Homeward Bound

This is going to be a bit out of sequence since I’m way behind in my updates. I figured I would update for today, then work backwards for the days I’ve missed. That way at least you’ll have today’s news today.

The jumpers were the last to leave today, along with Gran Gesto tagging along for the ride. The venue is like a ghostown. It’s even more depressing because you can still see the aftereffects of the Typhoon that blew threw the other day. There are broken trees and branches bundled up, torn posters, debris etc. Kind of adds to the overall gloomy mood.

The horses left at 2pm. I was still impressed as just how effecient the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Pedens are at loading up the horses for their trip to the airport. Those horse vans are absolutely incredible, and not one horse hesitated stepping onto them. The police escort was there and accompanied them to the airport, blocking off the intersections so that the horses just sail right through.

The only people left now are Kirsten, Samantha and Dominque (jumper grooms), Lindsay (Gran Gesto’s groom), myself and Mike. We’re all set to leave tomorrow on different flights. Unfortunately Equine Canada president Al Patterson is still stuck here. He was meant to leave this morning but Air Canada cancelled the flight to Vancouver so he has to wait until tomorrow morning. I keep checking Mike and mine’s flight to Toronto and it says it’s on schedule. Phew! As much as I`ve had a blast in Hong Kong, I`m really ready to come home. Although I will definitely miss my hotel housekeeper Ping! Somehow I don`t think I`m going to get the same service when I get back home

So now it`s Para Equestrian`s turn. I think chef dèquipe Elizabeth Bordeaux is arriving in the next few days with the horses following shortly. Already they are making some changes at the venue including putting down some plastic tiles on the gravel pathways for wheelchairs.  I hope that the Para Team enjoys much success!

all packed up and waiting for the horse vans to arrive.

Its go time!

Ole getting ready to board his limousine ride to the airport

World`s best horse with the world`s best groom (Hickstead and Jerome) making the trip to the horse vans

last view of Penfold Park from the shuttle bus......so many memories!

Way Overdue….

That can be used to describe not only my blog updating, but also the incredible gold medal Canada won in the showjumping thanks to Eric Lamaze and Hickstead.

I’m still alive and kicking, and will be updating this space soon with pictures from that fabulous gold medal day as well as some adventures to Stanley Market and Macau, the Typhoon that ripped through, and the biggest challenge that we have faced yet at these Olympics: getting home!!

More on the Judging

Apparently I can’t let this one go. It’s been on my mind since last night. I understand that judging is not the easiest job to do. And doing it at an event as big as the Olympics must be quite stressful as you are putting your neck on the line for all the world to see. Then again, I do have the expectation that if you’re an FEI O level judge, that you’ve got the necessary training and skills to be able to do the job.

I’ve already commented on Gotthilf Riexinger antics with bell ringing abilities (or lack thereof).Now I’m looking at the individual score breakdowns from the Freestyle and am having a real hard time understanding the logic, even though I am honestly trying very hard. You can see the scores by clicking here. Every judge had Steffen Peters and Ravel placed 3rd except for the German judge. He had Ravel in 8th place. Wow – I just can’t understand how that is possible. I was there watching all of the rides, and Ravel’s freestyle was definitely not an 8th place ride. Sure he had a couple of bobbles, but nothing too serious and the quality & flow was just phenomenal. Not to mention the interpretation of the music! It had all the ingredients there. Instead, Riexinger had Great Britain’s Emma Hindle and Lancet placed third. Don’t get me wrong, it was a cute freestyle – but no comparison to Steffen and Ravel. It seems that Riexinger doesn’t like Russia either as he had the passage/piaffe machine Balagur in 12th position. That one makes me scratch my head as well.

Interesting that Riexinger was the only judge to be on the panel for all 3 dressage classes. If nothing else, he is consistent as his judging defied logic each day. It’s really too bad that dressage doesn’t follow other subjective sports like synchronized swimming and figure skating where the high and low scores are removed. If that had happened, I think you would get a much more true ranking list….and Steffen would have been on the podium. Maybe the FEI Dressage Committee, when they are looking at ways to improve the sport, should throw that topic onto the discussion table. Global Dressage Forum anyone?

