Yesterday I had the great honor (and equally great fun) of attending the 9th annual 9/11 Fallen Fireman's Fund Western Horse Show at Sycamore Trails Stables in San Juan Capistrano.
This was my second year attending this great event. All the fees from this show, along with the proceeds from raffle ticket sales and a silent auction went to support the Fallen Fireman's Fund. A small group of on-duty firemen from the local fire house also attended the event, complete with a beautiful fire engine. One of the firemen, who had lived in New York as a young man and who had personally lost friends and family during the 9/11 attacks spoke. His heartfelt and earnest descriptions of his thoughts and feelings, both then and now, were enough to bring tears to many an eye.
But while the sadness we all felt in remembering the tragedy that befell our great country ten years ago was present, it was overpowered by the spirit of community and friendly competition that permeated the event. Though the show was not quite as big as it had been last year, the crowd was energetic in their support for the firemen, and for each other. Competitors clapped and cheered as each ribbon winner was announced, and whooped and hollered for everyone who ran in a speed event or participated in a game.
In addition, many businesses within San Juan's bustling equestrian community - including a local Starbucks store (preferred supplier of caffeine for many a rider), provided some truly fantastic prizes for the 1-4th place winners of each class.
On a more personal note, I was able to take three lovely young ladies (all students of mine) with me to the show. (I'll refer to them as H, M, and C for their privacy). Only H was showing, but her older sister M and their friend C attended as grooms. All the girls did a lovely job, and I'm proud to say that H won 2nd in Showmanship, 4th in trot Pole Bending, and 3rd in trot Barrels. Though H has been riding for several years, she is still a rather new convert to Western riding and it was her first time showing in all three classes.
I'm also proud to say that H rode my 5 y/o blind paint mare Every Girls Dream (Rose) in all three classes. While Rose is a seasoned Halter and Showmanship competitor, she has only shown under saddle once before, and it was Rose's first time competing in barrels and poles (in fact, due to not owning a pole bending set, it was Rose's first time riding the pattern, and only her 3rd time running the barrel pattern). But all her turns were tight and clean - even though she lost a shoe on her way to the second barrel!
M and C were fantastic first-time grooms, and of course they're both looking forward to their own turns in the show ring next season!
No comments:
Post a Comment