What says "I went to Rolex?"

Rolex is a pilgrimage, a rite of passage, meca for eventers and non eventers alike.  Certain things at Rolex scream I WENT TO ROLEX.

Here are three things that scream Rolex to me, what about you?

1.  Free STUFF!!!!

Several of the big companies hand out free samples of their supplements every year and I always try to stock up and see what I like and what I don't like.

This year the Finish line booth was fantastic.

I got a sample of the Fluid Action HA which is a joint supplement, Apple a Day electrolyte, and a tube of Quia Cal.

I've used the joint supplement before on Annie but never noticed any difference movement wise, although she was a pretty sound horse to begin with.  I'm interested in seeing if there is a change in Stella.

I'm going to look into using the electrolyte at shows or hard trail rides. I know that some people swear by electrolytes, some use their own combination of salt and tasty goodies in water, and others say that electrolytes can do more harm than good if not used in the right applications.

I wish this was around when I was riding Nikki!  The rep said this supplement would not "test" and only contains Magnesium, Calcium, and Thiamine.  All ingredients that might have mild calming effects if the horse has a deficiency of one of them in the first place.  Does it work, do you deserve to ride because you are drugging your horse you scum, or is it a rider placebo effect?  

At the entry gate we got mobbed by someone pushing a free 30 day trial of a Probiotic, so when we stumbled across that booth I swung in and asked for my sample.  The container says it helps gut flora in the GI tract and assists with the digestion and absorption of essential nutrients and it is formulated to reach the hindgut. The idea is that in stressful circumstances the intestinal tract is upset and the good bacteria die off and you can replace them by feeding a probiotic.

The Purina booth was giving away samples of Purina Supersport which is a targeted amino acid formulation for muscle performance, exercise, and recovery.  Most balanced horse diets already contain the 9 amino acids your horse needs (he produces the rest himself for a total of 21) but there is a murky area if horse feed contains ENOUGH of the right ones so people sometimes supplement.  If you feed your horse too many amino acids in his diet he will create excess urine to remove them from his body.

2.  BOOOOOOOTSSSSS!!!!!

Walking around the grounds it seems like you can't get a ticket without wearing a pair of country boots.   You know, the calf high waterproof leather boots that are the quintessential english equestrian fashion statement.  From the top of the line and status symbol Dubarrys to the less expensive brands, everyone seemed to have a pair.  I've always boycotted the boots as an anti establishment movement.   It's pretty silly when it's 80 degrees out and people are in shorts and calf high leather waterproof boots.  However, last year I wanted to take someone behind a porta john and mug them for their nice dry boots so I was half heartedly looking.

Lo and behold, the Frenches Shoes and Boots booth had some on mark down for $60!!!  They are by a British company called Kanyon and you can see them here, along with my next item of discussion....

3.  The Cosequin Bucket!!!  You know that 5 gallon piece of advertising people stand in line 45 minutes for.  The bucket that says I WENT TO ROLEX and all I got was this bucket.  I've got one protecting my trailer jack, one filled with my grooming supplies, and now I have one for what I think is going to be a wash bucket!  Happy Rolex!!!