Cross Country Day at the Rolex – RK3DE 2009

I volunteer as a crossing guard at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event – where riders and horses of world class levels compete in three very different tests – winner take all. Day 1 is the dressage test where poetry in motion is on display. Day is about endurance, partnership, trust and athleticism as the team traversses a 6 mile course launching themselves over huge jumps in front of unruly crowds, dogs, wind, weather and whatever else might be a source of loss of concentration. The final day the remaining teams meet up in the stadium for a go at a series of very tall, very delicately balanced jumps in front of a huge crowd. The horse and rider with the fewest faults here and the greatest score overall wins! This year Lucinda Fredericks and her mount Headley Britannia kept themselves focused and came out on top.