Olympic Horses and Riders

Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz and Fuego truly impressed me this year

In 2008, I cringed when Czech Republic rider David Svoboda and his horse HunHun, from the Czech National Stud, crashed through a fence during the modern pentathlon.

This year, the Cross Country course at Greenwich Park became slippery as more horses competed

I will always hold dear in my memories that I was privileged to see Joe Fargis on Touch of Class (above), Conrad Homfeld on Abdullah, and Greg Best on Gem Twist.  Those were fantastic years.

Equestrian - Individual Jumping Finals

I was lucky to be able to see the last round of the Individual Jumping competition, as well as the Jump-off for the Silver and Bronze.  I had hoped that Nick Skelton would make a clear ride, so there would be a jump-off for the Gold, but his mount ticked the front, top rail of the final oxer - and Nick ended up out of the medals.  The Gold was won by Steve Guerdat - the first Swiss rider to win a gold medal in 88 years; Gerco Schroder, of the Netherlands, took the Silver, after  Cian O'Connor, of Ireland, took down a rail in the jump-off and was awarded the Bronze.  Rich Fellers finished 8th in the Individual for the US, and Ian Millar tied for 9th for Canada.  The Individual Dressage competition is underway on MSNBC this morning.
  Lovey is sitting on the corner of my desk, occasionally butting my chin with her head, while Nedi is out pestering the raven family in the back yard.  Rosie and Remy both slept with me last night, and I had some really strange dreams about my husband, Jeff, and I herding cattle in New York state - but it was through some steep and narrow pine-clad ravines, that seemed more like Washington state...  It was just weird.
   Tonight, I must admit that I won't be watching the Olympics, as I'll be watching Payton Manning quarterback the Broncos for at least one quarter against the Chicago Bears.  And if I can find coverage of the Jets game tomorrow evening, I'll be watching that as well, so I can see Tim Tebow (I hope).  I still think that the Broncos should have kept Tim Tebow, and allowed him to absorb the wisdom and game-reading skills of Manning - ah, what might have been!

Photos: 2012 Equestrian Olympics

Ian Millar and Star Power, of Canada, compete in the Grand Prix Jumping competition

Jan Ebeling, riding Ann Romney's Rafalca (USET), today

Tina Konyot riding Calecto V (USET) today

Steffen Peters on Ravel (USET) today

Goodbye to a Fantastic Pianist

I can't quite grasp the fact that Marvin Hamlisch is no longer with us.  His music will, I'm sure, live on for ever - but the man who created such wonderful music is gone.  He died yesterday after a brief illness, according to his family.  He wrote the scores of many movies, and a large number of plays - and was awarded with three Academy Awards, four Emmys, one Tony, and three Golden Globe Awards.  He was 68 years old.  It doesn't seem possible that this great fountain of music will create no more.
  In the Equestrian Olympic Games, there was a jump-off yesterday to break the tie for first place in the Team Jumping competition;  Great Britain got the gold, the Netherlands took home the silver, and Saudi Arabia took the bronze.  Canada finished fifth, and the US ended in sixth place.  The Individual Jumping rounds will take place tomorrow -  Nick Skelton on Big Star (Great Britain), Maikel van der Vleuten on Verdi, and Marc Houtzager on Tamino, both from the Netherlands, qualified without any faults; Rich Fellers and Flexible (US) and Ian Millar on Star Power (Canada) are tied in 11th place with 8 faults each.
  The Team Dressage competition has ended, with Grat Britain taking the gold, Germany the silver, and the Netherlands got the bronze.  The Grand Prix Freestyle dressage rides will decide the Individual medalists on Thursday.  Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro is currently in first place, with the Netherlands in second, and another English rider in third.  Steffen Peters on Ravel is the only USA rider to proceed to the finals - they are currently tied in 7th place with a score of 76.254.
  And, a Longmont man who crashed into nine cars after taking pain medication and smoking marijuana pleaded guilty this morning to two counts of vehicular assault causing serious bodily injury.  Sean Marino, 43, entered the plea in Boulder District Court before Judge Thomas Mulvahill. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped misdemeanor charges of DUI, reckless driving and 11 counts of careless driving.  Marino was arrested in March after police say he was driving at a "very high rate of speed" on 19th Street and collided with a car at Cedar Avenue with three people in it. Marino then hit a parked car before slamming into four other cars stopped at a red light at Iris Avenue, police said. The impact pushed one of the cars into the intersection, causing it to collide with other cars.
   Ten people were sent to the hospital as a result of the crash -- including Marino himself. Marino told police he had taken Percocet, a narcotic pain medication that contains oxycodone, for stomach pain before the accident. He also was taking anti-seizure medication and smoked marijuana before the crash, though both were prescribed, according to prosecutors. He also did not have valid insurance.  He is out on bond and will be sentenced on October 5, 2012.  I think that this man should never be allowed to drive any vehicle, even a lawn mower, for the rest of his life.

Olympic Opening Ceremonies (& More Horses!)

I am still riding high, wide, and beautiful from the wonderful 87th Annual Chincoteague Pony Penning.  I am in good spirits, and my kits have been having a blast with me at home.  I started house-sitting this morning for Rosie and Remy; and tomorrow evening will move in with Brandi for a week; and I'll be caring for Peach tomorrow and Sunday, so I'll be running about like a maniac for two days (and missing Lovey and Nedi terribly). 
  I am looking forward to seeing the Olympics Opening Ceremonies tonight - they start at 6:30 p.m. MDT on the local NBC station.  And, of course, I'll be most interested in the Equestrian competitions taking place at Greenwich Park.  (The Park venue is being guarded by a British Navy warship in the Thames.)  Hopefully, the planned scheduling of the horse-related events will happen as scheduled - even though most of it takes place in the early morning in the U. S.  If you'd like more information on the United States Equestrian Team, on the competitions that will occur, or just to check the times of viewing in your area, please visit:  http://www.nbcolympics.com/equestrian/index.html
I'm interested in all of the phases and stages of the equestrian tests - the Dressage, the Stadium Jumping (Grand Prix Jumping), the Three Day Eventing, and the Pentathlon. 
  Horses used for Eventing always amaze me - they are usually playful, but calm, in the barn - but talk about being energized!  These horses seem to almost jump out of their own skins once a saddle and rider is upon their backs.  Eventing used to be the way that Army Cavalry horses were chosen - they had to be well-trained enough to perform a dressage test, had to have the power and endurance to jump the Cross-Country course, and then had to be tractable enough to perform the stadium jumping, where the slightest touch will bring down an obstacle.  It's grueling for both horses and riders - and I salute each and every horse and rider - from each and every country they represent - because I am aware of how much training and intensive work must be put into each and every mount.  Blessings to all of the horses and riders!