Performances 2009

After listening to hundreds of CD’s and finally finding one that seemed to fit the parameters, Karen Steinhoff went to work designing a ride around the mu-sic. Not an easy task, let me tell you! The music has to be 4-5 minutes in length; have some variations in the melody and end definitively so that the riders have a heads up as to when to return to the audience side of the arena to finish.

Pattern designed, we all then walked and walked the pattern so that we would have it in our heads before we subjected the horses to the inevitable mixups once we were all in the saddle. Thank goodness all our mounts do nothing more than heave a bored sigh at our constant: “Wait! Let’s do that bit again!” Once in a while, we got so heavily into practicing and practicing that Luis Castaneda would say: “Enough for today, the horses are very hot and tired.” Which was when we realized that we too were very hot, tired and oh, so dirty! Again, we are all very grateful to have horses that don’t complain at the endless practicing of circles, barridas, reverses, etc.

This year’s debut was at Western States Expo in June where Karen on Orgulloso JC, Dennis Makemson riding Macarena JC, I on Gloriosa JC, and Luis Castaneda in charge, met up with Debbie Abrams and her horse, Connie, who came flying around to the stalls area bearing new and beautiful neck ribbons to adorn our beautifully turned out horses. After an initial hiccup requiring a change of riders (need we say more?), we finished the ride even though we were a bit rattled and many people commented afterwards on the beauty and flexibility of the horses – to say nothing of the showmanship of the riders! Especially Luis who stepped in at the last minute with very little practice.