My Christmas Present

Tom gave me the one thing I really wanted for Christmas, tickets to the Mercedes CSI FEI World Cup in Zurich.  Yes, ladies and gentleman, that is a fancy name for a very fancy horse show, specifically show jumping.  I have been to a lot of shows over the years, but this one was by far the most elaborate, richest show I have ever seen.  What do you expect when your sponsors are Mercedes and Rolex?   Here is my latest top ten list:  how American and European horse shows differ.  Before all the men log out of my site, there were monster trucks too!

10.  Spectators - The stadium was about the size of Bobcat arena in Charlotte, and it was at least 90% full.  Not too shabby considering tickets started at $100 swiss francs each.  People came in their furs and watched 14 hours of show jumping. 

9.  Food - Not a chicken nugget, hot dog, or french fry to be found folks.  There were full service bars, and champagne corks flying first thing in the morning.  The concourse food was steaks, pasta, and waffles with fresh vanilla cream or strawberries.  One end of the arena was reserved for the guests of the sponsors.  They enjoyed a typical European three hour dinner served on crystal, silver, and fine china with white glove service.  It was pretty amusing when the horses would kick up sand on their tables.   

8.  Exposition - One of the highlights of a good show is good shopping.  I couldn't afford anything.  No t-shirts here!  "Deep discount" fleece vests started at $100.  I got my boots polished for free, I guess that is something.  There were pony rides for the kids, and they were NICE ponies, not like the ones at local carnivals that are a few days away from the glue factory (ok, that was a little harsh!) 

7.  Flowers - The back wall of the arena was covered in Gerbera Daisys, and all the jumps were surrounded by arrangements.  I counted over 200 dozen roses in the dinner area.

6.  Betting and Prizes - There was a betting program.  You could bet on the outcome of a class or the collective results of a country.  The odds were constantly put on the jumbo-tron.    For the competitors even the amateur classes were very profitable, 30k of prizes to be split among the top 10.  The winner of the preliminary FEI Rolex round split $250k and the winner got a Rolex.  The winner Sunday will get this...

5.  Awards - They received those awards with much fanfare.  There were dancers, huge flags (the horses did not appreciate them much), and check out how the awards were brought into the ring...

The minature horses in the back were smaller than Buster, and the Fresians were stunning. 

4.   Paparazzi - Yes, these riders are celebrities, and there was paparazzi everywhere.  I was getting a major case of  "lens" envy with the length of those telephoto lenses.  This guy caused the biggest stir.  He is a Swiss hero, one heck of a rider,  and he acts like he KNOWS he is hot stuff...

3.  Difficulty - The course was designed a little too well.  Only 4/40 horses went clean.  These riders really need to school some water elements.  (ok, that is the last real horse talk I will use).

2.  Pooper scoopers -  In typical Swiss fashion, the "unmentionable" horse deposits magically dissapeared.  There were men in suits and ties that rushed around like ball boys at Wimbleton.  You could have eaten off the ring floor. 

1.  The Show - There was a "Great Britain Show" in the evening, starring the Calvary of The Queen of England.  Sounds very boring, huh?  Now add in a comedy, monster trucks, and horses doing routines to Coldplay, Katy Perry, and Trans Siberean Orchestra music, and we got ourselves a real show!  There was rock music with bagpipes, a clown dancing with a truck that looked like a mouse, motorcycles and fireworks.  I have no idea what they will think of next!