Wow, what a great show this was!

Thank you to all participants, helpers and especially our Judge Michael Blyton for a very successful April show. The weather cooperated with us and everyone enjoyed a dry and clear bright sunny day.

We were very impresssed with the way the competitors presented their horses for this show and the efforts made to ensure your horses were noticed by the judge and stewards. It was great to see even more new faces and new horses, and the line up of paint horses was especially beautiful. We were almost blinded by the bright white of the white splashes on the overos and pintos!

The classes were full of beautiful Western Horses of every color in every event and we had some stunning English horses in the Hack and Hunter Classes.

The judge took extra time to explain his judging decisions to all competitors after each class as well as encouraging each competitor with techniques to better show their horse and we could see the improvement in each competitor in the following classes.

A great day for everyone, lots of smiles and pricked ears and we hope to see you all back in May for our Mothers Day Show!

 

Our March 25th show was a great success! The weather cooperated with us and we enjoyed a sunny warm day. There were lots of participants, new faces, some familiar faces and some regulars who have come back to show with us again.  

It was nice to see the young ones participating for the first time and the happy faces of all the class winners.

Photos from the show have been uploaded to our FaceBook page and into our website gallery. If you would like a larger photo, contact the webmaster and we will send you one!

Thank you to all the competitors, to the helpers, to Sheridan Zuev for the beautiful garland and to Crystal Neist for a great day's judging! We are looking forward to our next show on April 22nd so be sure not to miss it. Program coming soon!

The tradition of Western Riding in the Snowy Mountains proudly goes back generations.

"Snowy River riders on the mountains make their home,
Where the river runs those giant hills between;
I have seen full many horsemen since I first commenced to roam,
But nowhere yet such horsemen have I seen."

The words of Banjo Paterson echo in the mountains of the high country. Times may have changed and horses have changed, but the basic fundamentals of western horsemanship haven't.

Western riding style was formed out of necessary methods we use to farm and raise cattle. Cutting, reining, trail,western pleasure and western riding are all disciplines borne out of necessity.

Riding one-handed was to leave a free hand for a whip, rope or gun. The ability to cut a single bull out of a herd for branding gave rise to CUTTING. The manoevers necessary during cutting gave rise to REINING. Negotiation of obstacles on the frontier like gates, logs and bridges gave rise to TRAIL. The display of the correct conformation for breeding stock led to HALTER.

The different cadences and gaits necessary to read and move a herd of cattle without spooking them, as well as the ability to maintain composure and concentration while chasing an escaping cow encompasses the manoevers of barrel racing, western pleasure, western riding and all other western disciplines.

When you ride western, ride with purpose and HISTORY. Ride for life!