The “Big” Dressage Night

Tonight was the big night for dressage where the individual medals would be decided. Ashley was pretty stoked after watching the jumpers win the silver medal the previous evening. And I think everyone was wondering if Satchmo would have another meltdown in the piaffe.

But before those questions could be answered, the Canadian Equestrian Team was invited to a reception held in their honour by the Consulate General of Canada here in Hong Kong. The reception was held at the Happy Valley racetrack, and as I found out while I was there the whole development was built on swampland. The name happened because the developers wanted people to be excited about living there….and who wouldn’t want to live in a place called Happy Valley!

It was quite a nice reception, with a terrific view of the racetrack. The new consular general for Hong Kong, Doreen Steidle, who has only been on the job for a week, gave a speech congratulating our jumpers on their terrific silver medal performance. Equine Canada president Al Patterson also gave a nice speech recognizing the achievements of all our athletes in Hong Kong, and also congratulating Hong Kong on the stellar job they’ve done in hosting the equestrian portion of the Olympics. Chris Rudge, the CEO of the COC, was also on hand to give a quick talk where he touched upon the COC programs such as Road to Excellence (summer games) and Own the Podium (winter games), and also dropped some not-so-subtle hints to the consular general about expecting more funding from the government to support amateur sport

Then Mr. Infinity took the stage and asked for our Olympic athletes to come forward (the jumpers and Leslie Reid…..Ashley was at the venue preparing for her competition that night) so that they could be recognized and given an Olympic memento (the same that were given to the dressage riders at our Canada Welcome Reception the other week).

Equine Canada president Al Patterson

Chris Rudge, CEO of the Canadian Olympic Committee

Team Leader Mike Gallagher

Happy Valley racetrack

driving back from the reception through Hong Kong

the buildings still blow me away

The freestyle made for some interesting spectating. We made it back from the reception just in time to see Ashley and Pop Art. She rode around the ring, halted on the outside by K and waited. Then things got weird. Ashley signalled for her music to start, which it did, and Ashley started her passage entry with Pop Art. She made it to A only to discover that the gatekeepers hadn’t opened the gate…..and weren’t opening the gate! Her music kept going, and Ashley was stuck on the outside. The judges didn’t seem to be doing anything. I remember yelling out “the gate! the gate!”. Finally, after what seemed forever, the music stopped. The judge at C rang the bell and the gatekeepers opened the gate (seems that they will ONLY open the gate if they hear the bell). Ashley had barely enough time to turn Pop Art around when her music started again and she had to hustle that passage into the ring or she’d be behind her music. What a way to start your final ride at the Olympics!

Being the ultimate competitor she is, I don’t think it had that much of an effect on Ashley. She rode another trademark fluid test, but it seemed to me that it took a bit more effort tonight than in the Speciale. Going by how the judges were marking the tests tonight, I think Ashley should have ended up with a score in the low 70’s. But she did finish with an average of 70% and moved up one place to 14th which is terrific for such a young horse.

I have to make a mention of Danish rider Andreas Helgestrand’s freestyle music – Guns & Roses for the passage, Pink Floyd for piaffe, Stairway to Heaven for the walk and Godsmack for the canter. Pretty cool!

Everyone’s favourite police horse, Balagur from Russia, looked a little rattled tonight but showed off some amazing piaffe and passage work to show tunes from Gone with the Wind among others. (including that song “I’m so pretty” from WestSide Story)

My favourite freestyle of the night, hands down, was Steffen Peters and Ravel from the USA. Not only was it incredibly entertaining but the two of them looked just fantastic out there. I can’t wait to see them in competition again….they are going to be almost unbeatable at WEG 2010. Steffen’s music included the Rolling Stones (Sympathy for the Devil – awesome track!), and the Safety Dance (yay Men without Hats from Montreal!). His tempis were timed perfectly to the music and his canter pirouette straight into piaffe was jaw-dropping. Wow wow wow. My peanut-gallery opinion is that he should have beat Heike Kemmer for the Bronze and even Isabell for the Silver.

leftover from last nights jumping

Jan Brink and Briar

Hey Mr. Judge! I can

the ringmaster after he gave a talking to the gatekeepers. They were subsequently replaced by new gatekeepers.

