2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals for Dressage and Showjumping

“Like Kids in a Candy Store”
Frocks, Gimcracks, and Thing-a-majigs On Sale in Las Vegas
By Father Mack- (a.k.a.: Father Larry David McCormick) with Photos by Ruth McCormick

First things first: This is not Aachen. No, I am not so addled as you may think. I know the difference between guys in Stetson hats who speak with a drawl that the rest of the country can barely understand and guys in lederhosen who speak in clipped words with guttural sounding consonants that make me wipe my face frequently with a handkerchief.

Rather, there is such a striking difference between the ways in which Las Vegas has acknowledged the influx of thousands of horse enthusiasts and that of Aachen at last year’s world cup. True devotees of DressageDaily may recall the photographic essay on Aachen’s store windows and their displays of all manner of things related to horse sport. A full size show jump built in an apothecary’s window. A bakery offering for sale cookies baked in the shape of horse shoes. Aachen was replete with simple, down-to-earth expressions of that city’s appreciation of the economic boost provided by the arrival of so many devotees of the horse world.

And, then, there is Las Vegas. Aside from overhearing two ladies strolling down “the Strip” discussing the fact that “she’s really sound” (I don’t think they were barristers talking about a client’s being of “sound mind and body”) there are only two tangible signals that the World Cup is in town. The first of these is so mundane as to make me cringe: the betting parlors at all the casinos (betting parlors that until a week or two ago would give you odds on how many days, weeks or months it would be until Prince William and his former girl friend would announce their engagement) would take your bet on who will win the dressage or the show jumping competition. Of course, you will first have to explain to the person that takes your money what is the difference between dressage and the flat racing they conduct at the Kentucky Derby as well as the fact that Isabell Werth isn’t a jockey!

By now you may have realized that I am NOT a fan of the gambling enterprise. So let me move on to the other, much more enjoyable signal that we thousand of horse fans have set foot in Vegas: There are tons of horse paraphernalia to be bought in Las Vegas.

Ruth, my loving and long-suffering frau, has graced us with a series of “snaps” taken in the building that adjoins the Thomas & Mack Center. There, in the Cox Pavilion as it is called, vendors are cheek to jowl with one another and they will sell you most anything from the implement with which one removes horse detritus from the stall (you know what I’m talkin’ about) to twenty-four carat reproductions of our favorite mammal (and I’m not talking about a Playboy Bunny).

You may feast your eyes upon these creations of the marketing gurus to your hearts’ content. Most noticeable to my not-worldly-wise set of eyes is the increase of more and more colorful (I nearly typed “bizarre”) horse accoutrements. Amongst Ruth’s photos is a vendor’s stall featuring the most striking (garish?) equestrian items in shades of pink. Unfortunately, they had just sold their last shadbelly with a polka dot lining! I wonder what the judge at “C” would make of that if your button came undone during the final salute?

Whether I, curmudgeon that I am, like or approve of these objects or not, they are being snatched up by the bagful. Why, there is barely room to squeeze into the already snug seats in the arena because of all the attendees purchases. These equestrian buffs are like kids in the proverbial candy store. Worse! They have credit cards!