Lexington, Ky.—April 25

The first horse inspection for the Land Rover Kentucky CCI**** is always a fun fashion show, but a buzz of tension undercuts the frivolity for each rider until they hear the much-awaited “accepted” over the loudspeaker.

But this year more nerves than usual were jangled, as seven horses out of the 48 presented were sent to the holding box.

The ground jury explained the holds by saying that some horses were poorly presented, while others showed irregular steps, which required evaluation prior to starting the competition.

Joe Meyer withdrew his four-star rookie Johnny Royale in the holding box. Erin Sylvester had the misfortune to have both her mounts held. Paddy The Caddy was accepted upon re-inspection, while Mettraise was the only horse spun.

Other horses held and then accepted included Caroline Martin’s Spring Easy, Colleen Loach’s Qorry Blue d’Argouges, Sara Gumbiner’s Polaris and Alexandra Knowles’ Sound Prospect.

Leslie Law presented The Apprentice (pictured) and Spring Easy for an injured Caroline Martin. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Martin actually wasn’t able to jog her own horses, as a fall earlier this spring at the Cloud 11-Gavilan North LLC Carolina International (North Carolina) left her with a nasty stud hole and a fracture in her foot. She watched her coach Leslie Law jog them up from her crutches.

“It’s not his fault!” Martin insisted after Law successfully negotiated the jog strip with Spring Easy the second time around. “He’s such a great coach. I’m so lucky to have someone I can rely on who can step up and compete my horses when I need him to. No one really wants to jog horses at Kentucky, but he’s so great. The horses are all healthy and good. With all the crowd it’s really hard for a horse that’s super spooky. On the way back [Spring Easy] starts almost cantering. It’s totally not Leslie’s or the horse’s fault.”

She may still be on crutches, but Martin showed three horses two weeks ago and said her foot is almost back to normal. She was able to drive the Kentucky cross-country course outside the ropes, and she hopes to walk the whole thing on her crutches at least once before Saturday.

Was she sorry to miss her moment on the runway? “Nope! It’s such a relief,” admitted Martin. “I’m so bad. I need someone who can pick out clothes for me.”

Marilyn Little’s RF Scandalous was stunning as ever. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Marilyn Little, the other four-star rider who is boot-bound this week, joked that she was “devastated” not to be able to jog RF Scandalous. She broke her foot at the Ocala Jockey Club International Three-Day Event (Florida) last fall, and it’s been slow to heal.

“I ran across the hotel room last night thinking maybe I could get it done, but it’s just not to be,” said Little. “It’s been a long road to try to get [my foot] to this point, and I don’t want to compromise anything. I get a couple hours a day out of the boot, so I’m not just boot bound, but I don’t want to take any risks at this point in the game.

“I was lucky to have a very experienced jogger in Karen O’Connor to jog her,” added Little. “But Scandalous is just the most beautiful horse I’ve ever seen, and I’m always so proud to jog her. I look over and can’t believe she’s mine.”

Little also got permission to take a golf cart outside the ropes for her cross-country walks, and she gets out and hobbles through the combinations. “[My foot] has been getting steadily better, so if there is any way to avoid surgery we’re working in that direction,” she said. “If we think it’s necessary that’s fine, but it’s been great; it’s been improving, so we can’t ask for any more. It’s just slow going. I’ve gotten to do almost everything I’ve wanted to do all winter with the exception of wearing any Jimmy Choos.”

Lillian Heard sported a dress from ModCloth as she presented Share Option (pictured) and LCC Barnaby. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Riders were split in whether their jog attire was carefully planned or a last-minute decision. Lillian Heard selects her outfits via the website ModCloth weeks in advance.

“I’ll buy like six dresses and find the one I like and return the rest, because I hate that feeling the week before where you’re like, ‘I need to go to TJ Maxx or Marshalls or Target to try to find something,’ ” she said. “I always try to pick something that if I don’t make it to Kentucky I’ll still like it anyway. Maybe it wasn’t meant for the jog; maybe it was meant for a vacation!”

But vacation will have to wait, as Heard’s mounts Share Option and LCC Barnaby are primed and ready. “They feel really good!” she said. “I walked the course today. It looks awesome, like intense and big and just what it’s meant to be, so I’m pumped.”

Leah Lang-Gluscic sported a blue-flowered fascinator as she trotted up AP Prime. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Leah Lang-Gluscic is another rider who indulges her love for fashion at Kentucky. She sparkled on the jogway in a blue-flowered fascinator and bedazzled Vans. “I wore this outfit at [Rebecca Farm (Montana)] last year, and it just photographed really well, so I wanted to do it again,” she said. “Also we didn’t finish that event, so I said we need to make use of this.”

The fascinator came from Brooke Terronez’s Studio 910 Millinery in Davenport, Iowa. “She made it especially to go with this outfit,” said Lang-Gluscic. “Her work is absolutely amazing. It stayed on even for all the running; it’s just a headband.”

Off-the-track Thoroughbred AP Prime was also looking stunning in his Tota Comfort Systems bridle with blinged out browband. “[For dressage] we are doing all brown leather, brown saddle, brown bridle; I got brown boots, so that’s new this year,” said Lang-Gluscic. “I’m having fun with it. You gotta live a little!”

Click to see more beautiful photos from the jog.

Kim Severson was quite easy to spot as she presented Cooley Cross Border. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Kim Severson had to adjust her outfit for the weather, which turned out to be cool and cloudy. “I had a really cool orangey dress that I was going to wear because it was supposed to be warm,” she said, but she opted for a statement orange trench coat instead with an aqua scarf that had been purchased for her by friends. Her last-minute wardrobe malfunction came in the form of her good-luck cross-country bib from the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton CCI**** (England) breaking a few weeks ago at The Fork (North Carolina).

“But I got it fixed, so now I feel good!” she said.

Her mount Cooley Cross Border grew tired on cross-country last year at this event, so Severson was excited to have another chance. “He’s way fitter than he was,” she said. “He’s good. He’s excited!”

Phillip Dutton looked quite dapper with I’m Sew Ready. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

Less fashionably inclined riders looked to others to dress them for the jog. Phillip Dutton’s friend and owner Michael Bombar planned his attire. “He decided he was going to dress me, so I said go for it,” said Dutton, who looked quite jaunty in his blue checked sports coat and multi-colored paisley tie.

“Yeah it’s not my stuff,” he admitted.

While Dutton has walked the course and was pleased with the weather forecast, he admitted he hadn’t planned his Sunday jog outfit yet. “Michael can take over again,” he said.

Pawel Spisak of Poland brought Banderas to Kentucky. Photo by Kimberly Loushin.

And Polish rider Pawel Spisak, who is competing in his first Kentucky CCI****, didn’t have to think about what he’d wear. “This is our national jacket,” he explained. “We use this uniform for championships.”

It’s Spisak’s first trip to the United States. “It’s amazing!” he said. “Everything looks really perfect here. Everything is very big and beautiful and just from the first moment everyone is really nice and helpful. I think it’s going to be a wonderful competition.”

The Chronicle is on site at the Land Rover Kentucky CCI****. Keep an eye out at coth.com for all our coverage of the event.

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