One week of competition has already come and gone and its hard to believe that we still have one more to go. Thank goodness for mountain dew. The US has added four medals to its overall count in the last three days and it’s been dizzying keeping up with it all. The Reining Individual Final was very exciting and hectic with Eventing Dressage happening at the same time at the other end of the park…. the US support crew may have bended the golf cart passenger rules a little trying to shuttle everyone between the two venues. We were all there to see Tom and Craig win their medals though so that’s all that matters.

Last night Steffen and Ravel were breathtaking in the Grand Prix Freestyle, they put in a performance that was nothing short of spectacular and earned another Bronze medal. I unfortunately missed Juan Manuel Munoz Diaz’s ride, but if the cheers that could be heard from all over the horse park were any indication it was quite the performance. Celebrating US medals never gets old and no one is as deserving and gracious as Steffen.

Today has been a spectacular showing of the world’s best event horsesand riders over a course that was truly stunning. I spent some time at the “Red River Gorge” (the sunken road) and “The Land Between the Lakes” (the head of the lake) and was impressed with the caliber of riding over such difficult questions. Coming from the Hunter ring, most any cross-country obstacle intimidates me, so I’m always blown away by the bravery of the horses and riders who make it look so easy. Phillip and Woodburn jumped around Land Between the Lakes masterfully and helped move the US team from seventh to second going into tomorrow’s show jumping phase.

The weather was very kind to the eventers today but it seems its mood is about to change… my bike is somewhere under a tree and I’m thinking I should retrieve it before it gets drenched.