Ashley and Pop Art looking as elegant as always

getting a hug from chef Ali for a job well done

Courtney King and Mythilus

Everytime I pass this guy in the stables, he looks like the cutest schoolpony....but boy, does he transform himself under saddle!

I dont think the photographers could get enough of this guy

Isabell Werth and Satchmo started off strong but again had a meltdown at the piaffe...this time at A.

Isabell must have been disappointed...but the judges still awarded her a 78%. I can't say I understand the marking. I thought it would have been more like a 70%. She did have some really great elements but more tension and mistakes than in the Speciale.... but then again I'm no O level judge.

even though Isabell had to know she just handed the gold to Anky, she still was smiling and waving to the crowds when leaving the ring.

Steffen Peters looked estatic following his ride!

Steffen and Ravel...I still think they should have medalled!

Anky makes history by winning 3 consecutive gold medals in a row.

So that’s a wrap for dressage at the 2008 Olympics!

I’ll be interested in seeing if there is any fallout about the judge at C, Germany’s Gotthilf Riexinger . Or as we were calling him tonight: the Bell Boy. From where I was sitting, he seemed to be pulling some pretty funny stuff with that bell. He either didn’t ring it, or would ring it so quietly that the riders couldn’t really hear it. This continued all throughout the night until the first German rider arrived (Heike Kemmer) and all of a sudden he rang it loudly. Then when Steffen Peters came in after Heike, he went back to the very quiet tap. Isabell comes around the ring and another loud ring. Anky goes next, and again with the very quiet tap (Anky had to yell over to Sjef and her groom to ask if the bell had gone yet!). I don’t know……pretty suspicious behaviour if you ask me and not at all what I would expect from an O leve judge at the Olympics. In fact, I wouldn’t expect it from our recorded or Basic judges back home in Canada!

And have you heard yet about the secret meeting held by Mariette Whithages (the technical delegate) following the Grand Prix Speciale to discuss the judging? A meeting where only Germany, the Netherlands, USA and Denmark were invited to? If there aren’t serious consequences for Mariette because of this, then I will be very disappointed. People get fired or are forced to resign for a lot less. A meeting was held early this morning as a result of this fiasco with all of the nations’ chef d’equipes attending. Canada, Great Britain and Sweden made it very clear that this type of behaviour is clearly unacceptable (way to go chef Ali! I hear you shattered the myth that Canadians are quiet and meek!). And even though the FEI Sports Director apologized for the inappropriate meeting taking place Mariette apparently still refused to apologize. I’ve heard a lot of things about this woman (rarely anything positive), but this one really tops them all.

Ok, enough negativity. Tomorrow is a day off for everyone so I’m looking forward to eating at the Village for lunch (hello my old friend Mr. Blueberry Cheesecake – I’ve missed you!) and doing a tour of the Hong Kong Harbour.

Team Silver for the Jumpers!

What an unbelievable night!!! After 40 years, Canada has brought home another Olympic medal in team showjumping. I don’t think I’ve seen such exciting horse action since I nearly bit my nails to the quick watching Ashley Holzer make history by getting into the dressage freestyle finals.

It was yet another visually stunning course which challenged the top horses and riders. Belgium’s Cumano and Los Jansik looked superb on course and left all the rails up but incurred 2 time faults. USA’s McLain Ward and Sapphire also left all the jumps up, but it was the water that proved to be their nemesis. Germany just couldn’t seem to pull it together with faults for all of their riders and some drama to boot when Marco Kutscher’s Cornet Obolensky had a rearing refusal at the jump following the water.

It was Canada’s Jill Henselwood who had to prove to the others that the course was jumpable with no faults as she rode Special Ed around the course. It was a little stressful as there was at least 1 rail that was jostled, but it stayed up.

