Jump! Saut Hermes

LIZ SAYS: Some people probably just think that Hermes makes pretty scarves and purses, but they are actually a renown saddle maker. And they have more money than God.. So, when you see a poster with their name on it, you can bet, its advertising something special. I saw posters all over for Saut Hermes and I wondered what it was for, so, I checked out the web address on the poster and found it was for an international horse jumping competition, at the Grand Palais, no less. Oh, I am so there!
We got up Sunday morning and went to the Grand Palais. It is such a gorgeous structure. Only a few weeks ago we'd gone to the ArtParis show there. It was a beautiful day, tourists just setting out, pointing in every direction with their maps in hand.
As soon as we entered the Palais, we were greeted by a life sized wooden Pegasus.
And that was just the beginning. The jumping was better than I could have imagined. It was muffled by the clumpy white clay which was systematically groomed in between events by the fastest John Deere drivers I've ever seen. The horses were exquisitely groomed and muscled with pretty nice hairdos, too.
I was in awe for hours just watching the beautiful animals jump.
The French Republican Guard put on a half time show of 31-32 horses. Dick says there were 33, I counted 31, including the leader who did not pair up with the formations. Spectacular!