I've been threatening to drag Dom for years - to see the jumps IRL so that he can truly appreciate the skill of the horses and riders. However, I do like to sit and watch the XC on the red button all day on a Saturday - it's the only day of the year that I sit guilt-free! My employer suggested visiting Badders on a dressage day so that we could walk the course, do the shopping and still enjoy all the XC - why hadn't I ever thought of that? 
Anyhoo, it rained a bit on the way down but the weather was actually perfect. Sunny/cloudy, no wind and mild. Shopping area was great, even though I didn't have any money to spend We took our dog with us so we couldn't sit in the grandstand, but to be honest, I was more interested in walking the course than sitting watching the dressage. However, we wandered past the warm-up arena for the dressage and Dom got a chance to flex his muscles with his new camera and snapped away at "someone" who was putting their horse through their paces....
I hadn't seen anyone I recognised, although some guy walked past me and gave me a "Yes, I am who you think I am" smile, but I'm afraid I don't have a clue who he was
We walked the course which was great. The jumps are fab and huge and out of bounds, obviously, but some of the jumps that were used for the Grassroots competition were accessible, so Ruby and I had a sit down!!
Coming back, Dom spotted this.... "a claim to fame" I thought at last.... (if you can't quite see, it is Mr Fox-Pitt's car!!!)
And we walked back past the warm-up arena and he took a few more photos...
And we fortuitously timed it just as Mary King had finished her dressage and left the arena as we passed this point....
When we got home, I looked up the numbers of the two competitors that Dom had "papped" Turns out the chestnut at the top is only Andrew Nicholson on Nereo who is currently LEADING the competition after day one..... and the bay is a German rider who is currently in THIRD position. Howzat for beginner's luck?
Lovely day, walked about nine miles and ate a load of cr*p.... but not an ounce gained. Must walk nine miles daily then.....
Anyhoo, it rained a bit on the way down but the weather was actually perfect. Sunny/cloudy, no wind and mild. Shopping area was great, even though I didn't have any money to spend
We took our dog with us so we couldn't sit in the grandstand, but to be honest, I was more interested in walking the course than sitting watching the dressage. However, we wandered past the warm-up arena for the dressage and Dom got a chance to flex his muscles with his new camera and snapped away at "someone" who was putting their horse through their paces....
I hadn't seen anyone I recognised, although some guy walked past me and gave me a "Yes, I am who you think I am" smile, but I'm afraid I don't have a clue who he was
We walked the course which was great. The jumps are fab and huge and out of bounds, obviously, but some of the jumps that were used for the Grassroots competition were accessible, so Ruby and I had a sit down!!
Coming back, Dom spotted this.... "a claim to fame" I thought at last.... (if you can't quite see, it is Mr Fox-Pitt's car!!!)
And we walked back past the warm-up arena and he took a few more photos...
And we fortuitously timed it just as Mary King had finished her dressage and left the arena as we passed this point....
When we got home, I looked up the numbers of the two competitors that Dom had "papped" Turns out the chestnut at the top is only Andrew Nicholson on Nereo who is currently LEADING the competition after day one..... and the bay is a German rider who is currently in THIRD position. Howzat for beginner's luck?
Lovely day, walked about nine miles and ate a load of cr*p.... but not an ounce gained. Must walk nine miles daily then.....
