IT’S OVER? ALREADY?
I don’t know about you, but I am not ready for summer’s sunny, warm weather to end.
For me, the highlight of my summer riding adventures was taking Indy swimming in the Sol Duc River behind friend Z Barker’s house.
For those who have followed my stories about Indy, now 12, since he (and his mama, Lacey) came into my life at 4 months old, they know at times he can be a temperamental brat who occasionally becomes a bucking bronc.
And, while his antics have occasionally ended with me face-down on the ground, he’s almost always trusted me to try new things without much hesitation.
Still, I felt a bit of trepidation as we traversed the slippery river rocks into the somewhat swift-moving waters.
From Day One, Indy has always been very good about crossing rivers and streams, usually stopping to drink the water and check out his surroundings, but we’ve never been in water deep enough for him to swim.
Normally when a horse is asked to wade across or to swim in water for the first time, it is more likely to willingly do so by following a seasoned horse, who, in essence, shows the less experienced horse, “Hey, follow me. The water is nothing to be scared of.”
So I truly didn’t know if Indy would be willing to even cross the stream given there was no trail to head to on the other side, just a sheer bluff, let alone swim in water where he couldn’t see a destination point on the other side.
And yet, Indy was willing to do exactly that as I urged him to go deeper and deeper until I could feel his powerful legs swimming underneath me.
Since we had nowhere to go we just swam in a circle, Indy’s nose just above the water as he figured out how to maneuver without his long legs touching the ground.
He didn’t panic at all. In fact, he floated a bit while we (I) decided which direction to go. My only worry was keeping my cellphone dry, as I wear it in a holster attached to my belt and most of the saddle (and my butt) were under water.
I was so proud of my Indy and his willingness to try swimming.
By the way, I don’t recommend swimming while riding in a leather saddle.
Show season wraps
Summer’s show season has also, for the main part, drawn to a close. I was excited to see a large crop of new young ones competing at the Clallam County Fair.
Here are the top winners:
■ Stockseat equitation — senior grand champion, Haylie Newton; reserve, Matisen Anders
■ Intermediate — grand champion, Emily Gear; reserve, Colby Renton
■ Barrels — grand champion, Emily VanAusdale (15.07); reserve, Micayla Weider
■ Poles — grand Champion, Newton (23.138); reserve, Madison Ballou
■ Figure 8 — grand champion, Newton (19.761); reserve, Weider
■ Key Race Grand Champion , Newton (10.158); Reserve, Madison Ballou
■ Flags — championship, Van Ausdale (10.232)
■ International flags — championship, VanAusdale (8.465); reserve, Ballou
■ Trail — grand champion senior, Ashley Farmer; reserve, Ciara Gentry
■ Pie eating contest — Newton and Sierra Ballou
■ Halter Class — grand champion, Farmer with Colonel; reserve, Farmer with Kahlua
■ Horse judging — grand champion, Kaiya Ochs, Paige Swordmaker and Iris Pullen
■ Showmanship medals — Gold: Anders; Silver: Swordmaker, Cassidy Hodgin and Anders; Bronze: Madison Ballou, Emma Albright and Natalie Blankenship
■ Huntseat — grand champion, Newton; reserve, Kaylie Graf
■ Huntseat medals — Silver: Hodgin; Bronze: Newton, Hodgin and Gentry
■ Saddleseat — grand champion, Swordmaker; reserve, Newton
■ Walk/trot — open champion, Riley Michaelis; reserve, Ochs
■ Dressage — advance champion, Anders
■ Open — beginning champion, Graf; reserve, Newton
■ Miniature horse showmanship — grand champion, Graf; reserve, Lisi Hanson
Events
■ Sunday, Sept. 21, 9 a.m — Mitzi Summers jumping clinic at Winterchill Farm, 269 N. Jacob Miller Road, Port Townsend.
■ Saturday, Sept. 27, 9 a.m. — Summers’ problem solving workshop at Blossom Valley Farm, 95 Blossom Lane, Port Townsend.
■ Sunday, Sept. 28, 9 a.m — Summers’ clinic, “ABCs of Humans and Their Horses” at Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 4907 Landes St., Port Townsend.
It teaches awareness, biomechanics and a centered riding experience in an all-day groups setting.
To attend one of Summers’ clinics, contact Teren and Norm MacLeod at Heron Hill Equine and Equine Energy Exchange.
Early registration is available by emailing register@equineenergyexchange.com or phoning 360- 774-1441.
■ Saturday, Oct. 4 — Pony rides, horses to meet and demonstrations at the annual Farm Tour at Freedom Farms, 493 Spring Road in Agnew.
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Karen Griffiths’ column, Peninsula Horseplay, appears every other Sunday.
If you have a horse event, clinic or seminar you would like listed, please email Griffiths at kbg@olympus.net at least two weeks in advance. You can also write Griffiths at PDN, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362.
