Mike and I went to the Washington International Horse Show on Friday night. It is such a neat show, the largest of its kind taking place in a major city. It's right in downtown DC in the Verizon Center (where the Capitals and Wizards play). Friday night had two competitions, the first being a speed competition (where your score is your jumping course time, plus 4 seconds for every pole knocked down). The second was the puissance wall, where competitors try to top each other jumping the highest. The actual jump is a fake brick wall made of lightweight boxes (that knock down very easily if the horse bumps into them). It got to 7 feet tall until there was one rider left who had not knocked it down. Plus I got to see some of my idols ride, Beezie Madden and Laura Kraut, both members of previous US Olympic delegations. It was also my first time seeing Reed Kessler in person, who this past summer became the youngest US rider to make the Olympic team.
Beezie Madden
Reed Kessler
Winner of the speed class Lauren Hough riding Oh La La
Before the puissance competition, the Washington Nationals' presidents mascots were on hand to do a "mini puissance" jump-off---and Teddy won!
The wall takes a victim...
The winner of the puissance at 7 feet, Olivier Philippaerts riding Chicago
The rest of my photos are
here.
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