The Gene Mische American Invitational, however, is completely different. Being in an NFL facility, Raymond James Stadium, (which has hosted the Super Bowl) IS A  key element contributing to a special experience for riders and fans alike.

Horse show judge Jimmy Lee, who has been to many Invitationals and attended the 41st last night, explained it this way to me:

"Just to walk into such an awesome place in the evening and the way they do the presentation, it's a great course and a lot of people from the community come to watch -- they really make it an event," he pointed out.

"Sometimes we just have a wonderful horse show, but it's just like the wonderful horse show the previous week, and the one we're going to have next week. With these long circuits, it's fun to say to someone, `What show were you champion at?'

`I was champion the fifth week.'

`But what was the name of the show?'"

Odds are, you won't get an answer to that one.

There's no such confusion with the Invitational; even riding in it without getting a ribbon is memorable. As Jimmy  said, "It's a production."

You just get one shot; there's no schooling, no warm-up class. It becomes a real test of horsemanship.

McLain Ward at the X-factor jump on the way to winning the Gene Mische American Invitational with Rothchild.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

This edition definitely was tough; only McLain Ward, on the hard-fighting Rothchild, and 18-year-old Reed Kessler, his 2012 Olympic teammate on Mika, made it from the starting field of 30 into the tie-breaker.

Steve Stephens, who has designed the Invitational since 1985 (with the exception of one year) put his usual amount of thought into the route he laid out. There were several new fences, including the American Invitational pedestal, raised up on a red X (Steve was inspired by The X-Factor TV show), as well as a vertical/liverpool/vertical triple combination near the end of the course that took a lot of prisoners.

Why is an arrangement like that so difficult here?

Listen: Steve Stephens

So now you understand the circumstances, and why, for McLain, winning his third Invitational since 1998 has special meaning.

"This class is an institution for this country, this sport. I really hope people in the industry rally behind this and keep it going," he said. "It almost died a few years ago. I'm so glad to see (organizer) Michael Morrissey and his group of people and sponsors who have really made great effort to revive it, because it's very, very important to us as athletes.

"This is something unique and special and when I grew up, this was the most important class to win, this is what we coveted. I think that's important for future young riders; my children, one day, I hope."

The show also is a great experience for spectators, who come out in droves to walk the course,

measuring the height of the fences against the top of their heads, spreading their arms in the middle of the oxers to see how wide they are.

The crowd of 8,500 was better than last year and comparable to the number who came to Wellington on Florida's east coast last weekend for the $500,000 grand prix that ended the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. They do look a bit lost in the cavernous facility, though as McLain pointed out, "In anything other than a 65,000-seat stadium, it would look packed. But I think the stadium also makes the atmosphere a bit."

He sees the Invitational's potential for becoming a "destination event," such as Devon or the World Cup Finals in Las Vegas.

"That's what this event should be aimed to be," he commented.

"WEF is so great, but it gets so monotonous by the end, when you use the same jumps every single week. It's beautiful here," said Reed.

"They really put in that extra work to make it special, and it feels special from the moment you get here."

"There are so many things they do so, so well," McLain pointed out, noting that there are always different fences each year, and the organizers and Steve don't simply rest on their laurels.

His most memorable Invitational win, achieved during a 2008 night of rain, was on Sapphire. There will never be another like the mare, who retired last year at Devon in an emotional ceremony.

"For me, every horse is in the shadow of Sapphire. I miss her very much," said McLain, but Rothchild has found a way into his heart.

"It was a little bit of a lucky chance that I got him," McLain said, recalling he had gone to Europe seeking a horse for a student, and tried Rothchild.

"Francois Mathy, who we buy all our horses from, said, `I think it's a very careful horse.'"

McLain had a different opinion.

"I didn't like anything about him. All the way to the airport, I said, `No, no, no.'"

It apparently fell on deaf ears.

"I called my father to say I was home and he said, `By the way, we bought the chestnut horse. Francois says you don't know what you're talking about."

Well, look at how it's turned out. Rothchild is as competitive as his rider, and as he pins his ears back while he's clearing a fence, you can tell he's going for it.

"He's an every day competitor. He can go in a speed class, he can jump the American Invitational, he can jump a Global Tour grand prix, he can jump Nations' Cups," said McLain.

"He's very quietly amassed quite a record. In the end, he's become a very good friend of mine. He gives me everything he has to give me."

Rothchild, who is owned by the Dolan family's Sagamore Farm, also is "an unbelievable character. He's the sweetest horse in the world to deal with," said McLain.

That's when you're in the barn.

At the same time, "he's totally opinionated and it's going to be his way. He does not like other horses. He makes up for lack of classic style with determination. He can kind of do everything, which is a rarity in today's sport. You know, everything's a specialist. This horse is really the blue collar worker, but the blue collar worker won one for the team today."

McLain Ward hoists the Invitational trophy as second-place Reed Kessler and third-place Sharn Wordley look on.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Despite the fact that only McLain and Reed were in the jump-off, this was no easy victory, and there were a few others who came close to making the tie breaker. Sharn Wordley, a U.S.-based New Zealander, nearly did qualify but scored a time fault with Eric Lamaze's Olympic mount, Derly Chin de Muze, to wind up third.

And how did he get the ride on this horse?

Simple: "I got engaged to the owner (Ashley Fleischhacker)," he admitted, getting a laugh, as the beautiful blonde held the flowers he got during the awards ceremony.

Sharn had a mishap that put him over the 89-second time allowed.

"My horse drifted quite hard to the right at fence four and I rubbed my foot against the standards and I was kind of discombobulated and I kind of took a bit of time on that corner to get myself organized," said Sharn.

"I knew from then on it was going to be touch-and-go...I tried to catch up as best I could without jeopardizing having a rail. It was my first time doing the Invitational and I love it. It's going to be a focus for me next year. It's just so different...with so much atmosphere...it really is quite challenging."

McLain has gone from being one of the young guns to being the establishment, and they're all coming after him.

(Listen: McLain Ward

Invitational runner-up Reed Kessler on Mika

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

Reed is having a great time as an 18-year-old; becoming the youngest equestrian to compete in the Games last summer, and now nearly winning the Invitational in only her second attempt.

She had the disadvantage of going first in the jump-off, and was faced with the always difficult task of splitting the difference between having a fast time and making sure the fences stayed up.

"McLain is so, so fast; Rothchild, especially," she said.

"So I tried to lay down a really competitive round...to go in my comfort zone with Mika to make sure I put in a clear round. I tried to put enough pressure on without making a mistake."

She accomplished that, but by leaving out one stride and making a smoother approach than Reed did to one fence, McLain was able to better her mark of 43.37 by more than a second by crossing the finish in 42.10.

"It's so huge, it's such a prestigious class. I love walking the course and listening to people like Katie (Prudent, her coach) and Leslie (Howard) talk about the different horses they've won it on and the years where they had this (jump) in the course," said Reed.

"It's just such a historic class and has so many great stories behind it. It's great to say I've been second in the Invitational once," she continued, then smiled.

"I hope I can add a win."

The top three all liked the course, and praised Steve.

"He had some very young and green riders in the class, as well as Olympic horses and riders, he had to find a balance and I thought it was a good balance test," said McLain. Two or three, but under five (in the jump-off) is the right number for this competition."

The first Invitational I attended was in 1984, the year of the Los Angeles Olympics. Leslie Howard won on Albany and I thought it was neat that as I walked toward the stadium entrance yesterday, she was the first person I saw. We reminisced a bit about that experience.

