Horse show

Most of you probably know about my love of horses; it started at a young age and never really abated. My awesome parents paid for me to have riding lessons for a few years when I was an adolescent. I like to think that if I had continued that pursuit, I might be competing on a large stage right now. (I was pretty advanced for my age. Just sayin'.)

Anywho, the Washington International Horse Show is an annual event at the Verizon Center in downtown DC that attracts some of the best riders in the world. I've always wanted to attend, but the somewhat steep admission price kept me away. This year I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a ticket. It was great being around show jumping again (12-year old me used to daydream about competing in such events).

The bugler got things started (I forget what his official title is).

The first competition was a timed jump course.

The next competition was the Puissance - or high jump - competition. They kept building the wall higher until there was only one horse left standing. (Don't worry, it was totally safe.)

I believe the winning horse jumped over a 6'11" wall. Amazing.