First Rolex Finish

Our first Rolex Kentucky three-day event is complete and I am so happy for Macloud (above, Amber Heintzberger photo) to have such a great finish to his career.

Saturday after cross-country, since he's an older horse I really had to make sure I took the best care of him. It was a really hands-on aggressive approach to making him comfortable and then leaving him alone to rest. Sunday morning he wasn't nearly as tired as I thought he'd be - he looked and felt great.

They gave us two hours to walk the course and I walked it three times and really made sure I knew where I was going, I really took my time. He didn't need much warm-up, he knows how to jump and knows his job.

Going into the arena, show jumping has always been my weakest point. But even with the two fences with rails down I came back from it and that was huge for me. I'm disappointed with the rails but we completed the event and I'm just thrilled that Elliot had the event he deserved.

It was definitely a group effort (photos courtesy of Katie Ryan Walker) and I could not have gotten through it by myself. Obviously I had a stellar horse, and I appreciated the help of Phillip Dutton and everybody at True Prospect Farm, Boyd and Silva Martin, Dr. Kevin Keane and everyone Sports Medicine Associates of Chester County, our farrier Dave Kumpf and of course Colby Saddington who was amazing and a complete lifesaver, and Katie and Cuyler Walker, Randy from Forging Ahead, Doug Hannum, Dr. Keelin Redmond of Avoca Equine, Maui Meadows, of course my parents for coming out and supporting me through all of this and everybody who sent text messages and emails - I had a lot of support from everybody and I'm really grateful for all of that.

Macloud is going back to Katie and Cuyler's to a big field for some R and R. He's retired now, and I'm glad he went out the way he deserved with a big event and a big crowd, and that I gave him a ride that did him justice.

-Steph