One of the first things David O’Connor said to Selena which stuck with her, was, that in order to prevent emotion interfering with her rides, she had to think of her shows, no matter how big as “just another day at the office”. This was said a long time ago, long before the Olympics and almost at the very start of Colombo and Selena’s partnership. It has been an in joke at the barn ever since. We are always saying “just another day….” Today was a pretty good day at the office! David was beaming again, Christiana Ober the team vet was positively squeaking, Randy the farrier was ebullient, the selectors in all their wonderful glory werea feeling very justified in their choices and even the president of Equine Canada was seen to look quite pleased! All in all, it was a happy happy day around the water cooler.
I am happy to say I managed not to cry, however, if you look closely at any film that shows Selena’s groom Pamela Nunn, you will find that she is bawling her eyes out continuously throughout the entire medal ceremony, and then all the way back to the barn. However, she made up for it by partying harder than any of us after her charge had been carefully tucked up in bed. And party we did. First at the barn, I have to say the Kiwis throw a nice stall party. They must have had some sixth sense of their own placing as they had BOTTLES and BOTTLES of champaigne and crates of glasses already organised in the tack room. KIIWIS….YOU ROCK! Then the Canadians moved into the ‘bubble tent’ for champagne and speeches, at which point everyone got wilder and wilder, and finally back to the team hotel at the Marriot where the newly arrived jumpers ( GO CANADA for GOLD) helped keep the party rocking. It’s still rocking now, I can hear it from my fifth floor room! Those Canadians really know how to let loose. What on earth is all that nonsense about polite conservative us – those guys down there are wild!
It was SO tense when they were showjumping, my heart was thudding away, literally banging against my rib cage. Then when Steph was coming in with all that resting on her 22yr old shoulders, my heart was thudding louder. We know we had bronze when she left the ring, we couldn’t be caught by the Kiwis.
My heart went out to Karen who lives on a poster in my living room. I am a huge fan, and I groaned at the gate with everyone else in the stadium. It was not to be the US day on home turf. It seemed like such a dream team, but then horses always pull the unexpected, it’s the one thing you can count on. There were a lot of teams that had heartbreaks this weekend.
My math failed me. I knew in my rational half that we were in silver and couldn’t be caught but I had to turn to Mike Galagher TWICE and ask if we had won the silver. To be honest, it wasn’t until it flashed on the tron the second time that I really let myself believe it.
The amazing German dressage tests were of no consequence to the team after Cross Country – it ain’t no dressage show, but they were AMAZING and we have to get that good before London. The horse that won was absolutely stunning, and I did not hear one person disagree that he won by outclassing the opposition on the day. He was perfect in all three phases, and truly deserved his title of World Champion. Cool Mountain has not become less gorgeous since Rolex in the Spring, he is if anything, even more handsome than before.
Well tomorrow is back to reality. We have to check out…ugh pack up the tack and equipment….ugh take back the bicycle so kindly lent to us by Kimberly Martinez…fun, load…ugh, get on the road and drive twelve hours. It’s going to be a busy one. Can’t wait to see my dogs! I don’t think there will be any ten cents worth from the silver medalist tonight, she is way to busy celebrating her first medal for Canada.
