Bridles and Britches

I hate horses. I figured I should admit that now before I tell you how much fun I had at Steeplechase. I know that makes me un-American. They scare the crap out of me because I’ve almost been knocked off of them multiple times. But I digress.

Catching a ride on a pickup truck

I drove to Aiken after fashion week super late night. I almost hit a number of creatures, including deer and possums. When I finally arrived at the Country Inn & Suites, I was thrilled. I met up with Bethany, Anna, Claire and Austin at Hotel Aiken in the downtown area. Then I finally got to sleep.

Me and Bethany in our big hats

We woke up and got ready and drove over to the field. Instead of walking to our spot, Claire made friends with a guy with a pickup truck who drove us there. Then we met up with Corey, a friend from school, who already had a spot camped out on the inside of the track.

Proof that I actually saw a horse

The day continued with a lot of boozin’ and bettin’ and of course, sweating in my seersucker dress. After we left the race several hours later, we went to Bethany’s mom’s birthday before hitting Hotel Aiken again. We are pretty habitual people.

Me with one of the painted ponies

We had a bite for lunch (okay a GIANT grilled cheese for me) at New Moon Cafe downtown before taking the very short walk around town. There’s not much to see, but what we did see was cute. Antique stores, cafes and of course horses.

Lil jockey at Hopeland Gardens

Then we went to Hopeland Gardens for a walk around the garden in the rain. It was surprisingly gorgeous in spite of the weather. The purple flowers were already in bloom, so it finally feels like spring.

Oh yeah and I took a lil bit of footage from Steeplechase.

[vimeo vimeo.com/10338966]

My classy friends at Steeplechase.

[vimeo vimeo.com/10338194]

Here is me cheering on the horse. I can’t remember its name. Happy Seamus?