Monday, September 7, 2009

167/365 Horseback riding at Old Fashioned Days

Labor Day weekend means two main things in my world: Sky Concert and Old Fashioned Days.

Sky Concert was canceled this year for the first time in decades due to the economy and disappearance of sponsors. I've been attending that fantastic fireworks display for as long as I can remember, so it was a little odd to not have it as part of my weekend schedule.

But Old Fashioned Days continued in all its glory, and for the second year in a row, Chase rode one of my family's horses in a brief riding demonstration, and he carried the American Flag before the horse pull.

This year he rode Oprah, who adjusted marvelously well to the excitement and flapping flag. And she's just one of the prettiest horses around, but I'm a tad biased.

Chase is a great horseman with loads of confidence, so I'm always a proud big sister while I watch him.

Three other men rode in the demonstration, including this guy, who rides a Clydesdale named Nikki. Part of his performance included removing her saddle, then getting a running leap to climb on and ride her bareback.

Getting on a horse with no saddle -- let alone one of this massive stature -- is no easy task. There are no handholds or edges for you to grab onto and pull yourself on. It's all in the momentum. He'd been practicing, and even then it took him two tries.

The weather was perfect, the crowd was friendly, and the horses behaved. You can't ask for much more than that.

Camera: Canon 40D, 1/125s, f/8 at ISO 100 and 160 at about 5:30 p.m.

No comments:

Post a Comment