The Fantasia

Posted on November 21, 2013November 21, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Billed as “A Musical Celebration of the HORSE”, Fantasia is a separate show, separate admission, that wraps up the night.

Most of the people I spoke with go every year.

I had a great seat. I was near an entry/exit to the ring and only 1 tier up. The lighting by now was all artificial. It was full dark outside so no light from the windows to help. As good as my seat was, it was still too far for a flash to be any help. Photography would be a challenge, for sure.

The first act, Jeff Wilson riding Delview Catskill Valiant (Morgan) was done with the lights out. Just a spotlight followed the pair. I just didn’t have the equipment to capture that and some of the other acts with similar lighting.

The Opening Ceremony consisted of 3 parts. A solo ride on a Morgan, The Canadian Cowgirls Drill Team and The National Anthem/Our Heroes.

Melissa Serra performed the National Anthem and it was magnificent, a beautiful rendition but the segment titles “Our Heroes” had me fighting tears, it was so beautiful.

Next up…Extreme Roman Riding

The rider did all the stunts standing on the backs of his pair of Paints.

He did jump the Fire but I only caught the moment after he landed.

Patriotic Fusion was next. A Quarter Horse and rider. A serious piece and demonstration.

Followed by some fun. Chariots of Fire started out with quite the surprise! 2 Roman Chariots each drawn by a miniature donkey.

The crowd roared with approval. So cute, but that wasn’t all.

After a couple of swings around the ring the gates opened again and they were joined by a miniature horse ! That miniature horse was so fat it made me think of a pot bellied pig.

These were the warm up show for the big boys.

Remember those funny little horses? the Icelandic. They had their own segment called Icelandic Fairy Tails.

And the last act before Intermission was visiting from “Down Under” The “Aussie” Cowboy and his “brumbies” His Outback Gang.

During admission the horse show equivalent of the Zamboni prepared the ring for the 2nd half.

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on November 20, 2013November 20, 2013 by Dusty Roads

An Obstacle Course?

Posted on November 19, 2013November 19, 2013 by Dusty Roads

The crew was setting up the jumps for the Versatile Horse and Rider Competition. I’d never heard of that and watched curiously. I saw the jumps go in and then they were setting out cones and barrels. The barrels I understood but there was a strange contraption in the corner and in another place they left the poles from the jumps on the ground.

Finally the 6 finalists were called into the ring for a walkthrough. The strange contraption in the corner was a “mock” shower. The horse and ride stood under it while the rider dumped confetti from a bucket on them. They had to maneuver through the poles and back up in a Z pattern. They had to race barrels and jump fences, open gates and “shoot” a coyote. At one point the horse had to stand and wait while the rider dismounted to pick up a basket of eggs.

The horse was then led across a “bridge over a brook”. Oh My! I wouldn’t have remembered all of the things if I were the rider. All of the tasks had to be completed in under 6 1/2 minutes or the horse and rider were disqualified.

Even if they completed the course within the time the scores were then calculated on how flawlessly they finished. Points off for a top rail down or for missing an obstacle and so on.

I didn’t think I’d like this being more of a traditionalist but it was fun!

I concentrated on the jumps because a young college student told me to my face that photographing jumpers was too hard for me. ( Such arrogance from one so young) That was about a year ago and I’d been looking for a chance to prove her wrong ever since. I was pretty satisfied with the captures except for the lighting. In the summer those events are outdoors so lighting would not have been as much of an issue.

This was the last even before Fantasia at 7:30. The rest of my time here would be in the stands.

Polite Dinner Conversation

Posted on November 18, 2013November 18, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I still have a couple of more stories from the Horse Show to share but I haven’t had time to prepare the photos so I’m going to take a break from that topic for today.

I was noticing on Facebook that lately my newsfeed has been full of religious posts and political posts. Luckily my friends haven’t stooped to sexual posts yet (for the most part).

It makes me wonder, didn’t anyone ever teach them that the 3 things that are never to be discussed at the dinner table (ie polite company) are religion, politics and sex? Now don’t get me wrong. I like religion, politics and sex but in small doses…moderation in all things; balance in life.

What particularly annoys me is when 1 friend posts 20 or 25 posts in a row all about how to be saved or how God in her life is carrying her troubles. Come on. I got it after the first one or two, especially when you considered this person does this multiple post thing two or three times a day.

I friended her because when I knew her she was an interesting, dynamic person. She had lots of things to talk about. Now it seems saving the souls of her facebook friends is all she can talk about…that and her weight loss. I don’t want to un-friend her but I would like my newsfeed back to normal.

It’s like religious spam. Don’t get me wrong. I respect her faith and her right to hold it close. I just don’t need to be reminded about it constantly. ( I have many very religious friends of all persuasions and only this one thinks it’s ok to spam)

Now on the political side. All these posts about Obama… all bad too…are a waste of space. I get it. The person/ persons posting this dribble didn’t vote for Obama and takes great pleasure in pointing out his shortcomings. What I don’t get is why I should care ( whether I voted for the man or not. ) It’s done. He won but soon he’ll be done. He’ll be out of office before you know it. He can’t run again. Move on. If you want to make political commentary then do it in an intelligent manner. How about discussing (please note I said discussing) the affordable health care law?

How is it affecting you? Research it so your comments are backed by some understanding. Too much of it is just sharing a political cartoon over and over . I love a good political discussion when it’s factual and well researched.

I have one friend that used to get wonderful , thoughtful discussions going on everything from the war on terror to gun laws.

His comments were always well thought out and researched. His friends that commented didn’t always agree but they were as articulate and informed as he. It made for some lively reading. I enjoyed it but he’s gone. Facebook got too trivial for him.

A few of my crude friends do occasionally post a “like / share “on a sexually explicit photo. I don’t know what gets into them because they know better and they would be the first to yell if they had children and saw it on their feed. I’m sure they just didn’t use good judgment. They just didn’t think.

So here’s the bottom line, then I will rant no more until the next time. 🙂

If you want to save my soul, please do it in moderation. If you want to raise political awareness, please do your homework, and if you want to look at sexually explicit photos, please don’t share. Remember what your mother should have taught you…Never discuss religion, politics or sex at the dinner table.

disclaimer: I don’t wish to offend anyone. These are just my personal observations of my own newsfeed.

Meanwhile Back at the Coliseum

Posted on November 17, 2013November 17, 2013 by Dusty Roads

A clinic was going on. Stacy Westfall (A noted horse trainer and performer) was teaching “neck reining” and “Spinning”.

I almost hate to say this but it reminded me of the many “coaching” lessons I had in ballroom dancing except the goal here was to get your horse to put his feet certain places.

The talk of the technique and how your horse’s body needed to move a certain way, well it was surprisingly similar to teaching a couple to execute a good pivot.