United States Eventing Association

So, I’d already fallen in love with the place, sight unseen. I finally pull into the main entrance (Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park…it’s a mouthful, so let’s call it The Park, instead) and wiggle my way down the gravel path to the festivities below (once again, my route was festooned with a bevy of directional signs). Tall, seemingly ancient oak trees, draped with flittery Spanish moss (which I find incredibly romantic, lazy, and sad all rolled into one exquisite little plant) led me down to the parking area and the vendor tents. More on this tomorrow – I have yet to adequately explore the vendor & sponsor tents, but so far I’ve drooled over some nifty tack shops, clothes stores, jewelers, crafts, boutiques, and all sorts of neat stuff. And the food vendors look exceptional… I’ll get some more in-depth taste tests on that later, but I swear I saw "alligator" listed as an option at one eatery. Hmmm… I hear it tastes like chicken, but sort of chewy. I have to admit, my eyes were PEELED on the swamps and canals as our plane touched down in Florida (after a horrendously teeth-chipping landing, I might add) hoping that I might see some gigantic 20-foot gator sunning himself on the runway. But, alas, it was not to be.

The grounds were in the state of "organized chaos" as is the case at most big events, but the organizers & volunteers seemed to be incredibly cheerful, have everything under control and well-attended, and although they probably felt quite frazzled with the approaching event, they all looked and acted fabulous. I heard that nearly 400 people volunteer at this event, and I met quite a lot of them already. The USEA’s 50th Anniversary (in 2009) will be "The Year of the Volunteer," because truly this sport would not be where it is today without their help. Kudos to all the volunteers out there for giving back to the sport – I hope they realize how important their good deed is and are thanked by many, many of the competitors who come this weekend.

Tonight was the first of the weekend’s many parties and if the rest live up to this one…then I’ll be very impressed. Especially by the food. They had Bonefish Grille & Barefoot Winery sponsor this one and wow, was it a doozy. The second you stepped into the tent, you were greeted by the "welcoming staff" and you were literally bombarded by the waiters to stuff yourself with delightfully spicy shrimp, caesar salad, mahi mahi, and all sorts of deliciousness. For someone who hadn’t eaten since breakfast, the menu was like the nectar of the gods. So far the food has been THE best event food yet. Maybe I won’t try that "gator burger" after all. Oh, and they had a live band, too!

Tomorrow will be a long day… dressage kicks off at 8:15 and will run until approximately 4:48. The neat thing about the dressage rings is that (from what I’ve seen so far), you can pretty much see just about all of them from one spot. For the most part. And because of the flat landscape, it makes for a very spectator-friendly event. I haven’t yet ventured out onto the cross-country course (although I hear it’s spectacular), I’m hoping that will be just as open and accessible as the dressage rings.

It’s off to bed – early start tomorrow!