By
Jen Stiller
I’m back at the Kentucky Horse Park for the first
time in five years, and my daughter is no longer the pigtailed pony girl she
once was. She’s grown into a mature,
tall-booted, hair-netted big eq rider.
What else has changed and what has stayed the
same?
1. The
Walnut ring, so imposing at Pony Finals, looks so much smaller than I remember (although the height of the USET
jumps the other day made me kind of want to throw up).
2.. There
are full-size equines everywhere, not just the midgets.
3. They still have Taco in a Bag. My taste buds say woo-hoo, my hips, not so much.
4. I
wish I were still shopping for new bows for $10.95 instead of Pikeur breeches
for $300 plus.
5. A
golf cart is still a must-have for the Horse Park, although the emergency trips
back to the stalls aren’t for a missing garter.
6. A
trail ride through the cross country field is STILL the best way for both horse
and rider to unwind after a long day of showing.
7. Now there’s
Wifi at the Rolex Stadium. Five years ago there was no Rolex Stadium.
8. It’s
still sticky hot and humid, but where are the pony misting stations?
9. You can walk around on your horse without a back number and a steward won’t stop and reprimand you.
10. No
pampering station for the horse show moms, but there was a masseuse at the
Claiborne Ring... Only at horse shows can you get a massage at a moment’s notice
without an appointment.
11. This is still one of the most fabulous
showing venues in the country and I can’t wait to come back next year!
Jen Stiller grew up riding and now her daughter, Jordan, competes in the equitation. They live in Needham, Mass.
Jen Stiller grew up riding and now her daughter, Jordan, competes in the equitation. They live in Needham, Mass.