So here I was, furiously doing my calculations as each rider from each nation went around the course. And when it came down to the final round where each anchor rider was to take their turn, Canada was in the lead!!! Stress levels were skyrocketing by then. When Ian Millar came into the ring, I was almost feeling sick to my stomach. I can’t even imagine the pressure Ian must have been under….he had to go clean if Canada was to have a shot at a gold medal. I’m glad there wasn’t a camera on me because I can only imagine what I must have looked like as In Style came up to each jump. And when they crossed the finish line with a big fat 0 on the jumbotron…..wow! Me and Dr. Jenn were screaming ourselves hoarse!

We sure gave the USA a battle for gold. And even while being down a horse (unfortunately Mac Cone and Ole had to withdraw before the class as Ole just wasn’t quite right and everybody wanted to ensure that Ole’s welfare was put first and foremost). It was close, but no cigar and the USA ended up being crowned the champions with 3 straight clears in a row.

Before I upload my millions of pictures from tonight, I want to salute Ian, Jill, Mac and Eric, their fearless chef d’equipe Torchy Millar, their superb team vet Sylvie Suprenant, their hardworking grooms Jerome, Dominique, Samantha and Kirsten, the always organized team stable manager Lori Green and the owner of these fine horses who provide incredible support to the riders and the sport. And last but not least, a special mention to reserve rider Jonathan Asselin, his groom Sergio Jacobo Martinez and the owners of Rayana Chia. It’s tough to travel all the way to Hong Kong with no guarantee that you’re going to ride, but having the reserve is so crucial in order to ensure that a full team can compete. Rayana left the other day to go back home with the Eventing horses. Jonathan stayed on and continues to be a full member of the team – attending training sessions and being there for every competition. Now that’s what I call true team spirit.

I sign off by saying what an honour and a privilege it has been for me to watch these teams in action during my first Olympic Games. Eventing achieved their best international placings since the 1970’s, Dressage made history by having a rider make it through to the top 15 for the individual finals, and the Jumpers have won their first team medal in 40 years. I don’t think even sleep will be able to wipe the smile off my face.

I arrived just when the course walk was taking place.

the first fence

my favourite fence....absolutely gorgeous

team huddle watching the early part of the competition

Mac Cone and McLain Ward

the German team analyze early rounds....unfortunately for them they finished the night with 34 faults

Jos Lansik and Cumano

Ian Millar, Mac Cone and Torchy Millar

the media scrum area where riders are interviewed following their rides

Eric looking pretty relaxed before his ride

Eric and Hickstead on their way to the ring to do what they do best

Torchy, Jerome, Mac and Jill

watching the last American rider to go to see if there will be a jump-off for Gold (Beezie Madden and Authentic)

Jump-off time! Ian and Jill review the new shortened course.

reserve rider Jonathan Asselin was there supporting his team all the way

being interviewed after winning the silver medal

Eric posing with dressage groom Lindsay

Ashley Holzer was there to soak up the excitement

preparing for the medal presentations

the flags.....

....and the medal girls

on their way to collect their silver hardware

waving to the fans....

Princess Haya was one of the presenters

on the podium!

Princess Haya and the Silver medal team

woohoo!

the 2008 Olympic medallists

the silver medal victory gallop

dressage chef Ali gets caught up in the excitement

Sara Houstoun and Larry Evoy - owners of Ole

hanging up your jacket after a great job

sorry Ali....I had to....makes me laugh too much!

Brenley Cone and Tiffany

A very happy Mac and Brenley Cone with the silver medal

Eric and Tiffany

Jenn Ward and Eric

Dominique (groom for Ole)

Jerome, Hickstead and Eric

Jumping Team vet Sylvie with Dressage Team vet Jenn

what a night! (Photo by Shawn Hamilton of ClixPhoto.com)

Thrills and Spills…..Showjumping Day 2

It was day 2 today for the showjumpers with the first of 2 nights which will determine the team medals. Today was also the day that Equine Canada president Al Patterson flew in from Toronto to take in the activities over the next couple of days. Al made it to the Regal Riverside hotel ok and I sent up his luggage of team clothing. Then we met up later in the lobby to take a taxi to the venue (Al’s accreditation doesn’t kick in until tomorrow, so he was ‘regular people’ today with a ticket to catch tonight’s showjumping). It’s only a 5 min. taxi ride to the venue, but it took about 15 mins to find a taxi drive who knew where to go. I think it was likely more a case that the drivers weren’t intersted in taking a fare that wouldn’t make them much money. But at last we made it and joined the crowds who were making their way to the main spectator entrance.

