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. 🙂

That’s Close Enough!

Posted on November 16, 2013November 16, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Leaving Tanqueray behind I started back through the Mallory Building toward the Coliseum. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do next. The schedule was broken down by building and time and there was something going on every minute.

As I passed through the building I passed another ring. This one had the dirt floor and the horses were being ridden in this ring. This was a breed demonstration. I wish I could tell you which breed but I missed the announcement. The show was well underway when I stepped up to the fence. I stayed on the short end so I wouldn’t block anyone’s view. The bleacher seats were along the long sides. Several others stood by me. As I was snapping away one of horses came trotting toward me. I expected it to make the turn like the rest of the riders were doing but it came straight at me, bumped the fence and stuck it’s head right up against me! I know my mouth hit the floor. I looked at the rider with my mouth hanging open. She just shrugged and said “I guess he likes you”. I admit I was shocked both by the horse’s reaction to me and by the rider’s lack of control. But that was nothing compared to what was about to happen next.

Horse and rider back on track I went back to trying to get the exposure right in the low lighting. People were using flash but I was reluctant to try that. I was concerned about startling the horses. Clearly the riders in this ring were not the most experienced. Just as that thought was crossing my mind a flash went off right by the fence. A woman with a ton of camera gear was set up about half way down the long side. As soon as her camera flashed the horse nearest to her shied badly slamming into another horse and rider about to pass them.

Those two bounced toward the center of the ring blocking two more horses. These animals weren’t traveling at a walk. I had visions of a horse pile up like cars on the expressway. For a few moments the ring was in turmoil but eventually the riders got their mounts under control and it was back to circling the ring. The woman with her flash had disappeared. She probably got better pictures than I did but at least I can’t be blamed for causing a possible serious accident.

It seemed like a good time to move on.

A Horse Whisperer

Posted on November 14, 2013November 14, 2013 by Dusty Roads

After I left the Arabian Stallion behind I wandered into the “Coliseum”, one of the other large buildings.

This one was like an auditorium with tiers of seats and high ceilings. The center of the big building was a dirt covered ring. This is where they would hold “Fantasia” later in the evening.

In the center of the ring was a young filly and a trainer. For a moment I thought I’d walked in on Monty Roberts, The Horse Whisperer. The movements were the same, all calm and flowing. The trainer was wearing a head set and explaining everything as he worked. Once more the feeling that I was watching Monty Roberts hit me. Clearly this trainer was a student of that training philosophy.

If you ever get a chance to watch this type of trainer in action don’t miss it. It’s a beautiful thing to see. It’s so calm and gentle and the progress is astounding.

I wish I had been familiar with these techniques back when I was a kid and had a young handful of a horse.

I wanted to watch the whole training session but the Arabian was being brought out to a small ring and it was going to be my one chance for pictures without bars.

When a horse was moved from a stall to a ring two people did it. One when ahead through the crowd calling out “Horse coming through” and the visitors got out of the way. Then the 2nd person led the animal along the open path. Made me think of the way cars clear a path on the highway for emergency vehicles.

As I was trying to photograph the Arabian, another visitor told me I had to see the “Celebrity Horse” presentation. This is a brief presentation of a horse that has earned championship status. The horses being showcased were the crème de la crème, a different horse each day.

So saying goodbye to my beautiful Arabian I headed back through two huge buildings to locate the “Youth Pavilion” and today’s Celebrity Horse.

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.