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August 10, 2011

the 40th anniversary of Walnut Hill, day one

Jill is at this year’s installment of the famed Walnut Hill Driving Competition with the CAA booth and is sending daily reports and photos. The show started at 8 a.m. this morning and continues through the pleasure drive on Sunday morning.

Here’s Jill’s report from Day One:

Tuesday — check in day at Walnut Hill

While on my way to Walnut Hill (in a rental vehicle with a lot of CAA stuff for the booth), I received a phone call from a friend telling me that it was pouring down in Pittsford. So I expected not to be able to drive up to my booth upon my arrival due to the wet grass, but we all were able to (thank goodness — so we didn’t have to carry heavy boxes a long way). I understand the stabling area is quite muddy due to the large number of motor vehicles coming and going.

I saw all the officials for the show: Mickey Bowen (PA), Kail Palmer (OK), Diana Brownlie (UK), and Terry Pickett (MI), plus organizer Trish Remley and show manager Ed Young.

All the vendors were unloading and setting up today. I unloaded and set up the book stands and tables, but did not get any of the books out of the plastic tubs because of the weather.

I have been coming to this fantastic show for so long I almost feel part of the crew. My job in the mornings is to stop at Dunkin Donuts and pick up coffee for everyone in the show office and even some of the grounds crew (I get one of those big coffee boxes, which has about fifteen large cups in it). This I do early and then I sit and enjoy my coffee while others are scurrying around. The show starts bright and early Wednesday at 8 a.m., and one thing that you can set your watch by is the fact that it will be on time and remain so all day. This show is a real lesson in organization and a pleasure to watch.

I understand there is a record number of entries again for this year — the fortieth anniversary of the show — 230 entries! The largest division in the Large Ponies, with more than thirty entries. Bill Remley would be so proud.

And a few photos from Wednesday morning. It looks like a gorgeous day at Walnut Hill!

the CAA booth (photo by Jill Ryder)

the Walnut Hill show office (photo by Jill Ryder)

the first class started promptly at 8 a.m. on Wednesday morning (photo by Jill Ryder)

entries in the Single Horse / Runabout Pleasure Turnout class (photo by Jill Ryder)

John White won the Four-in-Hand Reinsmanship class (photo by Jill Ryder)

July 16, 2011

ta daaa

Here’s the brand-new logo for the (brand-new) Kentucky Classic CDE, which will take place here at the Kentucky Horse Park, October 6-9.

The event will feature advanced-level dressage and cones on Friday and preliminary- and intermediate-level dressage and cones on Saturday. All of these will be held in a new, dedicated driving arena at the back of the Horse Park. The marathon (using some of the 2010 WEG obstacles) will be held on Sunday.

Watch this space for more details as they become available!

July 3, 2011

a beautiful pleasure drive

Posted by Jennifer under CAA Carriage Festival
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The final portion of the CAA Carriage Classic – the Presenation Pleasure Drive – was held this morning. A variety of turnouts drove a three-and-a-half-mile course through the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park and neighboring Walnut Hall Farm.

So come with us to the side of the KHP / Walnut Hall road, pull up a chair (or a blanket), and let’s watch the parade of carriages go by:

July 3, 2011

Saturday evening at the Carriage Classic

Posted by Jennifer under CAA Carriage Festival | Tags: postaday2011 |
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I had meant to put this post up much earlier today, but it’s all “video, video, video” (Can you name the movie?) … and videos take a long time to upload!!

So without further ado, here are a few clips from yesterday evening at the CAA Carriage Classic.

First, Sterling Graburn’s victory lap after winning the Multiple Horse / Pony Fault-and-Out Obstacle class with his team of Hackney Ponies:

Next on the schedule in yesterday evening’s session was the Coaching – Best Team class. In the first video, you can hear the announcer (Guy Brown) explaining some of the history of Marilyn Macfarlane’s yellow and black coach (although, sadly, the sound quality seems to have deteriorated quite a bit in the transition from my video camera to my computer to YouTube … sorry about that). In the second video clip, Marilyn is driving a figure-eight.

Next, in the Park Division: Performance class, Tom Burgess (who won the class and the Park Division Championship) and then Jacqueline Ohrstrom, with her pair of Hackney Ponies put to an antique wicker George IV Phaeton:

Then seven dogs invaded the arena for the Carriage Dogs class. Here are few, followed by the victory lap by the winner, Lucy Fur. If you look closely, you can see her ears flapping.

The final class of the evening, with four very creative entries, was the Costume class. The “zebra” pulling the circus wagon (accompanied by an acrobat, a lion tamer, and a fortune teller) was awarded second place, and the “safari tours” entry, pulled by the “giraffe,” won the class.

July 2, 2011

the Carriage Classic coach

Posted by Jennifer under CAA Carriage Festival
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As you already know (if you’ve been following the blog throughout the Carriage Classic), we have only one entry in the Coaching division: Marilyn Macfarlane’s Brewster Park Drag, which was built in 1880.

It’s always a treat to be able to see several (or lots) of coaches at any one event, but even a single coach is awfully impressive and quite a spectacle in its own right.

You may remember, back on Thursday, when the coach was unloaded from its trailer. And no, don’t worry, those two men are not supporting the weight of the vehicle, they’re just guiding the front wheels. The coach was lowered slowly down the trailer’s ramp by way of a winch cable.

When I first went over to the CAA barn on Wednesday, the Walnut Way Farm crew was already busy bedding the horses’ stalls and setting up tack-stall coverings:

Then, once everything was set up, the horses and the vehicles (the coach and a tandem cart) were brought over. In Walnut Way Farm’s case, this is possible because the farm is only about an hour’s drive (or less) from the KY Horse Park.

When it first arrived, the coach sat in the barn aisleway under a protective sheet …

… accompanied by Marilyn’s matching yellow and black pansies:

Then, yesterday evening, the coach was brought out and made ready for its Carriage Classic debut. With Marilyn on the coach were a number of guests and one of her dogs:

Yesterday evening’s session featured two classes in the Coaching division: Turnout and Timed Obstacles.

Because the lighting in the indoor arena (when filtered through a camera) doesn’t quite do Marilyn’s coach and horses justice, here’s a photo of the same coach from a couple of years ago. I took this photo during the cones phase of the Sporting Day of Traditional Driving held as part of the 2008 CAA Conference, here at the Kentucky Horse Park (but outside!):

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