The course was another stunner, designed by Steve Stephens and Leopoldo Palacios. The fences were huge, wide and with technically challenging lines. Out of 71 combinations, only 5 went clear.

Jamal Ramihov of Azerbaijan ran into trouble at the second last fence. It looked like his horse misjudged the width of the massive oxer and started to paddle. The rider went airborne and was caught up in the horse

The rider lay motionless for what seemed forever (probably about 5 minutes) before finally getting up and being helped to the ambulance. The announcer provided updates throughout the rest of the competition and last I heard he was checked out at the hospital with injuries to his hand.

Belgium rider Jos Lansik and Cumano - hot favourites for a gold medal. They are currently sitting on just 1 fault after 2 rounds.

Japanese rider Taizo Sugitani and California

Rodrigo Pessoa does some pre-ride analysis, checking out some rounds before he had his go. He was one of the 5 clear rounds tonight so is sitting with 1 fault.

Ian Millar was also scoping out the competition, watching some rounds to see how the course was riding. Ian and In Style put in another great performance and only had 1 rail (the massively wide oxer)

Mexico watches their rider on course.

Mac Cone and Ole were the first Canadians on course and had an unfortunate 12 faults.

One of the unexpected events that happened tonight was this horse who didn't want to even go into the ring! He kept rearing and spinning. Believe it or not, his rider managed to finally get him on course.

waiting for their turn......

the stands remained packed until pretty much the end of the class.

I'm pretty sure these 2 guys were bodyguards for the Saudi prince who was sitting in my section.

Nick Skelton and Russell of Great Britain incurred 8 faults. The big development later that evening was the surprise withdrawal of Michael Whitaker and Peppermill.....no word on what the story is there.

Team Brazil anxiously watch Pedro Veniss and Blanc de Blancs........

....although they looked great, they met their fate at the 2nd last fence (the massive oxer) where the horse fell.

The Canadian section!

Back up on the podium, this time watching jumping dynamos Eric Lamaze and Hickstead

Eric and Hickstead didn't disappoint, posting one of only 2 double clear rounds (the other achieved by McLain Ward and Sapphire of the USA)

leaving the ring after a job well done

Look Mom - I'm on tv! A shot of me with my Canuck tattoos during the Grand Prix Speciale....now the big question is, do I wear the pyjama pants and tattoos again for the Freestyle?

All in all it was a great night of exciting showjumping. Drama, excitement, a clear round for Canada and we’re now sitting pretty in 4th place – totally within striking distance of a medal. The team event wraps up tomorrow night so everyone keep their fingers crossed!

1. Switzerland – 12
1. USA – 12
3. Sweden – 13
4. Great Britain – 16
4. Canada – 16
6. Netherlands – 17
6. Norway – 17
8. Germany – 20

Party at the hotel!

There was a big party at the hotel I’m staying at the night of the German Team gold in dressage. There were actually 2 separate parties…..a German and a Dutch, but it didn’t take long for those to meld into one big lovefest. Here’s a fun video that I came across on Youtube. At the forefront are Isabell Werth, Heike Kemmer and Hinrich Romeike (double gold medalist from Eventing). In the background you can see Imke Schelleken-Bartles.

Ashley Holzer Makes History!

Yep, you heard it right. Ashley made history tonight by becoming the first Canadian dressage rider to make it into the Grand Prix Freestyle…..the top 15! It was a real nail-biter of a night and I can honestly say I haven’t seen dressage this exciting my entire life. In honour of tonight’s exciting showdown and to show my Canadian spirit, I wore the infamous pyjama pants complete with tattoos on my cheeks (face that is!)

