2002 Dressage at Devon

Devon Gets Acquainted With Hurricane Isidore

While Louisiana is being flooded by tropical storm Isidore, the horse park in Devon, Pennsylvania, is also getting acquainted with the effects of the hurricane. The night of Wednesday September 25 to 26, 2002, was filled with a soothing drizzle that served as the perfect sprinkler system for the Gold and Dixon arena at 2002 Dressage at Devon but round noon, the drizzle transformed into perfectly shaped thick rain drops wetting spectators, handlers, owners, horses, dogs and the arenas.

At 5 PM, everything was so drenched that the rings became puddles of mud in which the presentation of the horses seemed more like a Woodstock slide show than an equine beauty pageant.

The Devon breed show started on Tuesday September 25, but by today the horses were noticeably sick and tired of it. The nickering got many decibels louder and several handlers had to deal with resisting horses, that bucked and reared to show their disapproval and annoyance by a tiresome third day of breed show.

The vet inspection for the CDI competition at Devon also took place in rain. As the judge's and veterinarian's eye sight was being blurred by the pouring raindrops, every horse passed the jog. It turned out to be a "pro forma" presentation of the CDI horses while everyone was waiting to go inside and enjoy a hot coco or a drink at the competitors' party in the Beer Garden.

The weather forecast predicts more rain tomorrow but the percipitation should stop by Saturday. Hopefully, the footing in the arena's won't have suffered too much from friendly Isidore who exaggerated our request for a light sprinkling of the arena by simply flooding it.

Text by Astrid Appels

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