Video du Jour: Running Order – From scratch to four-star in 18 minutes

When you look at this picture, what do you see? Eventer Doug Payne saw potential.

Often when we see an upper level horse, in any discipline, we really don’t know much about their past and what all contributed to them reaching their potential. For event horses, we may know that they were flat racers, or steeplechasers, or yard art, but not all of them just jumped right into their new careers without first requiring some reassurance. For Running Order, campaigned by Doug Payne, we have been given a glimpse into the rookie 4**** event horse and his journey from spooky at his first off the farm school to bravely conquering the Rolex Three Day Event this past April. In a time-lapse video, Doug recounts Running Order’s previous career and what he saw in that still shot that sparked his interest in the horse.

Using video and photographs dating back to 2008, Doug narrates Running Order’s start in the world of eventing and subsequent climb up the levels to the top of his sport.

On a side note: After watching this video, I watched Doug’s narrated Rolex helmet camera video. During the Rolex video, you can actually pick up on a few of Running Order’s quirks pointed out in the early stages of his career, including looking down at questionable jumps, that he has carried along to Rolex. I look forward to seeing this horse continue his career as I think Doug has only scratched the surface of what that horse has to offer the sport.

Go Running Order!