The setting was perfect for a great night of competition. The evening was cool with a nice breeze and a full moon. Perfect. The first surprise of the evening was a last minute withdrawal of Imke Schenkel-Bartles and Sunrise. They were replaced by Australia’s Hayley Beresford and Relampago. The beautiful black Lusitano stallion had the biggest neck I’ve ever seen but boy was he elastic! His passage was incredibly impressive and his legs stretched sideways forever in sweeping half-passes. Lovely.

Yes...I wore the pyjama pants! (l-r) Mary Brooks (Jacquies mom), me and Anne Welch (co-owner of Gran Gesto)

the infamous cartoon horse! the bane of many a rider and horse

the judges take their positions

....and the media take their positions

Great Britain watches Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris ride to a 67.160%

a full moon rising over the international flags

(l-r) Marriette Whithages, the Infanta and Princess Benedickte

check out those lenses!

Spanish rider Juan Manuel Munoz and Fuego XII rode to a 16th place on 68.160%

Ashley and Pop Art had a running total in the 70's for much of their ride

the look of sheer determination.....

Dutch riders Hans Peter Minderhoud and Edward Gal look on

USA rider Steffen Peters and Ravel put in a gorgeous test and earned 71.80%. This pair were a real treat to watch and Ravel was one of the most elastic and flowing horses there.

Sjef Janssen watches from the podium as Anky and Salinero take the stage.

Salinero did not seem to have the same elasticity and flow as Ravel or Satchmo....and unfortunately broke twice in the second trot half-pass

British rider Emma Hindle put in a solid performance on Lancet to earn 70.440%. The Hanoverian stallion was the former ride of Schellekens-Bartels but was sold to Hindle following the 2004 Athens Olympics.

one German rider goes in while the other goes out...Isabell Werth passes teammate Heike Kemmer on the way to the ring.

Isabell was having the ride of her life, working on a record breaking score. At this point, her average was over 83%! It was obvious that they were in a league all on their own.

Isabell's 83% stayed until the first piaffe when Satchmo all of a sudden hit the bit and flew backwards. It was scary because it almost looked like they were going to leave the ring at C! Luckily Isabell was able to get things back on track but it was costly and dropped their score substantially. But they still won the test....it really was an unbelievable test with out of this world half-passes and transitions. Wow.

the media scrum for Heike and Isabell

Heike giving an interview

Heike and Isabell try to make their way through

time to get to bed after a superb night of nailbiting dressage. Notice the rings in the background getting doused by a very high-powered and far-reaching sprinklers

Some random memories on tonight: hearing the cameras click in unison during the two-tempis; hearing the crowd reaction every time a horse happened to poop while doing his test (judging from their reaction, you would think that the horse/rider should be given extra points!); being on the edge of my seat not only during Ashley’s ride, but every ride after until she had the 15th position secured (man was that ever stressful for me!); marvelling in Steffen Peters’ amazing ride on Ravel…easily the most visually striking combination in the ring that night; being absolutely wowed by Isabell and Satchmo and their technical prowess in the ring – they were the definite masters tonight even with their bobble.

My trip to see the Big Buddha on the hill

I was able to do some more touristy stuff yesterday. Myself, Jenn Miller (dressage vet), Grit High (Eventing’s chair of high performance) and Mike Gallagher (team leader) made the trip via MTR to see the Big Buddha.

The Buddha is on Lantau island near the airport and is the world’s tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha. The statue is located near Po Lin Monastery and symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion.

