The rains could hold back no more. With momentous force, they came down like no tomorrow. Bucks flat lesson was delayed a half hour to let the rains sweep through. After they slowed down, buck immediatley hopped up on reggie and proceeded to his lesson with mark. A half hour later, al and I made our way out to the arena for our lesson. I could tell buck was happy with the results he achieved because his smile said it all. Reggie also seemed pleased with himself. My lesson was very educational as well. Alex worked very hard and by the end of our time with mark, we both exited the arena beaming.
After, came the briefing. After about an hour of the norm (discussions of time tables, upcoming weather, and proper horse care) we were more than ready to head to Beas river to see the xc course. The course looked challenging. With twists abd turns at every angle one could assume that finding a rythmn may be difficult. The turns seemed similar to that of red hills although somewhat harder in the fact that the terrain plays such a paramount role in each of the combinations.
Additionally, mikey e (the course designer) placed small animal statues to cover the sprinklers which may be spooky for the horses that buck and I are riding. After the walk, buck, mom and I headed for the hotel while the girls went to the barn to feed the ponies. By 5:30, the whole American crew (most of whom I didn't know) was on its way to the hong kong expo center for the Olympic welcome party. In the bus I looked around and was floored by the legendary faced that accompanied me. We sat with the likes of George Morris, claus balkenhol, David o Connor, and of course mark Phillips to name a few.
The whole ride seemed surreal. At the party, we saw all kinds of amazing shows with dragons, dancing, music and a wide array of colors that refreshed the Human eye. Following the festivities, we headed to the food table where we feasted on all kinds of delicious finger foods. The whole party was a success! We ended the day with a cab ride home and a few card games, both of which were unsuccessful on my part, with my loving grandfather. Tomorrow is the official start of the test event commencing with the first trot up at 5:00 pm. Stay tuned!!!
