In the past few days I have been watching the news about Hurricane Irma and it’s relentless path toward Florida. I have many friends in the horse world there and I am concerned for them and for their horses. Some have evacuated and some have chosen to stay. I hope the hurricane will not be too devastating. Amongst these thoughts I think about the Florida winter season. I spend the winter season in Florida training and competing in dressage. For the hunter jumpers the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington it the longest running horse show in the world: twelve weeks from January to the end of March, as many as 2000 horses on the show grounds competing on any given day and millions ( US$8-9 M) in prize money. What will happen if Irma wreaks havoc in Wellington? I hope it will not and here are some photos for this weeks Word Press photo challenge—Waiting.
The riders waiting for their horses to arrive at the International ring warm up ring.
The grooms have the horses prepared and in the stable fly sheets bring the horses over to the warm up ring.
Where they wait.
And wait…..
In the VIP lounge even the chairs are waiting.
They are waiting for the competition to begin. And here it is.
It is my sincere hope that Florida will be spared the devastation that has been wrought on some of the Caribbean Islands and that this winter the horses and riders will be once more…..waiting.
HorseAddict 
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