U.S. League Finals for the 2005 World Cup Finals

All Work and No Play....

One of the more entertaining moments of the show were provided during the awards ceremony for the Intermediaire Championship.

Steffen Peters had just finished a Grand Prix test on Lombardi, and decided it made more sense to just stay tacked up, rather than go fetch Marlando.

So it was Lombardi, “the quietest horse in the barn”, according to one of Steffen’s assistants, who marched back into the ring, along with Debbie McDonald and Felix ,for the presentation.

Something about the background music must have spoken in silent tongue to Lombardi, because he spent a good deal of the awards ceremony on his hind legs, making big, playful leaps forward. Steffen just laughed and shrugged.. Eventually, Lombardi stopped leaping, and began keeping time to the music with a foreleg. Suddenly, Felix decided that was a capital idea, and matched Lombardi and the beat of the music with his own foreleg!

Debbie just shrugged, as both horses pawed in unison and in tempo, to the great amusement of the crowd.

Show organizer Glenda McElroy, who has been part of organizing just about every important show and symposium in North America, felt that this was the smoothest and best League Finals so far. “The level of the performances, the skill of the riders—it has all come a long way and was definitely showcased here.”

And best of all, the rather unpredictable weather held up for four days of no wind, no rain, no scorching heat…just southern California blue sky and a lot of happy spectators—and even some happy riders.

And of course, happy horses..

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