Too tired to blog, which really pisses me off as there are about eighty-seven things I want to tell you about.
In brief, today there was:
A huge amount of family sweetness, from all directions. Dog love. Pony triumph (best ride yet, for little jockey and tiny grey pone, both of whom looked inordinately pleased with themselves). Red the Mare ramping up the adorableness levels to eleven. She, like Spinal Tap, does not stop at ten. Good, decent work. Excessively kind and quick reaction to the work. A nice tomato salad with chives. I had forgotten how good tomatoes are with chives; it does not always have to be basil.
My dear old friend Beckermet, the hardest-working and most honest horse in training, still enjoying himself at ten years old, finished third at Ripon, with my happy each way bet on him. That was not a scientific bet, but done purely from love and loyalty, so its success was even more sweet.
And, to finish a day of equine loveliness, the British jumping squad WON THE GOLD MEDAL.
This was not particularly expected and has not happened for something like fifty years, and I heard the news in the car on the way back from my mares and exclaimed out loud with delight. Thanks to the good old BBC, I can now collapse in a heap and watch the re-run on my computer. But really: well done, Team GB.
Some quick pictures for you:
But knowing the show-jumping
ReplyDeleteresult in advance you won't have stomach acid burning holes in your insides the way I did. Where's the enjoyment in that? ;)
Was so glad I did not watch it live; don't think I could have stood it. Even knowing the result, I was still practically hiding behind the sofa.
DeleteSynchronized inter-species blinking! Is this a new Olympic sport?
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you Brits -- that was a well-deserved win. Had no idea it had been since 1952 that the GB team won a gold medal, but was inordinately happy to hear that that team included Harry Llewellyn and the great Foxhunter. Even I am not old enough to remember seeing it as it happened, but growing up in the late 50s/early 60s, there were still plenty of pictures of them around. Even the thought of them brings back great childhood memories. Have been told it was the golden age of British show jumping, so maybe now we'll see another.
Congratulations!
Bird
Such a lovely thing to say; and so glad you recall the great Foxhunter. He was a legend of my youth.
DeleteOh, the show jumping. I still feel faintly sick at the tension of it all. It was incredible.
ReplyDelete(Also: I recently discovered panzanella. Yummiest tomato-based dish I've had in a long time.)
The TENSION!! Even on replay it was overwhelming. But didn't they do well. And so agree about panzanella.
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