Listen: Leslie Howard

There's always something different and intriguing at the Invitational, aside from the jumping. One area of the grounds is devoted to kids, with a petting zoo, horseless horse show and face painting. A Percheron was pulling what I call a Cinderella carriage (round and enclosed by artistic white metal strips).

Katherine Bateson Chandler did a freestyle demonstration with Alcazar.

© 2013 by Nancy Jaffer

During a break in the class, 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games U.S. dressage team member Katherine Bateson-Chandler performed a freestyle on Jane Clark's  Alcazar, not easy to do with jumps in the way and workmen pounding down divots all around her. But it was good practice for the horse, who will have to compete in a comparable setting (minus the jumps and workmen) if Katherine makes the squad for next summer's WEG in France.

Before everyone left the post-show party, always a relaxed affair and a good way to wind down from an exciting evening, I checked in with Michael Morrissey, head of Stadium Jumping Inc., which runs the show presented by G&C Farm.

Michael was Gene Mische's nephew, and devoted to him. Still is; he is keeping the Invitational going (and believe me, many people wondered if it could continue) in memory of Gene, the impresario who founded the Florida circuit.

Listen: Michael Morrissey

Don't forget to check out facebook.com/equisearch and facebook.com/practicalhorseman for more photos of the Invitational.
This was my last trip to Florida for the year. Like nearly everyone else, I'm heading north for the start of the regular season. I'll be sending postcards daily from the Rolex Kentucky 4-star at the end of the month, so be sure to look for them.

Until then,

I envy you guys, I really do. Shakespeare called jealousy the “green-eyed monster,” and that’s me these days. The reason I am so jealous is that some of you reading this are going to take part in rebuilding our U.S. Eventing Team from the ground up.

I never had that experience. When I joined the team as a rookie in 1966, it was a well-oiled machine—and in many ways a colder, more impersonal environment than we are used to these days. The U.S. Equestrian Team owned many of the horses, and riders were merely plug-and-play cogs. (I might be the only U.S. rider ever to be off the team, on the team and off the team all in the space of four days.) That was the way it was. We just shrugged and did not worry about anybody taking care of our needs. The way I figured it at the time, any fool who joined a team made up of Mike Plumb, Kevin Freeman and Mike Page was going to get a medal. All that fool had to do was show up for work every day, take care of business and learn as much as possible from watching these pluperfect players of the game, all future U.S. Eventing Association Hall of Famers. Remember, this was before Jack LeGoff had even arrived as our coach; he was the icing on the cake for us and a big reason for the U.S. team’s dominance of the international eventing scene for another 15 years.

Ups and Downs
But that was then, and this is now. Any sports franchise goes through highs and lows, and our present situation—no medals at the 2010 World Equestrian Games or 2012 London Olympics—is as low as the U.S. Eventing Team has fallen in a quarter-century. While our decline was as swift as it was precipitous, it is not the only time it has ever happened to us. We finished with team gold and Karen Stives won the individual silver in 1984 at Los Angeles; we were at the top of the eventing tree—­admired, respected and imitated around the world. But we went from the top to the bottom in one Olympic cycle. Only two years later, our team finished in disarray at the 1986 World Championships in Gawler, Australia, and we failed to even finish a team, much less medal, at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. That’s the way Olympic-level sport works: Sometimes you are the birddog; sometimes you are the fire hydrant.

Then the cycle started all over again. First the upside—Dorothy Trapp Crowell’s lone individual silver medal in 1994 with the incomparable Molokai. Next came team silver and Kerry Millikin’s individual bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, then team bronze at WEG in 1998. David O’Conner won the individual gold medal at Sydney in 2000 and led us to a team bronze medal. At the 2002 WEG in Jerez, we won team gold. Then Kim Severson and Winsome Adante won a silver medal and the team won a bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the late Amy Tryon and Poggio earned an individual

bronze at the 2006 WEG in Aachen and Gina Miles won an individual silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong on McKinlaigh. After that, though, no medals were earned at the 2010 WEG, and our team finished well down the line at the recent London Olympics. We have been riding shotgun down the avalanche, and now we are here at the bottom … again.

Let’s Come Out Swinging
We are in what baseball players call a “slump.” There is no denying it. While it is not what we wanted, it is what we have got, and we need to deal with it. I once asked Troy Glaus, MVP of the 2002 Baseball World Series, how he dealt with slumps. He said two very important things—­listen carefully, folks—to get out of a slump: “You go back to your basics,” and then he said, “You swing your way out of a slump.”

This is pretty important advice from someone who knows something about battling back from adversity, and we need to think about it. To get better, the first thing to do is to recognize we are not good enough. That’s a fact. You have to admit something is wrong before you can fix it.

The next thing to do is to look at your competition and figure out what they are doing that puts them, not you, on the medal ­podium. If you do that, you ­notice that each successful team has a system and their riders all ride in a similar fashion. If form follows function, medals follow form, and we need to match our methodology with sound basics. Taking a look at your competition will tell you how they are currently doing things and will inform your return to your basics.

It seems to me that in many ways we have written the book but lost the plot. In the past, the style with which our eventing teams rode reflected our systematic, sound, clear and consistent basic technique. I realize that any system beats no system, but if we are going to go back to our basics, we must first examine those basics. Before we start exposing our horses and riders to a certain progression of requirements, we should question those requirements …

Rich Fellers and Flexible against the dramatic backdrop for equestrian sport at the London Olympics

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

The Queen "parachuting" with James Bond into the opening ceremonies was the perfect beginning to days of glory, during which the Games, London and Great Britain were the biggest winners.The theme from the inspiring film, "Chariots of Fire," and the iconic hymn/anthem, "Jerusalem" (the source of the movie's title) became the practically non-stop soundtrack to which the pageant unfolded across weeks of athletic prowess.

Equestrian has never had such a beautiful backdrop, glowing with the alabaster of the Queen's House, built for a 17th century queen and her successor (not Elizabeth, who is in residence elsewhere) and the National Maritime Museum, shadowed by Canary Wharf. Greenwich Park had the right charisma for incredibly dramatic competition, featuring cross-country fences and jumps in the stadium that mirrored the host country's history and landmarks.

Olympic double-gold dressage medalist Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain and Valegro

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

I want it on the record just one more time that I predicted three team gold medals for Great Britain. I came close, but the British eventers finished behind the Germans to mess me up. Still, I got the dressage and show jumping right. Having the home side do so well really made the Games even more meaningful for equestrian sports not only in Britain, but elsewhere in the world, as people empathized with that karma. Having the much-photographed Royals on hand for equestrian competitions didn't hurt, either. And the Paralympics benefited too, with good crowds watching brave and inspiring efforts.

I doubt we'll see another Olympics with the cachet of London in our lifetime; or maybe ever. It offered the perfect stage on which dressage got a new identity and gained popularity with powerful performances that put previous Olympic competitions in the shade. How nice to see a nation besides the Germans or the Dutch on top.

On the down side, the Olympics provided some painful "wake-up" moments for the U.S. equestrian community. Mark Philllips' conclusion, "We weren't good enough" applied not only to his eventing team, but also to the American dressage and show jumping squads. It was the first time since 1956 that the country's representatives had come home without a medal. Consider it an impetus for improvement.

Olympic double-gold eventing medalist Michael Jung of Germany, who is also the European and world champion, aboard Sam on cross-country.

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

My selection for equestrian athlete of the year is a tie: How do you decide between graceful Olympic double-gold dressage medalist Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain  (who gets extra points for wearing a helmet during her rides on Valegro) and German double-gold eventing medalist Michael Jung aboard Sam. This is an amazing partnership that has also captured the European and world championships, combining with the Olympic achievements for a unique triple crown. You choose; I can't.

