And my husband, who evaluates all things for usefulness and functionality, will love it 
I also found something similar on Amazon:
Questions create more questions: Can I rent the headsets at the event or do I need to order in advance?
Very good advice pony grandma. I forgot to mention that my 13 year old does not do well when we stack the agenda to the max. We have learned to fly by the seat of our pants, not get frantic about doing it all, and just do what feels good and blow off the rest. I’m picturing a bit of dressage on Friday and then trade fair/museum. Saturday I am passing on the Kentucky Club and we will just walk around. If weather is bad we will flex and do something else. Sunday I got stadium seats so we’ll watch some of the jumping. We always know that if DD gets overwhelmed by the crowds/activity we will have down time and/or watch things behind the scenes. My biggest worry at this point is having a very long walk from the parking lot in brutal sun or pouring rain. Can my husband drop us near the entrance and then go park? Its all good, we will have fun no matter what and as long as there are horses involved my daughter will love it!
Also forgot to ask: don’t understand “walking the course”. Just walking around the XC course on Friday when there are no horses? Why would we do this?
Sorry for the lack of knowledge but thank you all for being so kind and patient with the questions
FWIW, I always liked getting up early on Friday, missing a bit of dressage and head over to Keeneland Race Track to watch the morning works 
(parking is not bad in the morning and usually not crowded…)
Used to also eat breakfast at the Track Kitchen. It is currently closed for renovation but supposed to be re-open by mid-March. Not sure how much of the old “ambiance” (if you could call it that ) will be left after the reno but should still be a fun experience.
IMO, it is a beautiful track and fun to watch the horses in the morning.
Walking the course lets you get a bit closer to many of the jumps to see how imposing they are and also help you spec out where you want to go on Saturday.
Vet box is interesting to watch to see the care and attention given to the horses after they come in from x-country.
If you are there Wednesday… there is also a jog on Wednesday which is fun to watch. Get to see all the fashion that the riders wear to present their horses for inspection (jog up and back) and watching these fantastic horses and their energy
Caution: Rolex is addictive.
[QUOTE=horsemom3399;8543127]
Also forgot to ask: don’t understand “walking the course”. Just walking around the XC course on Friday when there are no horses? Why would we do this?
Sorry for the lack of knowledge but thank you all for being so kind and patient with the questions :)[/QUOTE]
Course “walks” will be offered with professional riders and coaches on Thursday and Friday. These offer you the chance to see the course a bit before the rides on Saturday, and also get insight into how things might be ridden, how the riders prepare, etc. from an expert. Some are better than others IMO. The annual Jim Wofford course walk is very popular because of who he is, but I’ve heard many negatives that it is too crowded and not informational enough. I personally prefer the smaller walks with lesser known riders. Keep your eyes peeled on CoTH in the days proceeding Rolex as there is usually a thread where we all post information as we hear of things like this. Some of the walks are pre-planned and some are announced during the event via text or loud speaker (usually the ones with riders entered since they are working around their schedules and sponsor duties). VERY fun and VERY educational!
[QUOTE=horsemom3399;8543127]
Also forgot to ask: don’t understand “walking the course”. Just walking around the XC course on Friday when there are no horses? Why would we do this?[/QUOTE]
Seeing the course in advance will give you a better idea of vantage points on Saturday so that you can have a general plan when you head in Saturday morning and it is crowded. Also, you just can’t imagine how impressed you will be by the size of the jumps up close.
There is really no way to avoid a lot of walking, but generally you are so distracted by all there is to see that you forget just how far you’ve been! And no, it would be very difficult to be dropped off closer because then your husband would be trying to go back against the flow of traffic in the parking line to park. You pretty much just have to go with the flow in the general parking and hike in across the grass field - it is not that big of a deal unless you’ve worn the wrong shoes!
As for dressage, I’ve had no trouble finding a good vantage point into the stadium to see a few rounds without having a seat, plus you can see the warm-up ring without a seat as well.
One of my fondest ever Rolex memories was a course walk with only a few people done by Amy Tryon and Kim Severson in the year of the Athens Olympics. I learned so much about how riders think about how to ride XC. At least I think it was 2004, but could have been the year before.
Hello! I’m excited to find a very active RK3DE thread! I’m returning after 20+ years away…yes, it’s been a while! We have tickets all 4 days and I do plan to max out my time doing as much as I can. Poor hubby knows next to nothing about horses but he’s being a real trooper!
