Perhaps you were thinking Jane and I had succumbed to old age and given up horse showing. It was beginning to look like we might have come to the end, having been thwarted at every turn. But a few weeks ago, Kris came to see us and knocked off some of our rust. We entered the Kentucky Summer Classic Horse Show at The Kentucky Horse Park and miraculously nothing went wrong, and here we are!
We left at 4 AM this morning. It is always magical to walk out into a dark pasture to find a horse. Bart was not too far out into the field, and Stone, being gray, was a beacon in the night, leading me to him. Jane and Derry took their own trailer, and the old ladies and their trusty Irish steeds set out for adventure with two trucks and two trailers, eastward to Kentucky.
Luckily, the trip was uneventful for both of us, and by noon (Eastern time) we were settling into Barn 7, a very nice location, near Kris, and more importantly, near the rings in which we will be showing. The Horse Park is so huge, it’s possible to be stabled half an hour away from the ring. And this week is the week before Pony Finals, so the place is packed with many ponies practicing.
We wandered around the Horse Park for a while on Bart and Derry, seeing the sights. Bart was a bit amazed – he has never been to Kentucky before. He really hasn’t been to all that many venues! But he went right to work when it was time to school with Kris. We feel we are somewhat less rusty than we were a month ago, and we are so happy to be here and ready to horse show.
As luck would have it, another old lady, our dear friend, Laura, has joined us at our not very fancy Winner’s Circle Motel in Georgetown, Kentucky. She is on her way home from judging in Virginia, and arrived full of hilarious tales of her weekend and the journey today.
And now, we must rest to be ready for the real adventure to begin in the Walnut Arena tomorrow morning…
This is very exciting. I wish I could have gone, but I’ll catch you and Jane at the next local show. I sent you a text with a short video of the wild horses of Missouri which I saw for the first time today, but I’d have waited if I’d known you were off competing again! Good luck!
Looking forward to all the updates this week! Have a great time & best of luck!!
What a great place to jump back into the horse show ring. Your Florida friend looks forward to future reports on this adventure! Good luck to the both of you.