Special mention has to go to Rich Fellers, the first American in 25 years to win the World Cup Show Jumping finals. He and his longtime partner, Flexible, went from that achievement to being the highest-placed U.S. rider on the show jumping Olympic team.

There's no question about who made the comeback of the year. I still remember my shock on learning that McLain Ward had shattered his left kneecap on a jump cup when I heard the news last January. The big question was, would he be ready for the Olympics? In his second grand prix back in May, he won under the lights at Devon in storybook fashion and earned his way to the Games. They didn't go as planned, but he bounced back a few weeks later with a victory in the HITS Pfizer $1 million grand prix. McLain missed the Washington International as his father lay dying, but after Barney Ward's death, McLain dealt with his grief and re-emerged (with a few understandable tears) at the National Horse Show, where he won the $250,000 Alltech Grand Prix.

Jacob Pope, winner of the Emerging Athlete Program finals in 2011, made a big splash in 2012 by winning two equitation championships and likely is headed for more victories in 2013.

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

My Rising Star Award has become the Risen Star Award as Reed Kessler went from promising grand prix rider to the top of the charts in the selection trials, co-national champion and finally the youngest equestrian Olympian at the age of 18, all in the space of six months. And special recognition should be given to Jacob Pope, who came from nowhere, won the 2011 U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Emerging Athlete Program finals and went on to take both the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East and ASPCA Maclay Finals not even 12 months later. Maybe he'll be on the next Olympic team.

The anti-climax of the year was Totilas. We kind of figured that that Edward Gal's European and world championships gold medal mount wasn't going to be winning Olympic gold with his current rider, Matthias Rath, but we didn't expect him to be a no-show at the Olympics. Maybe it was just as well; when you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not, well, let's just say I think Valegro (and perhaps a few others) would have cleaned his clock.

Sapphire said goodbye at the Devon Horse Show during retirement ceremonies that wrapped up an illustrious career.

© 2012 by Nancy Jaffer

Who knows when (or if) we'll see Totilas in the ring again, but we know that 2012  retirees Sapphire and Ravel have competed for the last time. Sapphire, McLain's illustrious mare who is the veteran of two gold medal Olympic teams, will be busy providing foals. Ravel, the USA's top dressage horse for years, will be hanging out and relaxing as rider Steffen Peters concentrates on his new star, the 2012 national Grand Prix champion, Legolas.

Equestrian sport has been plagued by scads of legal battles over the years, but there's only one choice for the legal wrangle of 2012. If you're hoping for world peace in 2013, why not start small and ask for an end to the Wellington tug of war over the Global Dressage Festival showgrounds. So many accusations and lawsuits have been filed over this that it's impossible to keep it all straight. The only thing that's important to know at this point, however, is that the GDF will be operational for 2013 shows and further enhance Wellie World's global reputation as a major equestrian center.

If you don't want too many questions about something, announce it during the week between Christmas and New Year's. That's what the FEI did with the news that Longines will be its first Top Partner (and official timekeeper and official watch), taking over the sponsorship of World Cup show jumping in October 2013. So what happened to Rolex, the World Cup's current sponsor? Who knows; with offices closed for the holidays, it's impossible to find out.

There are questions about whether the Rolex Kentucky three-day event will be affected, but the U.S. Equestrian Federation has an excellent relationship that goes back decades with Rolex Watch USA, so that should stand it in good stead. Still, one can't help but wonder about the fate of the Rolex Grand Slam.

Who can forget that 2012 was the year for presidential politics? And not just at the national level. Bill Moroney and Mary Babick had a face-off for the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association presidency, and incumbent Bill got the nod of the board of directors for a third (and final) term. Such contested elections are rare in horse organizations; Chrystine Tauber had no opposition in becoming the new president of the USET after Bill and Armand Leone withdrew their candidacies.

Meanwhile, Jane Clark announced she was resigning in January as president of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation after choosing British rider Ben Maher to ride her jumpers. Jane, who said she will continue her support of the foundation (which supplies the USEF with high performance money), felt that it wouldn't be proper for her to remain as president if her horses will be on foreign teams. A top-notch replacement is waiting in the wings.

As every year ends, we think back on those who passed away during the preceding 12 months. The loss in April of Olympic and World Equestrian Games eventing medalist Amy Tryon still is terribly painful. Amy, who partnered with the former mountain horse Poggio, died too young of an accidental medication overdose. She was installed in the U.S. Eventing Hall of Fame this month, where so many others are immortalized. Their ranks include Jack Fritz, who contributed so much to the base and growth of eventing and dressage in this country. Jack, who also ran the U.S. Equestrian Team operation in Gladstone, N.J., died in March.

Dr. Craig Ferrell, the U.S. team's wonderful physician, left us in May after a polo accident. He was an incredibly selfless man who never refused a request for help. Among the others who departed were Dick Thompson, a pillar of the eventing world who owned the Horse of the 20th Century, Biko; two-time Pony Club President James Ligon; dressage volunteer Patsy Albers and Paralympian Jon Wentz, who died weeks after realizing his ambition of riding in the Games.

Looking ahead to 2013, expect big changes in the way things are done in the U.S. to build a better high performance base in all three Olympic disciplines with an eye toward making the 2014 Alltech World Equestrian Games and the 2016 Olympics in Rio a success story for the USA.

Don't buy your plane tickets yet, but the 2018 WEG will go either to Vienna (how nice that would be for something different) or Bromont, Canada. My money's on Bromont, which hosted the equestrian portion of the 1976 Olympics, though there would be better desserts in Vienna. As for the 2020 Olympics, bet on Istanbul, where the FEI (international equestrian federation) had its General Assembly this year. The other contenders, Spain and Japan, already have hosted a Games, and Turkey is a fresh new location.

A 2013 landmark is the FEI's new helmet rule, which goes into effect in January. It's good, but doesn't go far enough, because it still permits Grand Prix dressage riders and reiners to compete wearing top hats and cowboy hats respectively, though they are required to wear protective headgear much of the rest of the time they are on the showgrounds. How about just cutting to the chase and requiring protective headgear at all times for everyone, period. The exception would be vaulters, since I'm told helmets would throw off their balance.

So much of what happened in 2012 couldn't be predicted (except the British gold medals, of course!).  All I can guarantee is that the same will hold true in 2013 and I will be telling you about it. I'll be sending my first postcard of the new year on Sunday evening from the debut of Donald Trump's Mar-A-Lago show jumping grand prix in Palm Beach. Really Palm Beach, not Wellington, even though they call the showgrounds there the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. It's 40 minutes west of the ocean, so that's a stretch, but Mar-A-Lago has a genuine blue water backdrop. Can't wait to see this competition!

Until then,

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the modern Olympic movement more than a century ago, would hardly recognize the 2012 version. Beginning as a sporting contest that was amateurish in every aspect, the Olympics have grown to become a global phenomenon. For two weeks every Olympic quadrennial, the entire world sits down in front of a TV and watches athletes from around the globe compete. For most of us here in the United States, the notes of John Williams’ “Olympic Fanfare” mean another late night captivated by dazzling feats of athleticism. Usually our conversation the next morning consists of saying, “Did you see … ?” in reference to some new world record or definition of excellence.

