I found the Myopia Horse Show in Hamilton, MA

Posted on September 4, 2017September 3, 2017 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

WELCOME TO THE 2017 MYOPIA HORSE SHOW

I haven’t been to a horse show in years with the exception of Equine Affair in 2013. That wasn’t a horse show like I remember them. Still if you have a chance to go and you love horses, it’s worthwhile.

Some Detours bring nice Surprises

I was on my way to Ipswich to check out Wolf Hollow. Traffic wasn’t bad through Boston but once I hit RT 128 we crawled. I’d missed the presentation but figured I’d finish the drive. It would make it easier to find next time I tried. I was almost there when I spotted horses, riders and trailers. The field was packed with cars. I slowed down until I saw a billboard WELCOME TO THE 2017 MYOPIA HORSE SHOW. September 1-3. It was a no-brainier. I pulled in. The nice police officer pointed me to a field and told me to park anywhere. I stayed away from the horse trailers. I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way.

Myopia Hunt Club

The horse show is an event sponsored by the Myopia Hunt Club. Myopia Hunt Club is a foxhunting and private country club, located in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. It’s not all about the horses either. There’s a world class golf course. The U.S Open has been played at the Club four times. But back to the horses, on Sunday afternoons you can watch polo matches. Myopia features one of the oldest continually running polo fields in the nation.

A Perfect Afternoon

This was a good choice. There was no fee to park and no admission fee! The sun out, the temperatures were in the 70’s with a nice breeze. I even managed to get a seat right next to the field. I stayed for Adult Hunters which is a jumping competition and the Ladies Side Saddle, a very elegant and beautiful event. It couldn’t pick a favorite. All of the animals were magnificent! I’m so glad I decided to stop.

Finale

Posted on November 23, 2013November 23, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Intermission at The Fantasia was a chance to rake the ring and set up for the rest of the show.

The first act after the Intermission was called Take You Higher. It was clear from the set up that it would involve jumping but I wasn’t expecting the show that we got.

Did you know that a miniature horse can jump just about as high as a full sized horse?

That’s what this little demonstration was all about. First the miniatures , then the full size. Then the bar was raised and around they went again.

As I recall the bar was raised 3 times before they started knock the top rail off.

The Friesian Spectacular was a real crowd pleaser. Clay Maier rode one horse while driving a 2nd.

It’s pretty amazing to see the coordination between the two horses and one rider

But just in case that wasn’t exciting enough for you, The Canadian Cowgirls were back.

Their show was exciting enough to be the finale.

You know, the last song or dance in a show that brings everyone to their feet?

But there was one last segment.

Look familiar?

And then it was time to fight the crowds and the cold and the traffic and head for home.

I apologize for the poor quality of some of the photos. I need much more expensive equipment to avoid so much noise in low light situations, but even with the shortcomings, I had to share.

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.

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.

Who knew that there was footwork and technique for horses too! Back feet together, right crosses left, etc., etc. 🙂

So What is Equine Affaire?

Posted on November 12, 2013November 12, 2013 by Dusty Roads

What is this show that’s getting all the buzz? I wasn’t really sure but I sure wasn’t prepared for it to be as huge as it was. 6000 people! There are so many different venues that it wasn’t that crowded. Sure , lots of people but the crowd moved along and I didn’t feel crushed even with a backpack and camera around my neck.

The first thing that hit me was that this looked more like a trade show than a horse show. Every building had stalls filled with horse related products, from feed to grooming, saddles to traces, horse blankets and ribbons for manes and tails. Outside were horse trailers and RV’s all set up for you to tour and put down your deposit.

A midway of sorts was set up with food stands, popcorn, fried dough, onion rings, hot dogs, hamburgers, some salads and sandwiches, even a baked potato stand. I certainly wouldn’t starve!

It was as I was walking through the 2nd building that I spotted the first horse. It was a 20 year old Morgan stallion, a more docile animal you’d never find. Hard to believe he was a stallion, not a gelding. His owners had opened the stall door and let him stick his head out and he was doing just that. He loved the attention and had quite a crowd. With all the little hands trying to pet him I skipped the pictures and moved on.

Most of the horses and ponies were in stalls with bars on top. Easy to see in but prevented much of a touch and photos were hard. I know what horses smell like. I owned two growing up but these horses didn’t seem to have much of an order at all. Not even the ones with steaming piles in their stalls!

The range of breeds was amazing. I always thought I had a good basic knowledge of “horse” but I had never heard of half the horses there. Of course there were the Morgan’s, standardbreds, Percherons, quarter horses and my personal favorite, the Arabian. If there were thoroughbreds I didn’t see them but maybe they were in another building.

There were ponies and miniature horses, pintos and paints and palominos. All of those were familiar, But then I saw some that looked like they had just come from the steppes of Russia, small but hardy, they ran with a funny gait, not a canter or a trot or a gallop.

They were listed in the program as Icelandics.

One horse in particular caught my eye, Norwegian Fjord Horse. This guy wasn’t big and tall, rather compact and solid. The breed standard said his color was dun but he looked gray to me. He had a distinctive black streak down the center of his mane.