Picture This & That!

Well, last night was the opening night of the 2011 National Horse Show.  This is the first year the show has been held at the Kentucky Horse Park. It’s a beautiful facility – it truly is.

Having said that, however, I was shocked when I went.  As I mentioned earlier, I had attended the National Horse Show in the late 70s when it was in Madison Square Garden. The opening night was a big deal then – the Garden was almost (not quite, but almost) sold out.  The opening ceremonies were spectacular and energetic – horse drawn carriages and all.  There were all sorts of classes, culminating in the opening night Grand Prix.

Not so here.  First I was stunned at the attendance – or I should say lack of attendance. There were very few people there and many of those were actually exhibitors in other classes.  I’ve been in Kentucky for over two weeks and I must admit I’ve seen/heard very little about the show.  This is particularly disturbing since I am literally staying 9 or 10 miles down the road from the Park.  Very disappointing, even given the fact it was a week night.

Then, too, I was disappointed that the opening ceremony consisted of an opening address by the Horse Park and a representative of The National Horse Show and a brief address by the wife of the Governor.  No pomp, no circumstance – just cut and dry.

But, probably most disappointing was the fact that the only class held was the Grand Prix.  Don’t get me wrong – the class was great.  The course was challenging, the horse and riders were uber-talented – it was a great class and I found myself totally engrossed – and holding my breath more than once.  But, I had hoped there would have been at least one class beforehand.

The opening ceremony began at 7:00 p.m. There were 44 entries in the Grand Prix.  We were in our car at about 9:10 p.m. and that included staying for the presentation of the trophy and the victory rides by the top three finishers.

Maybe my expectations were too high – my memories too romanticized.   Maybe New Yorkers are just more fascinated by the sport because they are not exposed to it on a daily basis as they are in Kentucky.  I don’t know. But, I hope that the show will grow in future years to become what I remembered from so long ago.

That all being said, I did take some pictures.  Bear in mind that I was sitting in the stands rather than standing in the ring where most photography is the best.  Since I was further away, my shutter speed was naturally slower than it normally would be.  Consequently, the pictures were not as great as I had hoped.  I did manage to get some good ones and will post them as soon as I can.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I will be taking off to Kentucky (just outside Lexington) in mid-October for an extended break.  I don’t expect to return until after Thanksgiving – around the 1st or 2nd of December.

So, you may be asking, what I will be doing in Kentucky for 6 or 7 weeks. First and foremost, I’ll be visiting my sister.  She lives on 5 acres in Georgetown, KY just outside Lexington.  She has three dogs and with our three dogs, I’ll be dog sitting for six – yes, count them, six – dogs during the day.

But, I’ve also been in contact with my youngest niece, Kate, who also lives there.  Kate is an equine massage therapist for show horses and race horses.  It requires quite a bit of travel as she follows the show circuit up and down the east coast.  I told Kate about some of the photographic series I want to take while I’m there and boy, did she come up with the crown jewels!  Here’s a small sampling:

1. The National Horse Show will be held from November 2-6, 2011 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.  Kate swears it’s only 8-10 minutes “down the road” from the house! I haven’t been to the National since the mid-70s when it was held in Madison Square Garden in New York City (yeah, I’m dating myself really well, huh).

This year’s event will feature a full array of hunter, jumper, and equitation divisions.  This year’s show will offer over $600,000 in total prize money, including a huge Open Jumper division. The Open Jumpers will feature $370,000 in total prize money, including the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix. In addition, this year’s show has been designated CSI-W 4*, with the Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix being an all important FEI East Coast League World Cup qualifying event.  For more about The National Horse Show, visit their site at http://www.nhs2011.org/.

2. Keeneland Racing is held from October 7 to October 29.  I won’t get there in time for the $400,000 Queen Elizabeth Cup on October 15 – or at least I doubt I can make it by then, but we’re going to get to the track at least once.

3. A Thoroughbred sale at Keeneland sometime in mid-November, which should be interesting.

4. A period ball is being held at the end of October.  Now that should be interesting as all get out.

5. Kate owns two young colts, both about 2 1/2 years old.  She will be starting to break them during October-November and is willing for me to record the process, both with still images and with video.

Then, there are lots of scenic opportunities with fall in the air, not to mention family photos, too.  I can’t wait – it sounds like I’ll be busy for the whole time.  I hope I’ll have lots of pictures to share with you all.  Be on the look out!