Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I really do not see any upside to this for Mittens Romney after the beating he has been taking of late.
The Romneys will be going to the London Olympics to watch Ann Romney's horse, Rafalca, compete in "dressage" equestrian events.
According to the Olympics events calendar, individual dressage events are scheduled for August 2, 3, 7 and a medal round on August 9. I'm not sure if Rafalca is a team player, but team dressage events are scheduled for August 2 and 3, with a medal event on August 7.
Bloomberg Businessweek's Lifestyle section recently reported Ann Romney's Horse Aims for Olympic Glory:
Before she flew to London in early July with her Olympic teammates, Rafalca, whose chartered jet made use of the full length of the runway to ensure a gentle takeoff, stayed at Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, N.J. Once the 5,000-acre estate of the heir to a turn-of-the-century utility baron, the farm is now home to a private golf club and the U.S. Equestrian Team. Here, Rafalca, a 15-year-old German-born mare, lived under a vaulted, tile ceiling in a terrazzo-floored stable with brass fittings. She is one of the expertly trained and meticulously cared for horses representing the U.S. in dressage at the London 2012 Olympic Games. She is also the property of Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate Mitt.
* * *
Rafalca’s German-born rider is Jan Ebeling—whose wife, Amy, co-owns the horse along with Romney and another friend, Beth Meyer.
* * *
Probably the closest Olympic analog to dressage is figure skating. Horse and rider enter a 20-by-60-meter ring and perform a series of prescribed motions, or tests—such as trotting in place or pirouetting. At a later stage, there is a six-minute “freestyle” routine set to music. (At one competition, according to Dressage-News.com, Mitt himself picked songs from the soundtracks of Rain Man and The Mission.) A panel of judges looking for rhythm, ease, and precise gait scores the performance.
In 2006, Ebeling brokered the purchase of Rafalca. Neither he nor the Romneys will say what they paid, but Larissa Barilar, who breeds similar horses at High Point Hanoverians in Chestertown, Md., says a mare like Rafalca would have gone for at least $100,000. At 15, Rafalca is on the older side for dressage, though some top horses can be as old as 18. Rafalca is just now reaching her peak.
Wait for it ...
In 2010 the Romneys claimed a $77,000 loss on their share of the partnership that owns Rafalca. An Olympic medal should help recoup some of that, as buyers would likely be willing to pay more for her offspring.
And there it is!
[Courtesy of The Political Carnival:
The Romneys declared a loss of $77,000 on their 2010 tax returns for the share in the care and feeding of Rafalca, which Mrs. Romney owns with Mr. Ebeling’s wife, Amy, and a family friend, Beth Meyers.
The average wage earner in America makes about $46,326.00 a year, and THEIR hobby is often to look for a second, or even third job to help support their families.]
Olympic dressage, though, is by definition an elite pursuit. “We’re talking about the LeBron Jameses and Tom Bradys of the horse world here,” says James Hickey Jr., president of industry lobby group American Horse Council. “They are the rich, but they deserve to be rich,” he says. Ann Romney will be in London to see Rafalca go for the gold. . . Mitt plans to attend the opening ceremonies but skip the competition.
A Rafalca Romney Twitter account sprang up under the slogan, “I dance for Mitt Romney so you don’t have to.” Awesome.
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