Every Olympics, we promise ourselves that this time we are not going to spend two weeks glued to the boob tube, but once again, there we are … hooked. For technologically savvy fans, there are many ways of watching the Games, from live streaming to a smart phone to recording and playing favorite events on a wall-mounted TV that could handle a life-size photo of Sasquatch. The little I have learned about it suggests that every possible means of modern technology was used to view the 2012 Olympic Games, including several unusual and possibly even legal means. The story goes that you bright bulbs in the United States hacked into foreign servers and bootlegged programs that played live when you wanted to see the competition. This confounded the suits in New York, who thought they had decided you would watch glimpses of your favorite sports and athletes between commercials. Don’t you just love technology?

Seeing the Face of Eventing’s Future
Thanks to live streaming, I had the best seat in the house and watched the entire four days of eventing competition. While a lot of story lines caught my attention, the first thing we need to discuss is … how about that Michael Jung? Even New Zealand’s legendary Mark Todd has never dominated the eventing scene the way Germany’s Jung has, winning World, European and Olympic gold in three successive years and all on the same horse. What a story!

And talking about story lines, when two-time individual gold medalist Mark Todd was leaving the dressage arena in London, he looked up at the scoreboard to see if his halo was firmly in place with this particular ground jury. No one ­begrudges Toddie any success these days, but his score was somewhat inflated. A slight wolfish smile went over his face, and I thought, “Uh-oh, he smells blood in the water. He knows he has a real chance at yet another gold medal.” It was not to be: After placing third in the dressage and finishing cross country with only a couple of time faults, Toddie ran out of horse in the stadium jumping before he ran out of jumps—but we got a glimpse of real competitive fire from the greatest horseman we have ever seen … until now.

After Michael won the gold medal by leading wire-to-wire at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, I went on record saying that he had shown us the future of eventing: It’s an era in which competitors will ride at an international level in all three disciplines. At an international event in Germany earlier this year, I commented on how well Michael and his horses looked. A professional show jumper who was standing with me said, “Oh yeah, Michael Jung. He’s that kid who has been coming to our big show-jumping classes and kicking our backsides.”

While it is not unusual to ride well in more than one discipline, it has gone out of style recently. The last instance I can remember is—again—Mark Todd. He won his second individual eventing gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where he also placed well as a member of his country’s show-jumping team. U.S. Army Gen. Frank Henry won medals in both eventing and Grand Prix dressage at the 1948 London Olympics. My guess is that it will not be long before Michael Jung joins this elite club. I have always maintained that eventing riders need to study each of the Olympic equestrian disciplines. It just had not occurred to me that my prediction would be so remarkably fulfilled, and so soon.

Based on their form coming into the London Olympics, both Sara Algotsson Ostholt, the silver-medal winner from Sweden, and German bronze medalist Sandra Auffarth deserved to be on the individual-medal podium with Michael. Sara, who was one fence away from an individual gold medal, will be replaying her approach to that last fence for the rest of her life, trying desperately to leave it up this time.

Meg Sleeper and Syrocco Reveille on race day

Merri Melde - Endurance.net

The U.S. Team made quite a showing against stiff competition finishing in fourth place with a combined time of 24:45:00. Valerie Kanavy (Fort Valley, Va.) was the first member of the team to finish with Reach For The Gold in 20th place with a time of 08:00:06. Jeremy Reynolds (Dunnellon, Fla.) and A Kutt Above were right behind her, finishing in 21st place with a time of 08:00:09. Heather Reynolds (Dunnellon, Fla.) and Riverwatch finished in 36th place with a time of 08:44:45. John Crandell III (West River, Md.) was unable to finish the race when Heraldic did not pass the mandatory re-check at Vet Check 5.

Margaret "Meg" Sleeper (Frenchtown, N.J.) and Syrocco Reveille had an amazing day at Euston Park. Sleeper was the first U.S. rider to cross the finish line, finishing in 11th place with a time of 07:49:11. The pair had an average speed of 20.46 kph.

With a time of 21:22:37, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) claimed Team Gold as well as sweeping all of the Individual medals. France won Team Silver with a time of 23:24:47 and Oman won Team Bronze with a time of 23:55:46. HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum (UAE) rode Madji du Pont to Individual Gold with a time of 7:00:45 and an average speed of 22.82 kph, followed closely behind by UAE teammates HE Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum on Yamamah (07:01:04) and Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri on Vendaval (07:01:04). The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Gold medalist Maria Alvarez Ponton of Spain finished fourth with her WEG partner Nobby. The Best Conditioned Horse was Ikland ridden by Alex Luque Moral of Spain. The pair finished fifth individually.

View the competition website here: http://www.eustonparkendurance.co.uk/WEC

Follow the U.S. Endurance Team here: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012Endurance/

July 31, 2012 -- Who is the greatest eventer on earth? There is only one answer to that: Michael Jung of Germany. Today he became the first person ever to hold the titles of world champion, European champion and Olympic champion simultaneously.

He also was the only person in the competition, which started with 74 riders, to finish on his dressage score. Sam, the horse who was nearly lost in a battle with his former owner last year, behaved like his usual marvelous self today, soaring over a course that stumped some other big-name combinations. At the time of the ownership dispute, Sam was said to be worth $1 million. What do you think he's worth now?

When I asked Michael what it was like, being the person who holds three major titles, he had only a one word answer: "Awesome." Michael seems like an incredibly nice guy. My first experience with him was at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, where he took the world honors, but my impression was the same then. Despite his great ability and golden glory that rains down on him, he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously.

I wondered what other goals he could possibly have; he now has won all the majors in the championship category. But he gave me a great answer, with a chuckle: "I don't know. I like to ride the horses, to train with the young horses and that's the reason I'm a rider, not just to win everything and stop riding."

This has been an incredible eventing match, with as many twists and turns as Sue Benson's cross-country route. And today was no exception, coming down to the last fence in the final round. The fashionable (she always looks so cute!) Sara Algotsson-Ostholt of Sweden was tied for the overnight lead on 39.3 penalties with Ingrid Klimke of Germany. But Ingrid had 9 penalties in today's first round of jumping, for the team medals, and decided there was no point in putting her horse, Butts Abraxas, through another round. She had thought another German could take her place, but that didn't work out; it was against the rules.

Olympic eventing gold medalist Michael Jung of Germany flanked by his teammate, Sandra Auffarth and Sara Algotsson-Ostholt of Sweden (left).

Photo © 2012 Nancy Jaffer

Sara, however, was fault-free in the first round on her homebred gray mare, Wega, (can you imagine taking a homebred to the Olympics? Well, we all can dream). Michael also was clear, leading up to a showdown in the second round, which was for the individual title. (Remember I told you that the International Olympic Committee does not allow two medals to be presented for one competition anymore, the way it used to be done. And remember I said I thought that was stupid? I'll bet Michael doesn't think so...).

He was fault-free again in round two, and all that was left was to watch Sara go. She was having a beautiful trip until the last fence, where she found herself in a bit of an argument with her mare, who had gotten strong. The result was that in the last second of the last competition, a rail came down and Michael, who had been behind by 1.3 penalties, became the winner. As I predicted yesterday, if you'll recall. His score was 40.6 penalties, to 43.3 for Sara and 44.8 for the up-and-coming German rider, Sandra Auffarth, who took the bronze.

Michael also led Germany to the team title, which it had won in the 2008 Olympics as well, but without him. Two gold medals meant a very happy 30th birthday for Germany’s top rider; talk about the stars being lined up at the right time. The Brits, who desperately had wanted to take the gold for the first time since 1972 while riding in their home nation, settled for silver with 138.2 penalties to Germany's 133.7, but were very gracious about it, and the crowd loved them.  The stands were a sea of waving Union Jacks; there is no question this country loves its riders.

"Although it wasn't the gold, it was still worth it," said team member Zara Phillips.