My question is around the XC tailgate. Is anyone here doing that? We have a spot and we have some friends joining us but I honestly don’t want to camp out all day since this is not near some of the more complex obstacles. What’s the M.O. for the tailgate? Do ppl hang out at their vehicles all day or do most people float around? Is this a social event or do ppl keep to themselves? So should we bring extra chairs for other passers by who want to take a seat and have some bubbly with us? Is the area secured only for tailgaters?
Finally…we have dinner reservations at Heirloom for dinner one night…any other locations that are a must?
The single most important thing to know about Rolex is the enormous importance of comfortable (and waterproof) footwear. Rolex always involves miles and miles of walking. Tired feet with blisters can ruin the experience. Ask me how I know.
[QUOTE=Ksyrah;8543516]
Hello! I’m excited to find a very active RK3DE thread! I’m returning after 20+ years away…yes, it’s been a while! We have tickets all 4 days and I do plan to max out my time doing as much as I can. Poor hubby knows next to nothing about horses but he’s being a real trooper!
My question is around the XC tailgate. Is anyone here doing that? We have a spot and we have some friends joining us but I honestly don’t want to camp out all day since this is not near some of the more complex obstacles. What’s the M.O. for the tailgate? Do ppl hang out at their vehicles all day or do most people float around? Is this a social event or do ppl keep to themselves? So should we bring extra chairs for other passers by who want to take a seat and have some bubbly with us? Is the area secured only for tailgaters?
Finally…we have dinner reservations at Heirloom for dinner one night…any other locations that are a must?[/QUOTE]
I think it is up to you what you want to make of the tailgate, and also depends on how many people you have and what the weather is like. Last year, it rained and was cold on cross-country day so our entire group spent much of the day huddled under our tent, NOT drinking much of our bubbly because we didn’t want to get cold! When the weather did break, the guys tended to hang out and the rest of us wandered to see other parts of the course and to shop. Our spot had a good view of plenty of good jumps, so you could easily stay put and be entertained. There was not a lot of socializing between tailgate groups because of the weather. Most of the groups I saw had enough people already that they weren’t really inviting passers-by to join them, but if you were inclined to do so you would probably make a lot of new friends, lol. The tailgate spots are set back a little ways from the ropes so you don’t necessarily have people standing right in front of you.
[QUOTE=Ksyrah;8543516]
Hello! I’m excited to find a very active RK3DE thread! I’m returning after 20+ years away…yes, it’s been a while! We have tickets all 4 days and I do plan to max out my time doing as much as I can. Poor hubby knows next to nothing about horses but he’s being a real trooper!
My question is around the XC tailgate. Is anyone here doing that? We have a spot and we have some friends joining us but I honestly don’t want to camp out all day since this is not near some of the more complex obstacles. What’s the M.O. for the tailgate? Do ppl hang out at their vehicles all day or do most people float around? Is this a social event or do ppl keep to themselves? So should we bring extra chairs for other passers by who want to take a seat and have some bubbly with us? Is the area secured only for tailgaters?
Finally…we have dinner reservations at Heirloom for dinner one night…any other locations that are a must?[/QUOTE]
I think it is up to you what you want to make of the tailgate, and also depends on how many people you have and what the weather is like. Last year, it rained and was cold on cross-country day so our entire group spent much of the day huddled under our tent, NOT drinking much of our bubbly because we didn’t want to get cold! When the weather did break, the guys tended to hang out and the rest of us wandered to see other parts of the course and to shop. Our spot had a good view of plenty of good jumps, so you could easily stay put and be entertained. There was not a lot of socializing between tailgate groups because of the weather. Most of the groups I saw had enough people already that they weren’t really inviting passers-by to join them, but if you were inclined to do so you would probably make a lot of new friends, lol. The tailgate spots are set back a little ways from the ropes so you don’t necessarily have people standing right in front of you.
I haven’t been in years, but the memories that stand out most include soaked/muddy sneakers, buying a fleece jacket for a ridiculous amount of money due to not packing properly, carrying unused raingear the year it was 80 degrees, eating lots of yogurt and fruit and stuff we could pack in the car, and walking, walking, walking. When I talk to people about it, I usually suggest making Friday a travel day and then going home on Monday. After things are done on Sunday, see the museum, or maybe something else in Lexington, then get up early Monday morning and drive/fly home. That 8 hour drive becomes ten really easily and getting up the next morning for work is no fun.
I’ve got two words for this group: You are Totally Awesome!
I have learned so much and it is all so helpful! I love the idea of doing a course walk with a professional rider and my daughter will be over the moon if we can do something like that. She would also love the vet boxes. Is that something you just walk up to on Saturday after a rider finishes or is it a formal deal where you have to sign up etc?
