Photo by Emily Daignault-Salvaggio.
‘Surreal’ doesn’t really cover this weekend, but it was. ‘Amazing’ still is falling short as a descriptor, but ‘Unforgettable’ will cover it nicely. How hard is it to jump 4 perfectly clear rounds in one of the biggest championships there is? How much mental poise does it take to hold yourself together facing the in gate and crowds rooting for you, 5 times? How then shall we capture the essence of this stellar performance when it was a dynamic feat relying and existing only due to the bond between a man and a mare?
HH Azur in person is a striking mare, not so much in size, though she is big, but in attitude. She reminds me a bit of how my mind perceives Beyonce to be, all that and a whole lot of sass. Her jumping ability is another thing entirely. The first time I recall seeing her was in footage online from the Royal in 2015 when they won the $75,000 Big Ben International Challenge.
What struck me then and has in other glimpses of her since, is her enjoyment of the game. The ears stay pricked and she really just never seems to question what’s in front of her. Beyond the ease with which she jumps there’s her rider who has tuned his ride of her to a T. I discussed this transformation with Peter Leone and he said that at the Royal McClain had only figured her out about 80%. Now he’s at about 95%. God help the show jumping world if they ever hit 100%!
The crowds this week totaled over 55,000 for all the Dressage and Jumping classes, and the Sunday afternoon stands were reverberating as if we’d swapped locations to a Knicks home game at Madison Square Garden. The buildup in each of the two rounds before Annie and McClain rode was immense. The caliber of horses in the top 10 in each round came with long and highly successful resumes and if the horse was a bit greener than some, for sure it’s rider was not.
Past World Cup champions came to the challenge and yet they could not best a perfect score. Honestly it would be difficult for any 4 round competitor (5 with jump off) to bring through a perfect 0 at most levels. Lots of respect is definitely owed to Romain Duguet and Henrik Von Eckermann. They both brought home zero scores in both rounds on Sunday but it just wasn’t enough with their earlier faults. I think one performance that was probably lost in the media was that of the grey “Clooney” and Martin Fuchs. That horse was amazing and he can definitely come home with me any day of the week! Keep an eye on this one as we build towards the Tryon World Equestrian Games next year.
My memories of Sunday’s rounds will stay for a long time to come. In true horse show fashion it’s a long blend of emotions, visions of grandeur, lots of clucking and rare pride in the world around us. My legs shook both times McClain entered the ring, and more so once he jumped the last fence clean. The look on McClain’s face after he landed clear over the last fence of the entire show was the gushing joy and relief and outright celebration that we’d hoped to see. To know his life story and see that was enough to elicit tears and overwhelming pride for him.
Amidst the podium celebration we saw the normally composed McClain cry and glance skyward. But those moments were soon replaced by a spewing champagne bottle chase and spray of Romain and Henrik. The victory gallop caused the crowds to whoop and holler for all they were worth. The press conference was the ideal wrap up of what happened that changed the outcomes. And then it was done. The crowds left and the horses were back in their stalls. Their owners, riders and grooms finally relaxing as the Nebraskans accepted the praise and thanks of all. But the greatness remains. That for one mare and one man they had finally triumphed above the rest. And it happened in Omaha.