Feeling Inspired
(Mindanao and Sam- Left; Camryn and Colonel Harlan; Right)
I had wanted to watch Rolex at the Kentucky Horse Park for several years now. Finally, that dream had become a reality. My mom, my grandma, my friend Camryn, her mom Kathleen, and I were able to scoop up the last of the tickets before they were sold out. We met some friends for dinner who had spent the day at Rolex’s Trade Fair and gave us the scoop on the shopping opportunities. They also had been able to meet and take pictures with several of the top riders. We called it an early night so we could arrive at the horse park by 8:00 AM the next day.
Sam and Cam next to the Rolex Statue
On Friday, we enjoyed watching several of the top dressage rides by our favorites. We also browsed the trade fair and stood in line for many autographs. That afternoon, we walked the cross country course while listening to Boyd Martin’s perspective on several of the more difficult jumping elements. On Saturday, the weather was not cooperating and the rain had set in for the day. We went out on the cross country course for about an hour, but then had to go somewhere to get warm. We were not prepared for the cold and the rain. We were disappointed, but we were still excited with what we had witnessed. There was a place inside the trade fair that we could watch the rides on a big screen television. It also updated the results in real time. On Sunday, we arrived early so we could start shopping. We had decided to finally start buying after two days of browsing. We were on a mission. The rain had cleared, but the weather was still cold. That afternoon, we enjoyed watching the show jumping phase. We all picked our favorites to win. My grandma is British, so we gave her William Fox Pitt; Kathleen’s pick was Boyd Martin because though that he was really cute; mom chose Philip Dutton because she was rooting for the top American; Camryn had Michael Jung because he was winning; and I chose Tim Price because I want to go to Australia one day. It was exciting and Michael Jung ended up winning.
Me (left) and Cam (right) at the Head of the Lake
After Rolex was over, we had an appointment to visit the Maker’s Mark Secretariat Center (MMSC) http://www.secretariatcenter.org/. It is a non-profit organization, directed by Susanna Thomas, which is located on the Kentucky Horse Park. Their mission is to teach new skills to thoroughbreds so they can be adopted and start new careers. Camryn had visited the MMSC last year during Pony Club Champs and Festival and we both wanted to go this time to try out some horses. After all, we had just witnessed Rolex and we were inspired to ride.
In order to ride at the MMSC, you have to be looking and I wasn’t seriously looking. I knew that my mom would let me look for a new horse next year because my horse was 22 and we were planning on this being his last year eventing. We were moving up to training level and I didn’t want to push him too much harder, even though he had great knees and a lot of jump in him. My coach wanted me to ride lots of different horses and eventually look for an off-the-track thoroughbred that we could train together. She thought that I would be ready to tackle a project horse. We were late arriving at the MMSC and a lot of the horses had already been ridden a lot that day. Camryn tried two horses. She liked the first horse Colonel Harlan. He was a bit grumpy in the stall, but she really enjoyed riding him. I rode one horse. He was really pretty, but easily distracted and not much fun to ride. There was another horse that had just arrived the week before, but he was already put away for the day. Susanna said that I could come back on Monday to try him, but she thought that he was special and I could only try him if we were serious. There were a lot of volunteers hanging around at the end of the day and everyone thought this particular horse had a lot of potential. Susanna introduced us to Dorothy Crowell and she agreed that he was a special type of horse. At the time, we had no idea who Dorothy was so we just smiled and nodded.
We were supposed to head home on Monday, but since we didn’t have a chance to visit the horse park, we decided to stay an extra day. In the afternoon, we went back to the MMSC to ride this special horse. Camryn also wanted to ride Colonel Harlan one more time. The horse, named Mindanao, was handsome. He was three year’s old, 16 hands 3 inches, and a bay. The trainer rode him first. He certainly didn’t act like a three year old. Then I got on him. He walked, trotted, and cantered both directions. He stopped when I asked him to stop. He went when I asked him to go. He was willing, although not entirely sure, when I asked him to go over a super small cross rail. I didn’t expect it and my mom didn’t expect it, but we both really liked him.
It was bad timing on our part. My mom had started a business in late 2013 and most of our spare money had gone into the business. Kathleen asked my mom if the business could buy the horse. My mom said that it wasn’t just her business, that she has a partner (Robin) to consider. Kathleen knew Robin and knew that Robin loved horses. In fact, that is how my mom and Robin met. On a whim, my mom, half joking, texted Robin, “Does the business want to buy a horse?” Many texts later, Robin was on board. It was at that time, on our way home from my dream trip, that we decided that we wanted this horse.