Another Olympic story was Miner's Frolic, ridden by Christina Gifford Cook to clinch the medal, with just one time penalty. The horse, her 2008 Olympic double bronze medal mount, had suffered from colitis last year and it wasn't clear that he could ever be ridden again, let alone live. What a marvelous comeback he made.

Faces in the crowd: Look at the top row—Princes William (left) and Harry (red hair) flank Kate Middleton, William’s wife. They didn’t really blend in; they were part of a long row of royals in the VIP section who were on hand to watch Zara Phillips.

Photo © 2012 Nancy Jaffer

It was very cool to see Princess Anne, who rode in the 1976 Olympics, congratulate her daughter, Zara, on the podium. I feel sorry for Zara, she gets so much media attention. The place was swarming with photographers, but one of the photo bosses here said that the London papers will clear out for the most part after today, because they are only interested in Zara and her royal connections. Good. It will be less crowded. I wasn't allowed to go out and take shots of the medal presentations because only a limited number of photogs could be accommodated and as an American photographer, I was told I had to shoot from the sidelines because, "The U.S. isn't on the podium." That's an understatement.

New Zealand, third on 144.4 penalties, edged Sweden by 4 penalties. Sweden will continue to be a force in the sport in the future; it has the talent and the horses. That tough New Zealand campaigner, Andrew Nicholson, put in two clear rounds today on Nereo and wound up fourth on 49 penalties.

July 30, 2012--The crowds attending the Olympic eventing cross-country today were both inspiring and frightening. More than 50,000 streamed into Greenwich Park, with a good portion of them spread out in the field next to cunning obstacle number 8, the tri-part "River Bank," modeled on "The Wind in the Willows." They watched live action as the riders went through the water, and also kept their eyes on the enormous screen on the other side of the jump, where cameras followed competitors around the course.

People come from everywhere to the Olympics, naturally, but this crowd definitely had a British bias (I could tell by the number of Union Jack flags in the group), cheering each fence, live and on the screen, as they were aptly handled by their country's riders. Perfect weather, sunny and cool, added to the festive feeling.

While it was inspiring to see such enthusiasm for eventing, the frightening part was moving between fences against a sea of humanity. Talk about claustrophobia in the open air. Some obstacles, the exciting ones, had people 10-deep trying to get a glimpse of the action, and there was plenty of that.

Yes, yes, I know eventing "is not a dressage test." I get it. So, unfortunately, do Japan's Yoshiaki Oiwa and Italy's Stefano Brecciaroli, who were 1-2 at the conclusion of dressage yesterday.

Stefano was just too slow; part of his beautiful test in the arena was a great gallop down the long side, but apparently his mount, Apollo WD Wendi Kurt Hoev, couldn't keep it up while scaling the hill at Greenwich. He now stands 16th, with 11.2 times penalties added to his original score of 38.5 penalties. But Yoshi fared far worse. He took a tumble when he didn't sit up coming off a big step bank jump toward the Royal Greenwich Borough obstacle elements, and that was that. Japan's moment in the sun ended abruptly. It had been sixth, ahead of the U.S. yesterday. Now it's last, with three of five riders eliminated.

Australia, second to Germany in the rankings yesterday, also took a tumble. It sank to sixth after Clayton Frederick's horse, Bendigo, slipped and fell coming off the same step where Yoshi came to grief. The ground was soft in spots and demanded the proper studs in horses' shoes; course designer Sue Benson said they wouldn't have watered it yesterday if they knew it was going to pour in the afternoon.

British weather: If you don't like it, wait, it will change (and probably not for the better). Clayton's wife, Lucinda, had a refusal with Flying Finish, which didn't help matters (I wouldn't want to be sitting at their breakfast table until the smoke clears) and Sam Griffiths also had a fall with Happy Times, contributing to Australia's decline.

Canada was eliminated. The country that showed its stuff with a surprising silver medal at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games said goodbye to coach David O'Connor with disastrous performances as three riders were eliminated. Hawley Bennett-Awad had a fall from Gin & Juice that left her in the hospital with a concussion and a fractured sacrum.

David is taking over for Mark Phillips as coach (officially technical advisor) of the Americans after the Games. So let's talk about the U.S. The good news is that its squad moved up from seventh to fifth. The bad news is that its 138.8 penalties puts it far from the leading Germans (124.7), not to mention the second-place Brits(130.2) and third place Sweden (remember what I told you about Sweden two days ago? They were a stealth threat; now they're out in the open). Sweden's 131.4 penalties is just two ahead of New Zealand. The medals will be hard-fought tomorrow in the show jumping wrap-up, but I think it's safe to say that it will continue to be between Germany and the Brits for the gold medal.

Interestingly, all four of the women on the British team finished ahead of William Fox-Pitt. I was very surprised that he chose to ride the relatively inexperienced Lionheart here, instead of one of his big names, and it may have caught up with him today.

"My chap was tired. I do not know why -- it was unlike him. I had to nurse him home, but he went on jumping and galloping," said William, adding he was very glad that the female members of the team did well and took the pressure off him.

All eyes were on Zara Phillips, whose royal relatives, Prince William, Kate Middleton (can I still call her that, even though she's a duchess?), Prince Harry and others were on hand to cheer for her, along with Prince Charles' wife, Camilla.

All that moral support must have done the trick. Zara tore around the course on High Kingdom, as gutsy as they come, to stand 10th on her first wedding anniversary to rugby player Mike Tindall.

Executive Director Ian Fletcher, played by Hugh Bonneville, from BBC's TV series "Twenty Twelve."

Photo © BBC/Jack Barnes

Example: There's an episode about a Brazilian delegation that spends the day on a bus, never making it to a meeting with the real London Olympics chairman, multi-gold medalist runner Sebastian Coe, as traffic and a hopelessly lost bus driver take them on an endless detour. But wasn't it just last week that a group of Australians went on a wandering four-hour bus journey from the airport to the athletes' village because the driver was clueless about the route? Yes, that was real life, but it's easy enough to get the two mixed up.

Another example: Twenty Twelve did a bit about planning civil aviation flight paths. Following a horrifying suggestion by the fellow portraying Graham Hitchins, the befuddled head of infrastructure, "Olympic Deliverance Commission" Executive Director Ian Fletcher (Hugh Bonneville, who played Lord Grantham from "Downton Abbey") responds with his usual dry delivery: "If you want to make the security services really jumpy, surely the best way to do it is fly a succession of passenger aircraft from all over the world, one after the other, over the top of nuclear power stations." Fiction, right? But I'll be looking down as we get close to landing this week and wouldn't be surprised to see those nuclear towers right below me.

That's just the beginning of what I could be experiencing. Then there's the threat of an Iranian attack (with "panic rooms" being set up in the Olympic stadium to protect VIPs), roof snipers to take care of the bad guys, massive security problems and a planned strike by border personnel, the folks who run passport-check in desks at the airports (cleverly timed for my arrival).

"Let's Face the Music and Dance," the theme song for Twenty Twelve begins (appropriately) this way: "There may be trouble ahead...".

I'm sure there will be trouble ahead. Many things go wrong at the Olympics, and well beforehand also. One that sticks in lots of patriotic craws is having the U.S. team's Olympic uniforms made in China. Talk about an oversight. And the prices for those who would want to buy such an outfit are ridiculous.  Why $750 for the men's blazer? My husband just bought a beautifully tailored sport coat at a reputable men's store for $98 earlier this month. Price inflation is, of course, part of the Olympic tradition. Like the Games tickets that cleverly go for $2,012?

