I just got back from going to the championships in Quebec and OMG it was so much fun. I knew I would enjoy myself because 'all the pretty horses' but even I was surprised by how much fun it actually was. We left early Monday (5 a.m.) and drove for 12 hours to the venue. Jane was showing her horse and she bought M (a junior competitor) and Ilka (her mom). This gave us 3 drivers to share the load which was great. Jane was showing in the gold show and M qualified for the championship (first level). The trailer was packed tight and so was the truck. The boys traveled really well.
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| we'd stop to let them drop their heads and have some water. Darius (paint) and Juno (hannovarian). |
We were the first ones to arrive. The facility entrance was at the end of a road in a subdivision and it really felt like it was wrong. But it turned out to be the entrance.
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| entrance is top left. The show rings being used were the Enertec, Simons and Equico |
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| two rings in the big ring |
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| our barn |
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| so many laughs happened in this trailer |
When we arrived the hose was leaking where it joined and making a mess. The horse's needed to be dealt with so I took over and called for help. "Hello this is Jane F calling....". Since it was rented in her name and it made sense. By the end of the week we were joking that I was Jane. Once we got the water sorted M said 'thank god we brought Teresa!' and I said jokingly 'That is not the last time you will say that!' Which became a running joke over the week. Final count was 26 in case you were wondering. lol.
You would think that we'd have been crowded in the camper but we really weren't. It helped that by end of day we were all exhausted. After eating and laughing over the day's happenings. Lots of silly things happened in that trailer. Including a spontaneous cabaret show by Jane and I to the tune of 'Patricia the Stripper'. We laughed so hard. In case you're curious:
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| sangria at end of day overlooking the rings |
I was expecting to see lots of lovely horses and was not disappointed. I met a lot of lovely people as well. When I was walking between the barns I spied a gorgeous Andalusian stallion. I stopped and chatted with his handler but I never got his name or rider. oops. Later I learned he was Esparticus and being ridden by Tina Irwin. So I made sure to find his ride times and watch. He did not disappoint. I was sitting in the shade watching the ride on Saturday and an older gentleman was sitting beside me. We started chatting and I shared that I loved this horse. We talked about Andalusians and how great they are. Tina had a great ride and when she left the ring he said to her 'did you earn a margarita?' I looked at him and he said 'she gets a margarita when she wins'.
What if she loses?
She gets two!
Makes sense to me. I laughed.
I then realised something, Are you the owner? I asked. He smiled and said yes. Thank god I really liked him. Turns out that he is in his 80's and he hacks this horse out on a regular basis.
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| I mean LOOK AT HIM |
It was fun to be a groom and general helper. Jane did really well and I'm glad I was there to harass help her in getting ready. I called myself the 'Jane Wrangler'. People would stop to talk to her and, because she's really nice, she'd talk to them even when she had to get ready. I was also nice but mostly I was very clear she had to go- I put on her jacket, tacked up the horse, got the mounting block ready and walked Juno out to get ready. Hopefully she appreciated it, lol. I also was dragging her past people so we could go see M win the 'best dressed for the jog' prize. We all helped her to dress up in the Nova Scotian Tartan.
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| late? Not on my watch! |
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| Loved the Photo Booth |
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| the stalls had a NS theme as well. Note the Sou'westers! |
I think there were like 130 horses there of every type (although a lot of warmbloods as you would expect) and riders too. There were a number of para riders and one was right across from my stall, Natasha James. She is on the national team and was a lovely woman. I really enjoyed getting to know her.
As expected, there were vendors there. I bought a saddle pad bag and had it embroidered at another booth for $15. I found showing two horses meant I had to lug like 6 saddle pads. I think that this will be a great help:
I also bought a pair of Cowgirl Up Green breeches. I've ridden in them three times since getting home and I love them. They have the perfect amount of stretch, support and grip. It also helps that I had to buy a size small. After years of buying large or XL there's no way I wasn't buying a size small!
Jane's dog, Dottie was our travel companion. She's such a good horse show dog. Even when she's annoyed at me for disturbing her naps or not letting her run after Jane.
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| watching Jane warm up |
Having a kitchen really helped a lot. We ate out once for supper and I bought lunch once (poutine because we're in Quebec and you have to). The last night we were going to eat out but the cafe was closed and there weren't any restaurants open in town. So we went to the grocery store and bought some frozen Chinese and reheated leftovers and made some of the pancake batter.
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| perfect last night at the show food |
As I said the people were very friendly. No one was like 'I have a fancy horse and am a top level rider'. Everyone was just riding and loving their horses. I made sure to watch some Second level classes and Carmen and I would have totally been competitive. Well, as long as we could deal with the multiple judges booths and all the activity..... But even thinking that I was not feeling any envy or FOMO. I truly enjoyed all the show.
We arrived late Monday and left before dawn the next Monday. The time had really flown. The drive home was uneventful (yay) and I got to my house by 8:30 that night. It was a wonderful experience. I know that this is the first time that Equestrian Canada has held dressage championships in many years. I hope that they continue to do so.
