Okay, maybe that phrase is only used in fox hunting, but that's what I thought of every time I saw these guys. On the recommendation of an office manager where Rich works, we went to the Middleburg Spring Races to see the oldest sanctioned steeplechase in Virginia. I know absolutely nothing about steeplechase racing other than that horses need to jump over obstacles like this:
It was a pretty big affair. I found a little hill to stand on to try and get an overall view of things. You can see the tailgaters. They had some amazing spreads laid out. The course was a beautiful, lush, rolling lawn only interrupted by the obstacles that the horses had to jump. You can see some racers lining up for a race in the pic below. They don't really have an exact starting line, they just kind of line up and take off when the starter gives them the signal.
After the race, the owners can choose to have their horses cooled down, like below. The area there in the background is where the finish line is. There are several races of different lengths. They start in different places, but all finish there. The cars parked there belong to sponsors, patrons, owners, etc. They pay big bucks for the privilege of parking there.
I don't know how long this rock wall was. It stretched for what seemed like forever. There's absolutely nothing holding those rocks together. It's completely dry-stacked. I checked. :-)
There were seven races which were going to take most of the day. The races themselves aren't that long, but there's a lot of time in between each race. We watched a few races and then left. It was fun, but I don't think I'd go again. I like horses, but don't exactly enjoy watching them race whether it's steeplechase or on a track. Maybe, being from the southwest, I'm more of a rodeo kind of girl.
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