| Cross-Country | Stadium Jumping |
Note: This web page is an unofficial presentation by an event groupie who has absolutely no connection with Rolex, Equestrian Events, USEA or any other organizations responsible for producing the Rolex KY 3-Day Event.
As always, those who prefer pretty pictures over pithy prose can just follow the links above to see the stars without being bogged down in my boring blather.
The 2006 event brought some interesting changes. One attendee pronounced it the "BEST.ROLEX.EVER". The weather certainly was close to the best weather I can remember in recent years. It wasn't perfect, as rain dampened the last few stadium rounds and the awards ceremony. But that's far better than some of the unpleasant weather that seems to occur far too frequently.
But there was too much missing this year for me to agree with the "BEST.EVER" pronouncement. Some of the pleasant traditions of previous events missing this year were: free booze; cute bartenders; Lexus joyrides; Reese; Tara; Zip. With luck, some of these will make a comeback at future events; others may not. I'm sure that future events will evolve to fill some of the holes, as all life is transitory. So I'm not bemoaning the death of Rolex as we know it; but I just don't think this one was really the best ever.
I suppose that the Save the 3-Day gang would say that the biggest thing lacking at this year's event was Endurance phases A,B,C. I don't really have a strong opinion on this subject. As a non-eventer, I don't feel entitled to take sides in a controversy among those who are active in the sport. But most of the eventers I know are not happy with the "dumbing down" of the major events. And, while I believe that occasionally tradition needs to yield to innovation, I have not yet seen a convincing reason why this change is a good one.
As usual this year, I spent some time wondering if I wanted to continue my own tradition of taking pictures for this website. It was somewhat of a novelty when I started it 10 years ago; nobody else was posting Rolex pictures on the web. Now everybody has a digital camera and a Webshots album, making this site just another one of many. I might actually get a better view of the event if I wasn't messing with a camera the whole time. But somehow, I just couldn't let it go. Follow the links above to see the pictures.
That's about all I have to say this year. It seems like every year I get a little lazier. Must be that age thing. For a more detailed analysis of the event from a real eventer, check out Becky's 2006 Rolex Report