8 Red Carpet Highlights from Thursday’s Longines LA Masters Grand Slam

Today my beautiful new horse that I’ve been dreaming about for the last four years will be shipped to the barn and led into the empty stall I’ve been paying for since June-ish. I won’t be there and won’t meet him until probably Sunday night. Before you cast judgment on my horse owner negligence, allow me to explain. This weekend just happens to be THE horse event of the year for Los Angeles (the Breeder’s Cup is here in November, but that’s a different genre). Actually, it might be the biggest thing in the show jumping world held in Los Angeles since the Olympics were here in 1984. This weekend is the much awaited Longines LA Master’s Grand Slam.

The top riders in the world are competing all weekend long, over jumps taller than most of us.

Last night I represented Sidelines magazine (shameless plug alert: which you should consider subscribing to if you are equally horse crazy!) at the Red Carpet Gala and was live Tweeting. I hoped I would see the elite horses like Vindicat sashaying down the carpet, but instead I saw celebrities of the equestrian and showbiz worlds. And that was pretty fun.

I could write blog posts every day for the next two weeks about all the goings-on last night, but with a new horse in my life, I might have to give you all the Cliff’s Notes version here and now. 🙂

So here are some horsey highlights from the red carpet gala:

1. Chatting briefly with American equestrian extraordinaire Reed Kessler, who at 18 was the youngest Olympic show jumper in history during the London Olympics in 2012. I found out she rides six horses a day, every day AND goes to the gym, runs and lifts weights. DANG! So that’s what it takes to be an Olympian.

2. Taking a selfie with Hannah Selleck (daughter of Tom a.k.a. Magnum P.I.).  This will not be posted. Ever. Bad angle. (Note to self: never a good idea to pose with a blonde model/rider 20 years younger than you.) Somebody help a girl out. How DO you take a good selfie? Is there a trick?

3. Catching a glimpse of the legendary rider Beezie Madden a few feet away. Realizing after she walked right past that it was, in fact, Beezie.

4. Trying to interview one of the dashing French riders and realizing I don’t speak French and he sweetly said he didn’t really speak English (with an amazing French accent). #awkward

5. A dressage performance in which the rider literally ended the program with the horse sitting like a dog. The rider was still on the horse and it plopped down on its hind end. It happened so fast I couldn’t get a picture. I have never seen anything like it.

6. Speaking to the lovely Irish actress Kerry Condon, one of the stars from the HBO series “Luck”(she played Rosie the jockey) and discovering that we both own and adore Thoroughbreds!

7. Watching two “zebras” walking and trotting around on stilts. They reminded me of something from a Cirque du Soleil show. I commented to a woman standing near me that the performers should be wearing riding helmets too, that would be a very long fall. The woman responded in French. I smiled and nodded. Oh right. Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas. . .

1. Admiring the warm up arena. It’s literally in the middle of a vast room that was converted to a shopping area with boutiques lining the perimeter. The footing was so beautiful (must find out what it is) and light and fluffy I almost cried.

I saw the list of expected attendees for Saturday’s gala. There are a couple of people from the world of tennis that my sister who is a hard core tennis girl would flip over. There are some actors and innovators who are household names.

I haven’t seen any of the riding yet, but based on what I experienced last night, this promises to be an event with a thousand fabulous stories!

Stay tuned for more updates. Now I’m off. . . gotta practice the selfie angle.

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