This is the third time London has hosted the Olympics. The first was 1908; the second was supposed to be 1944, but with a war ongoing, it wasn't the best opportunity for a athletic festival. Hand it to the war-worn Brits, though. They were able to stage the 1948 Games. Equestrian sport at that one only lasted six days (this time it's more than twice as long) and I'm sure it was a relatively informal affair (I'll be talking to a veteran of that one when I get to London, so I'll bring you more details next week). Each renewal of the Games since 1984 in Los Angeles, when they went really commercial, has gotten more and more complex, restrictive and larger.

So to the people who bid me adieu with the advice, "Have fun," I reply informatively, "It's not fun" at least if you're a member of the herded and hounded media.

But it is an opportunity to see the best of the best in action, for which I'm excited and grateful, although U.S. eventer Sinead Halpin (with whom I spoke this morning) has been to the Greenwich Park venue and advises that anyone watching on TV or streaming video will have a better view than those who are there.

Still, there is something about actually being part of the Olympics, whether as ticket-holder, journalist or participant. For horse sports, there is no higher visibility. It's so tough to make the team, though. Consider Sinead's roller coaster ride (and we're not talking about the time she spends in the saddle on Manoir de Carneville).

Eventing World Champion Michael Jung of Germany and Sam.

Photo © 2010 Nancy Jaffer

She was on the "A" training list since last year, but got dropped down to alphabetically ranked alternate when the team was announced. Tate, as her Frenchbred chestnut is known, had a nosebleed following cross-country at the final outing, where her dressage wasn't stellar. But now the bleeding situation has been resolved with use of a nebulizer, she's focused and has been elevated to first alternate. If there is a problem (and no one wants this, especially Sinead) involving Mr. Medicott (Karen O'Connor), Twizzel (Will Coleman) or Ringwood Magister (Tiana Coudray), Tate would be called on to fill in. (Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton, the other two team members, have their own back-up horses).

Last minute substitutions do happen; just last week, the Australian team's Shane Rose had to drop out because his horse, Taurus, had an injury, so an alternate replaced him.

If Sinead doesn't join the team, however, she won't even have an Olympic ticket and plans to fly home after the eventing gets under way and settle into that good seat by the TV to watch.

Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt.

Photo © 2012 Nancy Jaffer

In eventing, it will be interesting to see how horses handle the cross-country at London's oldest royal park, where the compact course may have 3-star-plus jumps but 4-star terrain, with two hill climbs to challenge fitness, and crowds pressing in on the narrow galloping lane to challenge composure. Those you can bet will be ready include Michael Jung of Germany, the world and European champion, riding the amazing Sam. If he wins, he will be the first to hold all three titles at the same time. His chief rivals likely are New Zealand's gritty Andrew Nicholson (Nereo) and Britain's world number one-ranked William Fox-Pitt, with the low-mileage Lionheart. My dark horse choice for an individual medal? It's a tie between Christoper Burton of Australia (HP Leilani) and former Australian Phillip Dutton of the U.S. team (Mystery Whisper). Don't forget, the individual medals are decided by a second show jumping round (because of a dopey International Olympic Committee rule that you can't get two medals for one performance, which makes it more tiring for the horses. Congratulations).

As for the team prizes, which 13 nations are contesting (nine other countries are fielding individuals), Germany will fiercely defend its 2008 championship; Britain has the home team advantage and New Zealand is going to be tough. My dark horse choice: USA.

Mike and Ike candies (but not the red ones).
Molly McGaughey, Connecticut

Bananas.
Michele Rossa Buddenhagen, New York

My horse, Clark Kent, loves peppermints. He’ll do anything for one—even come from the other end of his 20-acre pasture.
Alison A. Thomas, Arkansas

My horse, Ripley, loves cat food! When I first got him, he pulled me across the barn to get to the barn cat food. It’s the only “treat” he’ll give a cute little whinny for and the quickest way to get him to forgive me after not seeing him for a day or two.
Becky Kalban, Texas

Sausage pizza! My off-the-track Thoroughbred took a slice out of the box one year at his birthday party and has loved it ever since.
Caitlin Clossen, Texas

My horses have many favorite treats, but there’s one treat they love that they don’t often get: Kellogg’s Froot Loops cereal! My horses are back home in South Africa. I always try to take Froot Loops with me whenever I visit. I don’t get to see them often, and it helps that when I do, I have their favorite treat to share with them!
Nicki de Jager, Texas

My jumper, Perry, loves SunChips. He sticks out his nose and gives kisses for them. I just can’t say no to that face!
Terri Vonderschmidt, Kansas

My gelding’s favorite treat is an ice-cold beer or soda. He doesn’t get it very often, but there is nothing else that gets him more excited and makes him lick his lips more. He gets a dark beer like a Guinness, and he is very careful drinking it out of the bottle. He knows if he tries to bite that I will take it away from him, so he lets me tilt it up so he can drink it down. Everyone usually gets a kick out of watching him suck down a cold one.
Jaime Brunner, Florida

Three of my horses love to be hugged around the neck and kissed on the nose. The others just want the horse cookies!
Annamarie Cummings, California

My horses unanimously agree that their favorite treat is a soft stroke on their foreheads and over their eyes, much like a mare would lovingly groom her foal. The added benefit is that my horses aren’t “mouthy” and don’t paw at the stall door when I come down the barn aisle. They nicker when they see me and then patiently wait their turn for their “horsey loves.”
Marian Giffin, California

My Thoroughbred absolutely loves Peeps. After eating one, he’ll lick whatever is within reach for 10 minutes. We stock up when they’re in season, but if we run out, he will settle for gummy bears or gummy orange slices—anything gooey and chewy.
Hannah Davis, Florida

My babies love fruit from Osage orange trees! I’ve seen them stand on their back feet trying to get the last ones from the top of the tree.
Donna Grimwood, Alabama

Carrots! When I first got my Thoroughbred gelding, he didn’t know how to eat treats, so I had to bite off small pieces to feed him. Now when he hears my voice in the barn, he’ll hang his head over his door looking for them.
Barbara De Groot, New Mexico

My horse LOVES Strawberry Pop-Tarts!!
Hunter Shirley, Virginia

I had a horse, Sandy, who loved Kit Kat bars. When he saw that red little wrapper and heard it crinkle he would whip his head around and literally attack me trying to get at the Kit Kat bar. He was a total garbage gut. Always in your pockets and was willing to try whatever you were eating or drinking. He drank several of my mochas. Naughty pony!
Stefanie Cruz, Georgia

I try to give my Tazz fresh treats when I can. I aim for locally grown carrots and apples.
Lindsay Haefner Neadow, New York

Stud Muffins and apples. Somehow he manages to pull out the “cute” face when he spots an apple in my hand and, as we all know, it’s hard for a mama to resist the face of our fur buddies when they put on such a show just for a treat.
Doreen Guthrie, Alberta

My mare will eat just about anything, but her favorite snack is dill pickle potato chips and lemon popsicles. I swear I can see her pucker her lips!
Cheryl Figures, via Internet

I am convinced my horse’s favorite “treat” is looking back at me once I turn him out post-bath while he immediately drops to his knees in the nearest mud puddle. I swear he is just laughing at me; he looks so happy as he grinds the dirt back in!
Jorna Taylor, Wisconsin

Glazed donuts, Cheerios and Life Savers.
Claire Pida, California

Elvis likes carrots. I hold a carrot in the middle, and Elvis eats from one end and my dog McKenna eats from the other. They love to share.
Bridget Harrison, Virginia

