My Rolex Diary: Emily Kelly

As we speak, 16-year-old junior reporter Emily Kelly is suffering through her final two classes at school before she and her buddy Katy hit the road for Rolex. Emily will be blogging for us live throughout the week.

From Emily:

Tuesday, April 24th: The countdown is finally coming to a close and has been converted to hours and minutes instead of days an weeks! Tomorrow morning after two torturous classes at school, the car shall be packed from floor to ceiling, the goodbye texts sent, and the first Gilmore Girls episode loaded… and there may be two teenage girls hopping up and down–just maybe.

Joining my family in our annual crazy adventure, and also this lovely Horse Nation family for the duration of this trip, will be one of my very best friends, Katy! Katy has always been stuck with horse-crazy friends, but is not currently an eventer herself, so you lucky readers will get to hear the tales of our 2012 Rolex Adventure both from the perspective of someone suffering from Obsessive Rolex Disorder, and someone who is not yet an eventing addict but will be, I’m sure, by our return!  Katy and I will be checking in with you all each day (or possibly a few times per day, it is a 14 hour car ride after all!) and bringing you pictures, videos, scoring updates and all the gossip from the horse park.

Anyone that knows me or Katy personally knows that we are huge planners. Like really huge! We’ve been making lists and plans for this trip since around January, and it seems crazy that we are finally leaving tomorrow!  Amidst our list of lists was the creation of our matching cross-country day shirts, and headbands and bracelets in Amy Tryon’s colors in honor of her memory and her amazing riding legacy.  So on Saturday we spent the evening designing and creating our “TEAM ASHKER” and “HOLDER EVENT TEAM” shirts! They turned out beautifully, if I may say so myself, and we are both super excited to be supporting two such incredible riders during the event!  If you happen upon two girls decked out in yellow and green on Saturday, you’ll know it’s us.

This week has definitely caught up with me quickly, and I am hurriedly packing as I write, attempting to prepare for the unpredictable Kentucky spring weather!  Hello, low 50s on Dressage day and upper 70s on cross-country day–what is this??  The more frequently I check the weather, the longer the packing list gets as I add jeans, capris, shorts, tank tops, long-sleeves, rain coats, sweatshirts, and a swimsuit!  As the saying goes, if you don’t like the weather in Kentucky, just stick around until the next day.

Keep checking in on us as we make our way down further South, and in the meantime enjoy the beautiful weather that has hit for those around the Minnesota area!

About Emily: I’m a 16-year-old sophomore in high school and have been eventing since I was 7 years old. My mom, brother and I all ride, so it’s always a big family affair at our barn!  I’m currently competing at Novice on my own 10-year-old thoroughbred, with plans to move up to training as soon as our long and torturous Minnesota winter ends. Pretty much all of my time is spent at school, at the barn, or reading and writing about horses.  I love to read and write, and anytime we have a free writing assignment at school mine is always horse-related.  I think my teachers are often confused as to why a teenager would choose to write an essay on the philosophy and science of horse conditioning… but hey, if you’re an eventer, you’re obsessed and there is no stopping it! This summer will also be my third year participating in the CSDEA’s Junior Developing Rider Program, a series of four weekend clinics throughout the summer with Becky Holder.