Our tailgate is getting better every year! While not hardly award winning we got some nice remarks.
And nobody went hungry!
I love this picture from a nearby table. He's ready. Just in case she drops something!
Normally this is a friendly game that nobody really takes seriously. That remained the case however there was some real action on the field this year with both teams playing some real polo.
I think just about everybody's in on this! You can see the ball there right below the grey horse's right front foot. There are 6 players on the field. Three from each team. And a referee.
The half time events begin with the hounds making a couple of laps around the field. Everybody loves the hounds.
On a couple of occasions we've had some hounds pass our barn running a little off course. Did you know the Huntmaster runs the hounds almost every single day?!
I saved the best for last. Dressage is very popular here (the Charles River Dressage Association is also nearby) and the half time festivities typically include a dressage demonstration.
This year Heather Blitz did the dressage demo. And the best show was out back. Warming up. I like "performances" as much as the next guy but I *always* drift out to the warm up area to see people really do their work.
I'm not sure who this horse is. I think his name is Legato. He's 16 years old and I think he's a Hanoverian. And he's..."distracted".
Edit: Yes, this is Legato, a Grand Prix Hanoverian belonging to Rowan O'Riley.
And here. Mounting up. Things are...going...wrong.
Now, I'm not at all amused watching riders in challenging situations. But...it's somehow...reassuring...to see riders at this level dealing with these things too. And of course it's a good time to learn things.
And what do you suppose she did with this?
She bailed! And. She did. Groundwork.
Which is *exactly* what I would have done, and have done, more times than I can count. It was quite fascinating to watch her work. This was great stuff. After lungeing for a few minutes she started to focus him on her and then focus on his work. She worked him for about 10 minutes and then walked him down around the trailers that were distracting. We call that "go say hi!" around our barn.
Her demonstration fell apart in a couple of places. But her mount was having a meltdown. I wouldn't have gotten on him!
As always. It was a really fun day.
Looks like a fun day for everyone. Love hounds. My sister has 3 very vocal hounds. I didn't realize that had to be run every single day! Makes sense though.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I am also reassured when I see really "experienced" riders have challenging moments with their horses. :-) I agree about groundwork. There is something comforting, I believe, in getting back to basics.