It’s all about the delivery. As long as the treat is given to her without the presence of my two dogs, she graciously takes the offering in the manner of a lady of good breeding.
Suzanne Adams, Massachusetts

Carrots, apples, horse salad that I make from the white clover and dandelion in our pool area (we’re not “lawn people”) and a little taste of Chardonnay if I bring my cocktail out to the barn.
Jennifer Jones Bassier, North Carolina

My Thoroughbred is strange enough to enjoy hotdogs—of the stolen variety. He’s been known to “steal” unguarded hot dogs at shows and my mare is nutters for spice drops. But my TB’s favorite “treat” is his massage therapy—he melts like snow in July!
Morgan Wiggins Reeves, Florida

My sweetie Masada’s favorite treat is a kiss and massage from me! But, he also loves jelly beans, Sour Patch Kids, and of course carrots and peppermints!
Lyndsey Kinsella-Kiner, Illinois

Iggy J loves Peeps (all holidays, all colors) so much I clipped bunny Peeps into his hips this year when we body clipped!
Sarah Coleman, Kentucky

Watermelon! He’d eat the whole thing if I’d let him.
Erin Hite, North Carolina

Joshua and I share a mutual love of Sour Patch Kids … although he refuses to touch the green ones (which happen to be my favorite). A match made in heaven, if ever there was one!
Emma Van Nostrand, Michigan

My pony likes anything but his favorites are green apple licorice from Target and Mike and Ike's.
Lauren Wear, Rhode Island

Glazed donuts.
Rosemary Collins, via Internet

Sug will eat anything. She likes McDonald's French fries, any kind of fruit, mints, and Oreos, but she LIVES for Boston Creme Donuts. She makes her adorable treat face and stands on her tippy toes on the ends of her cross ties every time she sees one. I swear she recognizes the Dunkin Donuts box.
Amy Vodraska, via Internet

Red licorice, the kind you get at the movie theaters. He hates black though.
Jolene Mooney-Shermer, Washington

All of my horses go crazy over sugar cubes! And the best part is that I don't have to worry about them choking on the treats because they dissolve.
Roseanne Lafferty, Virginia

Cinnamon rolls from Harris Teeter. He'll crawl into your lap for them!
Kate Singh, via Internet

All my horses love Peeps, but they have to be the yellow ones. A close second is chocolate chip cookies.
Nancy Schuma, Illinois

My horse Vera’s favorite treats are carrots, but she especially loves a good rub on her forehead and under her jaw.
Heather Hartland, Pennsylvania

Nabisco Teddy Graham cookies.
Kelly O’Neill, Washington

My horse’s favorite reward is a well-timed “good boy!” to give him confidence in his work.
Shannon McGlon, Alabama

Flax Snax is a small cookie made from flax seed oil. My horse thinks he’s getting spoiled, but he’s really getting supplements.
Brittany Paul, North Carolina

Vanilla wafers
Denise Humphries, Maryland

My horses love Mrs. Pastures Horse Cookies. They all lick their lips for several minutes after eating them. It’s hilarious to watch!
Angie Wilson, West Virginia

The horse I lease, Harry, loves marshmallow Peeps.
Tianli Kilpatrick, Massachusetts

Our Polish Arabian Hippy loves to bob for apples, especially when it is hot out! He loves pears too, but HATES mango. Go figure.
Latricia Tewell, via Internet

Good old-fashioned carrots!!
Caryn Wilbanks, Texas

Obi Wan loves it when I come to greet him with an apple. The cutest part about it is he takes the smallest bites. Then once we get into the barn to be tacked up, he loves his Nicker Makers. But in order to get one, he has to stretch to either side to reach them from my hands, or has to reach between his legs, or as high as I can reach. This horse loves his treats so much that if I show up without them then he actually puts on a “pitiful me” starving pony face. He is the sweetest horse ever!
Chandalyn Chrzanowski, Georgia

Both my boys simply love their carrots! I know they're not very "original," but they can't get enough!
Nancy Rosen Resop, Wisconsin

My horse only has ONE treat she likes. She hates apples, sugar cubes, peppermints, and regular horse treats. The only things I can get her to eat are carrots!
Melissa Adams, Florida

My horse loves carrots. When he sees a carrot, his eyes light up and after he eats the carrot, he continues to look at you and lick his lips for an addition 5 minutes. I assume that is him begging for more!
Jessica Kuchtenko, Florida

Where I work in the summer is a kid’s summer horse camp. Each week's group makes treats for the horses and ponies they ride and the horses absolutely LOVE it! It is pretty fun because we chop up carrots and apples, put it with granola and some grain, then scoop it into ice cream cones before going out to the pastures to feed all the horses and ponies. The kids love it, I love it, and the horses probably think of it as their favorite part of each week!
Kalena Richards, Illinois

Impulsive, my daughter's retired eventer, loves Bob's Sweet Stripes Soft Peppermints. She gets so excited when she hears my unwrapping them! Tucker, my draft cross eventer, does back flips for carrots… Well, not really, but I think he would if he could! He really loves them!
Lori Tankel, Florida

Marky loves sugar cubes, the straight stuff. Lacey loves carrots.
Crystal Dawn Palmer, Saskatchewan

Carrots are Rosie's favorite!
Stephanne Johnson, California

At the barn my sister and I ride at there are two horses and their names are Abott and Claire. Although Abott will eat any treat he can get his greedy little hooves on, his favorite are apples. Claire on the other hand has only one favorite treat and those are carrots. So our family has created, "Apples for Abott and Carrots for Claire" as a fun little saying to help us remember their favorite treats.
Hayley and Olivia McMillon, via Internet

I have always thought that my mare's favorite treat was peppermints. At a schooling show last fall my daughter and a friend discovered that she likes bananas!
Lucy, Ohio

Carrots!
Callie Erickson, Oregon

My horse loves carrots, peppermints, apples, watermelon, and horse cookies. But she will not eat any other treats, like homemade ones. She always sniffs things before she eats them and wont try anything new. I once made her a horse cake for her birthday and she wouldn’t eat it!!
Dana Jones, Florida

My horses love peppermints! As soon as they hear the wrapper they come running.
Mckenzee Petree, Tennessee

Peppermints, and one of the horses likes celery.
Laura Poff, Colorado

Peppermint puffs. They are softer than hard peppermints.
Heather Fisher, Pennsylvania

My OTTB, Atlas loves a very classic treat, the peppermint! He will literally jump out of his skin upon hearing the crinkle of the wrapper!
Kaitlynn Wallace, Georgia

My guy loves peppermints! I love them too...all I need is a plastic wrapper and he will gallop up to me from two acres away!
Tracy Shumard, Texas

Peppermints! He knows they are inside the mounting block and he loves to flip the lid and dig for them. He also loves the carrot fairy. She brings him carrots during the day when he is outside and he looks for them as soon as he comes in for dinner.
Patti Hallock, Colorado

My horse LOVES candy canes. Apparently, they are just the right combination of sugar and mint. Being the well-trained owner that I am, each year I dutifully go to the local drug store the day after Christmas and fill a shopping cart full. This ensures that I have enough for the year. He also enjoys savoring his canes by crunching them, letting them sit on his tongue, and then sucking on them until they disappear. His ears flop, his eyes shut and he tunes everything around him out for what we all call "Peppermint Nirvana."
Christi Barnes, Maryland

Taeta Pudding, my QH mare, loves peppermints!
Leeanne Vogt, Florida

Nature Valley granola bars.
Debby Moore Sween, Washington

Hands down.... Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey crunchy granola bars...they LOVE them!
Laura Soldano, Pennsylvania

