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Southern Pines Horse Trials Web Casts

This year the Southern Pines Horse Trials tried something new - a live Web Cast which was available on the internet in real time, that is when the competition was actually happening.

As far as I know Southern Pines is the only American Horse Trial to have used this technology.

As I drove home to Kentucky I thought, perhaps for the hundredth time, "Wouldn't it be great to be able to be in two places at once!" Naturally, I had not been able to listen to the Web Cast, because I had been at the Carolina Horse Park, at Five Points, at Reaford, NC, for the trials.

When I got home, I listened to the Web Cast which is archived on the Southern Pines web site - www.carolinahorsepark.com - and imagine my surprise - I could be in two places at once! Rationality told me I was sitting at my computer in Lexington, KY. Yet as I listened to the voice of Giles Rowsell. the Southern Pines announcer, on the web cast, I was transported back to the water jump at Southern Pines. I felt my heart beat quicken when he said, "One minute to the first horse on Cross Country." I was thrilled as Rowsell described John Williams ride through the water and sympathetic when Jennifer Glass and Tommy's Pop Gun had a refusal there.

Badminton and Burghley, the British CCI****'s get their results up on the Internet within 10 minutes of the time each horse actually competes in each phase. Southern Pines has taken a step towards putting the listener into the live competition. If this could be combined with quick unofficial results, wouldn't it be wonderful!?

The Web Cast consisted of the voice of the announcer describing the action just as he did over the loud speakers at the event. Rowsell is a good announcer. He is the former Chairman of Selectors for the British Eventing Team. He knows his sport and describes it well.

The Southern Pines web site provided a list of Start Times, so the listener would know ahead of time when their friend or their favorite horse was scheduled to run.

Roger Secrist initiated the idea for the live Web Cast. Roger is an Eventing fan and owner, with his wife, of Damien, an Advanced horse who is ridden by Phillip Dutton. What a great idea! What a boon to the Eventing fan who could not be present at the Carolina Horse Park!

- or was it? One often wonders, "Is there anyone out there?" In this case was anyone listening? If they were, how did they feel about it?

In any case, Roger Secrist and his crew at Southern Pines have taken a step forward into the technology of the 21st Century and are to be congratulated. The word will get around and the audience for the next Southern Pines Web Cast should triple or quadruple.

Cora C. Cushny, Editor

 

Would anyone who actually listened to the Southern Pines Web Cast, at the time of the competition, please let me know how you felt about it at corac@mindspring.com. Thanks very much.