August flew by in the blink of an eye. Before we knew it we were packed and ready to embark on our biggest endeavor yet. I can’t even fit the trip in one post so this is going to be a series.
We were going to the American Eventing Championships in Lexington, Kentucky!
I can’t even believe it and it already happened. I don’t have to be the rider to get a lot out of such an adventure. My horse and best friend were competing alongside the best of the best throughout the ENTIRE COUNTRY!
Suzanne and I met at the barn at 2:30am Wednesday morning. We fed Tiger and loaded up, leaving the driveway around 3am.
The two of us listened to girl music and sang along as we crossed from NY to PA, from PA to OH, and the hours of driving through Ohio. Our most hectic spot was through a tunnel and over the bridge in Cincinatti which spit us out in Kentucky.
We arrived at Kentucky Horsepark at 4:30pm, unloaded, and Tiger walked around as if he were right at home. We noticed it was already quite warm…it was 100 degrees! He sweat on the trailer but was dry and crusty when we arrived, no worse for wear. He got a drink, a walk, and a bath. He happily settled into his stall and we met our neighbors.
Suzanne opted to share a tack stall with a few others. Sam, Kathryn, and Nancy. Everyone was so friendly and kind.
Exhausted and pleased with how settled in Tiger was, we grabbed a bite to eat at Ramsey’s Diner. The tenders were outstanding, I enjoyed a buffalo chicken salad with ranch. It was huge but I managed to eat most of it. It was nice to have a good meal after a day of road snacks.
We arrived the next morning to catch the sunrise and check in on Tiger. He was calm and happy to see us. Over the season we’ve developed a routine where one of us takes him for walks while the other cleans his stall a couple times each day.
After breakfast Suzanne left to get her fiance flying in to join us. Nancy and I took the horses for a walk and to finally see Rolex Stadium. We stood on the hillside and watched some of the stadium jumping rounds. Tiger enjoyed the grass and found a nice place to drop for a nice roll. As he was getting up I heard someone behind us. A woman in a golf cart was telling us we weren’t allowed to be up there. OOPS! She was very kind and not angry at us, and we moved on with a lesson learned. But hey, Tiger got to roll on forbidden ground overlooking Rolex!
While Suzy was still away at the airport, Nancy, Tom and I made our way to the Alltech Arena where they were hosting the Bluegrass Classic Dog Show. We parked roadside in order to catch a glimpse of some dogs jumping after toys into the water. It was so cool to see in person, I’ve only seen this event on the internet.
We ALSO got the chance to watch our friend Kathryn ride her thoroughbred, Borky in her novice dressage test.
Pictures will have to follow since they are still on my camera but Borky has become my buddy. I considered him the Stanley of AECs. His personality was so similar. He loves sour patch kids and a good scratch. He also loved his naps and we often saw him laying down taking a snooze at any given time of day. He was a true character!
Tiger and Suzanne had Thursday off, it gave everyone time to settle in after a long trip. We met people from around the country. NH, MA, CA, GA, WY, LA,IA. It’s humbling.
Suzanne had a practice ride with Tiger after the dressage tests were completed. They opened her ring up for ring familiarization. The two look better than ever! I was so excited to see them riding at THE Kentucky Horsepark.
The competitors party was Thursday evening, lasagna was served with carrot cake (my weakness). The VIP tent overlooked rolex stadium so we watched the stadium rounds while we ate. We enjoyed the complimentary massage chairs, and talked amongst ourselves.
Friday was the beginning of competition for Suzanne and Tiger. Since I’ve already tested my luck and you’ve followed along this far I’m going to save that narration for next time. I hope you’ll return to read on about how Tiger and Suzanne made out at American Eventing Championships!
The Green Horseman 
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