I feel like I’m getting to be an expert with the MTR system here. Once you get the hang of it, it’s actually pretty easy to use. The biggest concern is knowing which MTR card to use (Urban=yellow and New Territories=green). So as we approach the turnstiles, you’ll hear a shout from the first person to go through “Yellow!”. More often that not what immediately preceded this shout was using the wrong card and hitting the turnstiles full force with your hips – ouch! Eventing farrier Chris Volk was so confident that he was using the right card that he nearly did a flip over the turnstiles

Once you get there, you have a choice of either taking the cable cars or taking a bus. I knew I had no choice but to do the cable cars. Last year when I was in Rio Al gave me major grief for chickening out on seeing Sugar Loaf because I was too afraid to take the cable car. That was a 30 second ride……this one was over 15 mins! But I sucked it up and did it. It wasn’t too bad except for one stretch where you were up incredibly high….with the clouds around you….and the wind picking up so that the car was doing a gentle sway back and forth.  But you have to do one thing a day that scares you, right? If that’s true, then I racked up about a month’s worth in that one cable car ride.

the view from the start....at this point I was seriously questioning my judgement

getting ready to hop onto the car

my happy calm exterior belies the butterflies that were having a party in my stomach at this point

Mike trying to spot the airplane which had our Eventing horse passengers on their way back home

made it! the stores at the top of the hill.

a whole lotta stairs

a breathing break for me cleverly disguised as a photo op

I think this was another cleverly disguised photo op

....and another

the view from atop

the trip back down

Dr. Jenn

Mike striking a Buddha pose.....

the unbelievably immaculate subway cars

still trying to figure out why you need to use your MTR card to leave the subway system

at the last station!

a fun photo from Dr. Jenn

Showjumping Underway

I’m woefully behind in my blog postings….sorry everyone! It’s been difficult to find the time to sit down, go through pictures, and collect some coherent thoughts. By the time I get to my room, my comfy bed looks a lot more inviting than the hardback chair in front of the laptop.

Last night was the first competition for the Jumpers and the stands were packed. As you probably all know by now, Team Canada did a superb job with Mac and Eric jumping clean, Jill with 1 time fault and Ian with an unlucky rail (looks like In Style barely tapped it with his hind hoof). I was surprised to see that a lot of the jumping powerhouses had faults (either rails or time or both). I’m still trying to figure out how the different jumping classes work and I’m pretty sure that last night was to determine a) who qualified for the nations cup and b) the order of go. So I don’t think that the faults carry forward which is too bad in a way because Canada is tied for second with Brazil and Switzerland! Canada will be second last in the order of go for tomorrow night’s team competition with the USA being the last. If last night was anything to go by, it should be an incredible competition.

a wide look at the visually beautiful course

interesting that the jumbotron would onlly show the Beijing Olympic logo during a jumper round yet for dressage it shows live footage of their test and scared many a horse as a result......does not seem too fair to me

some Aussie colours

Saudia Arabia had a full team competing and there were also individuals representing United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Egypt.

Ukraine fan showing her support

on deck at the ingate. In the bottom right corner is US dressage rider Debbie McDonald and her groom Reuben

lots of fans out!

course designer Leopoldo Palacios

a Hong Kong flag in the midst of a packed stand

.....I had camera envy

an example of the beautiful Chinese-themed decorations

one of the many ringside tv cameras

Team Great Britain watches Tim Stockdale's round

Prince of Saudi Arabia checking out the Showjumping action. Saudia Arabia had a full team competing.

Canadian showjumping team watch intently as Jill Henselwood and Special Ed take their turn on course

everyone in full concentration mode....including my hero Mark Todd. Sadly the Kiwis had a tough go that night with one rider crashing through a jump and another racking up 47 faults.

the half-time show! They might look goofy, but they never fail to get people rushing up to take their pictures. I can

Eric Lamaze and Hickstead were in superb Olympic form with a clear round.

some more Hong Kong fans. When Patrick Lam clinched a clear round, the place erupted in deafening cheers and applause. It was quite something! Patrick was so excited that he threw his helmet up into the air and was doing some major fist-pumping in celebration.

Team Canada on the podium to watch Ian Millar

Ian and In Style looked fantastic with one very unlucky rail....looked like In Style barely touched it with the hindfoot.

capturing all the action for television viewers around the world

grabbing a snack before heading back to the hotel. I am happy to say that I am still walking today

watching Canadian jumpers kick some butt on course  works up an appetite! Dressage chef Ali Buchanan decided to catch his midnight snack