Of course I could jump it....!

Well, the guy next door to our booth, selling the Australian raincoats, must have been out doing a rain dance on Thursday evening because during the night we had torrential rain, and Friday was a mixture of thundery rain storms and sunshine. Not a bad day, with quite a lot of interest from both competitors and spectators. On Friday night Tony and I went out for a Mexican meal with a couple of the other vendors who are running the booth opposite. It was nice to spend an evening with new friends and put the world to rights over a couple of very good Margaritas.

Saturday dawned clear but there was great concern as high winds and severe thunder storms were forecast for the afternoon. The concern was so great that the organisers decided to keep the cross country going without a lunch break so that they could get all the riders and horses through the cross country phase before the storm arrived. And, oh boy did it arrive, with a vengeance! At around 3 ‘o clock in the afternoon the skies darkened and the thunder and lightening started and within minutes the winds had got up and the floor of the big marquee we were in was flooded. There was then an announcement over the PA system, we think from the police, and everyone was instructed to leave the premises. We were told that there was a tornado warning and that the organisers had taken the decision to close up the show, and all the tents and marquees, for safety.

Not 'our' tornado thankfully, but it gives you an idea of what they look like!

Well, 3.30 in the afternoon found a very wet and bedraggled Tony and Hilary walking (me riding scoot) the mile back to the RV park, hoping our booth would not get washed away overnight. Saturday night finished with the local tornado warning sirens sounding which I have to say was rather unnerving!

Sunday morning dawned fine but overnight a high wind had blown up which was rocking our marquee to its foundations. The booth was pretty much underwater when we arrived and we spent the first hour drying out the floor and moving cardboard boxes out of puddles. The next problem was a hurricane force wind which came through the opening of our marquee and blew most of the display off the shelves. The final straw came when a particularly strong gust flattened our backdrop, which we were then forced to take down to prevent any further damage.

The rest of the day passed slowly and by 4pm we were ready to pack up and call it a day. The torrential rain which started at about 4 pm made the breakdown of the stand even harder and, by the time we put the last box on the back of the pick up at 9pm, I have to say that both of us would have been glad if we never saw the Kentucky Horse Park ever again!

On a brighter note, William Fox-Pitt won the event, and we understand that both Oliver Townend and his horse, who had a crashing fall during the cross country, were not badly injured and are recovering well.

The other piece of good news that saved the day was that the Kentucky Horse Park Gift Shop and Saddlery www.kyhorsepark.com are going to start selling our products in their saddlery section and we were able to provide them with their opening order at the end of the show. A real silver lining to the dark storm clouds over Kentucky!

Onward and upward as they say, tomorrow we start our trip from Kentucky through Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi, down to New Orleans, in Louisiana, for the National Animal Supplements Councils (NASC) www.nasc.cc annual meeting. Wish us luck there as there is a tornado watch for this area!

Hilary & Tony