2006年VOA标准英语-Top Equestrians Compete in Washington, DC

By Jim Bertel
Washington, DC
01 November 2006
 
watch Horse Show report

Many of the world's top equestrians² recently descended³ on Washington, D.C. to compete in the 48th annual "Washington International Horse Show." Considered one of the world's leading equestrian¹ events, it featured horses and riders from around the world competing for prize money and championship titles. VOA's Jim Bertel has more on this year's competition.

 
Washington Horse Show
For one week every October, Washington, D.C. becomes the equestrian capital of the world providing a showcase for many of the world's best-known horses and riders. Mason Phelps is a spokesman for the Washington International Horse Show. "This horse show is in it's 48th year, here in the Verizon Center, in downtown Washington DC and it is probably our biggest and best year ever.  Our ticket sales are way up."

The five-day event showcased show jumping and hunter competitions along with dramatic demonstrations⁴ of horsemanship. This year's show also featured the Invitational Dressage Championship, pitting four of the top competitors in North America against each other. Dressage is an Olympic event in which the horse and rider perform complex movements, often described as ballet on horseback. Two-time Olympian Ashley Holzer from Canada and her horse "Pop Art" won the two-day event. "We had international Olympic judges and to have them at an event like this is really spectacular."

 
Courtney King
Courtney King finished second in the competition, coming just weeks after she won the prestigious⁵ Dressage at Devon Show in the eastern state of Pennsylvania. She says despite her horse "Idocus" being fatigued⁶ from that event, she was pleased with his performance. "I was really, really happy. He did it. It was not his most brilliant performance, for sure, but he did his job, he put in a clean test (competition) and I was thrilled."

For these world-class riders, Holzer says competitions like the one in Washington are stepping stones towards a bigger prize, an Olympic berth⁷ in the 2008 Games.

 
Ashley Holzer
"The Olympics are a huge deal. To be able to qualify for the Olympics and compete in the Olympics is really a dream come true. And to have the chance, that it might be my third one, would be quite spectacular so I think about it all the time." 

The 500 riders at this year's Washington International Horse Show compete by invitation only. Participants qualify for the year-end competition based on points they accrue⁸ in other competitive events during the year.

 
Kent Farrington
While the riders get most of the attention, Kent Farrington, one of the top show-jumpers in the sport, says it takes a team to be competitive. "It is all about the horses you have to ride and I am surrounded by really good people, good staff that take care of the horse, great vets⁹, great farriers [a person who shoes horses]. There are a lot of factors that go into having horses compete at this level." 

While competing at this level can be very stressful, most of the competitors say the rewards of the horse show world, from working with horses to the friendships formed on the show circuit, make it all worthwhile.

1 equestrian   

adj.骑马的；n.马术

参考例句：

• They all showed extraordinary equestrian skills.他们的骑术都很高超。
• I want to book two equestrian tickets.我想订两张马术比赛的票。

2 equestrians   

n.骑手（equestrian的复数形式）

参考例句：

3 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

5 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

6 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

7 berth   

n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊

参考例句：

• She booked a berth on the train from London to Aberdeen.她订了一张由伦敦开往阿伯丁的火车卧铺票。
• They took up a berth near the harbor.他们在港口附近找了个位置下锚。

8 accrue   

v.(利息等)增大，增多

参考例句：

• Ability to think will accrue to you from good habits of study.思考能力将因良好的学习习惯而自然增强。
• Money deposited in banks will accrue to us with interest.钱存在银行，利息自生。

9 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网