Everything is Awesome! (Royally awesome …)

Everything is awesome, when:

You go to the Royal with a horse-crazy ten-year-old who has never been before.
You take the train (oh, I loves me a ride on VIA)
Your hotel is so close to the CN Tower you can’t see the tower because it’s right over your head.
The horse-crazy ten-year-old has also never been on a train before, never taken a taxi before, never stayed on the 22nd floor of a hotel in downtown Toronto before, and her mind is exploding.
You get to the Royal with no plans, and nothing to do before the Big Ben Challenge starts at 9:40.
You shop, you eat, you see the cleanest cows, and sheep, and pigs, and the most obscenely huge vegetables you’ve ever seen in your entire life.
Everybody is nice, and happy, and having fun, and being friendly.
You go to the horse palace, and find the Millar Brooke Farm section and Ian Millar is there, and he sweetly and graciously comes over to talk to the ten-year-old, and you are more babbling and star-struck than she is.
You have amazing seats and you get to watch the set-up for the Big Ben Challenge …

(here’s how that looked)

Laying out the poles where the jumps will go.

 

There was a man with a very long tape measure walking around at this point (not pictured here)

Then many, many tractors came out – there were six at one point, plus the two machines harrowing and flattening the footing.

Poles, and standards, and potted plants …

 

… and floral arrangements, and props, and so many, many things!

 

And finally it was time to walk the course

I don’t have good photos of the actual competition because a) I didn’t want to use a flash, and b) I wanted to sit back and watch and enjoy. However, there are plenty of great, official photos of the jumping many places, including here.

Just in general, I have to say, really, everything was awesome. VIA was great, the hotel was great, Toronto (even though I’m not a big T.O. fan) put its best foot forward, the Royal is like nothing else in the world, Ian Millar is – well – second-to-none – such a lovely man (not to mention a kick-ass rider), and my friend Claire, and her daughter Sarah, were awesome to travel with.

So, that was #RAWF16. I’m tired, but I’m happy, so #RAWF17 is not impossible …