My gelding Atlas loves bananas! He thinks he needs to share whatever you're eating, though, and only dislikes cauliflower!
Elise Freed, Michigan

Bananas!
Michele Buddenhagen, New York

My horses love all our local fruits… mangos, guavas, sapodillas and coconuts.
Claire Cash, via Internet

My dainty mare LOVES watermelon in the summer...but not the rind, so when she gets to the end of the red part she starts nibbling like a person! And peppermints in the winter!
Annie Newton, via Internet

My horse Junior loves Nature Valley Oats ‘N Honey granola bars. Every time he hears the wrapper, he goes nuts! Some of his favorite students bring him the jumbo boxes that you can get at the club stores. Yup, he's spoiled!
Steph Spiece, Pennsylvania

Oranges!
Shannon Derr, via Internet

My three horses relish the opportunity to try different fruits such as grapes, raisins, apricots (both dried and fresh), cranberries and dates. I think their absolute favorite treat is watermelon, especially on a hot day. They even like the rind. I love watching their facial expressions as they delight in something so tasty and refreshing.
Mary Lynne Carpenter, via Internet

Honestly, it’s green grass. They are kept in “dry paddocks” so after our ride I give them a treat of grazing in the fresh spring grass around the stable. They love it and I love the extra bonding time I get with my horses!
Alice Jez, via Internet

It took me a month to get my OTTB to eat an apple when I first got him, but his favs are Starlight peppermints and Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey bars (the cheapest "horse" treats around). He is very picky and if you offer something new he is convinced we are trying to poison him!
Ashley Shepherd Vaughn, via Internet

Rounders.
Terry Shryock Shirey, via Internet

It's Gingersnaps for Ginger (in limited quantities for the requisite health reasons). Why? Because whether I call her Gingersnap, Gingerbread, Ginger Mare, Innocence (her given name), or just plain Ginger, my ginger-chestnut mare clearly loves Gingersnaps.
Anne Curtis, via Internet

My mare, Hope, enjoys carrot cake!!
Shawn Zimmerman, via Internet

Vanilla Wafers.
Denise Humphries, Maryland

Both my boys LOVE frosting coated oatmeal cookies, I can bribe them to do pretty much anything if I have a few in my hand!
Linda Papagna, via Internet

Gingerbread men cookies and lemon cookies! She's a very finicky TB mare and couldn't care less about other treats!
Ellen Gregory, Mississippi

Stud Muffin Horse Treats. They are like horse crack!
Melissa Rogers, Florida

Stud Muffins! For obvious reasons.
Delia Lutz, Pennsylvania

Stud Muffins!
Margaret Duncan, Maryland

My 26-year-young TB "Light the Forge" LOVES Stud Muffins. I started buying these online about 10 years ago and Forge now expects them as part of our routine. I encouraged the local tack shop to stock them for me and they fly off their shelves!
Carol Happel, Florida

Stud Muffins and apples. Somehow he manages to pull out the "cute" face when he spots an apple in my hand and, as we all know, it's hard for a mama to resist the face of our fur buddies when they put on such a show just for a treat.
Doreen Guthrie, via Internet

Anything!
Bridget Folts, via Internet

Food!
Eileen Cornwall, Pennsylvania

Apple Jacks cereal and cantaloupe!
Danielle Hutchinson, via Internet

My horse is a complete junk food horse. He loves anything with sugar but he absolutely loves his onion rings and chocolate milkshakes!!!
Ashley Eggemann, Pennsylvania

As far as food goes, my stout Norwegian Fjord gelding loves any kind of treat. Horse cookies, peppermints, apples, carrots, bananas, etc. But for his health and to help trim his waste line I have decided to feed him low sugar treats. He gobbles down hay cubes like a vacuum! For special occasions he does receive a small sugary treat.
Jan Koontz, via Internet

All of mine will pretty much come running and molest anyone who makes noise with a plastic bag within earshot! By their behavior, you'd think I starve them even though I'm pretty sure they all scale around an eight on the obesity scale!
Tracy Burke, Pennsylvania

My horse loves: bananas, apples, pears, watermelon, donuts, peppermints, pita chips, oatmeal cookies and birthday cake Oreos. I'm sure he would like just about anything I offered.
Diana Kocunik, Illinois

My horses all have different favorites. My mare Annabelle's favorite treat is a Guiness Stout. In the summer, my 34-year-old gelding, Fiddle, and my 18-year-old gelding, Storm's favorite treat is a pig pop. To make a pig pop, you take a freezable container and fill it with apples, carrots, bananas, grapes and peppermints (or whatever your horse prefers) and then top it with water, juice or Gatorade, leaving enough room for freezing without overflow. You freeze it until solid (normally overnight) and then dump it in a feed trough and let them go to town. It works as enrichment and as a cool treat.
Aimee Vaughn, Georgia

My horse’s favorite treat is also my own, Twizzlers. A great low-fat snack and he eats them just like a person, one bite at a time. A must have in the tack trunk!
Laurel Huff, via Internet

My horse thinks its time to eat anytime I eat. He loves root beer barrels, Kit Kat bars, Pop Tarts, Coca Cola, any kind of candy, ice cream cones, Cheezits, sweet potato fries. He even stole a chicken sandwich out of my hands once, spit the chicken out and ate the cheese, bread and lettuce!
Alyssa Walker, Texas

Through videos, images and her trademark jaunty writing, Fran gives readers an inside view of the build-up to the Games and what’s happening behind the scenes when competitions get underway.

Jurga previews BBC America’s new comic parody of the Olympic planning process, “Twenty Twelve,” and feature exclusive equestrian photos of Jennifer Saunders, star of the BBC hit comedy “Absolutely Fabulous.” Jurga’s posts range from the lighthearted Olympic commercial for British Airways to the serious political statements made by Syrian showjumper Ahmad Hamcho.

The new blog offers a headline newsfeed as an RSS feed or daily subscription, available in widget form to any website or blog that would like to host the headlines.
Fran also writes two award-winning blogs for the Equine Network on EquiSearch.com: The Jurga Report on horse health and War Horse News about the recent Steven Spielberg film.

The Discover London Olympics blog is part of DiscoverHorses.com’s robust Olympics section, which includes previews of the U.S. dressage, eventing and jumping teams by Nancy Jaffer; a preview of the U.S. Paralympic dressage team by Melissa Wright; and a blog by champion para-equestrian Becca Hart. The DiscoverHorses.com coverage complements the Olympic section on EquiSearch.com (www.equisearch.com/olympics) sponsored by ZIMECTERIN® Gold.
Launched in January 2010, DiscoverHorses.com is the product of a unique partnership of the Active Interest Media’s (AIM) Equine Network, the American Quarter Horse Association, the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the Kentucky Horse Park, with content contributions from more than 30 other horse industry organizations and associations.
For several years, horse industry organizations have wanted to provide entry level information to guide fans to a deeper enjoyment of equestrian sports and activities and help them to become participants in the world of horses. DiscoverHorses.com was created to meet the need for a single online resource for the entry-level rider, the non-rider with a love for horses, the passionate spectator and horse-crazy kids.

Breaking news, how-to videos, breed and discipline information, a “Life With Horses” section, games and puzzles for children and more are all part of the website. Whether readers are looking for information on trail riding, lessons, vacations on horseback or volunteering with a horse rescue or therapeutic riding center, DiscoverHorses.com delivers what horse enthusiasts and potential horse owners need.

Visit DiscoverHorses.com/2012-olympic-games/ to follow Fran Jurga’s Discover London Olympics blog—and to learn more about the horse world!