photos | Three Chestnuts

Photos will be coming over the next several weeks assuming I ever go through them, but another year, another fair hill complete.

Paddy the Caddy and Erin Sylvester

This year was bittersweet. While I am looking forward to the 5*, this was the last 4* (old 3*) ever, and it just won’t be Fair Hill without the 4*. And the last Fair Hill on this side of the property. As they are constructing the new course/venue on the other side of the road (I drive by ever day on my way to work), it’ll be interesting to see how it turns out. The one thing that I love about the current course about is the varied terrain. There are so many hills and drops and all that. The new course/area? It just looks…flat. We’ll see how it develops over the next few months. The arenas will be great. The rest? I’m reserving judgement.

Vandiver and Doug Payne

We could NOT have asked for better weather on Saturday. Sunny and GORGEOUS.

Polaris and Sara Gumbiner

We paid dearly for Saturday’s weather with the disaster that was Sunday. Cold. Rain. And almost no one was there for stadium. It was a complete washout and, if anyone knows the bus situation at Fair Hill on Saturday and Sunday, I didn’t see one bus hanging around Sunday following stadium. I’m not sure how the poor handful of people who parked over at the fair grounds (at least one lady was there) got back to their cars as the buses were MIA… It was that dead. I felt for the vendors.

QC Diamantaire and Sydney Elliott

But, it wouldn’t be Fair Hill without weather. Wednesday, rain for the jog. Thursday was cold with 40 mph wind gusts. Friday wasn’t much better. Saturday was gorgeous. And Sunday, pouring rain.

Classic’s Mojah and Megan Sykes

The courses on Saturday were definitely tough. In the 3*, jumps 5-7 took a lot of competitors out. Whereas the combination at 13 in the 4* was deadly. There was a point in the 4* that we probably went about 15-20 minutes without seeing a horse. But, thankfully, no one was seriously injured. The courses just were tough this year. Then the flags… I’m staying out of that one…

Carrick Finest Lad and Abigail Niles

Overall, another Fair Hill in the books. We’ll see what next year’s new beginnings bring!

Today marks Subi’s 13th anniversary with me. How has 13 year gone by? Seriously? I bought him the fall of my senior year of college. How little I knew back then!

But, he’s my longest relationship (sorry Erik!). And while I hope we have 13 more, at 22 with significant arthritis, I know that’s not likely, so I’m just going to enjoy what time we have.

Model

For year 13, Subi received a brand new rhino 100 gram turnout. I got a kiss. Fair deal.

For year 13, Subi has decided that he now ONLY eats alfalfa in his stall when it comes to hay. OK Subi, but I’m still feeding you orchard and your still limited 2 (or 3 if I’m feeling guilty) flakes of alfalfa because, let’s face it, I’m not made of money. But, MAYBE, I’ll buy you orchard-alfalfa too next time I visit the hay guy…

And, yesterday morning, it was raining. Subi REFUSED to

He knows he looks good, lol

leave his stall. He was wearing a rain sheet. He didn’t want to get wet. Old man has gotten picky. Let us not forget that a year ago he lived out 24/7. But, NO, he was going to melt if he stepped out into the rain. Eventually, I convinced him to leave his stall, walk to the paddock, where he IMMEDIATELY made a beeline to the shed. Again, he was dressed in a rain sheet. No one else melted and no one else was wearing sheet. Finicky old man!

Enjoy some of my favorite pictures throughout the years!