OTTB Knight for the Win at Barn Picnic Mounted Games

I can’t remember the last time I did the egg and spoon race or musical “chairs” on horseback, but last weekend Knight and I did win first place with a blazing time of 55 seconds for the ride-next-to another-horse-and-hold-one-end-of-a -dressage-whip-while-trotting-down-one-end-of-the-arena-and-doing-a-figure-of-eight-and-then-go-down-the-other-long-side-of-the-arena game.

If you’ve never participated in this form of equestrian competition before, you’re missing out. It is not exactly like Rolex or the Longines LA Masters but it did draw a crowd (of parents) and have coveted prizes (horse treats), like the other two notable events.

Okay, so I was the only rider there over 17. When I came back from Europe and heard about the end-of-summer barn event, I did kind of erupt into an internal “YESSS!!” thinking Knight and I would rock the games.

This is really amusing to me since I’m not that competitive of a person. Don’t get me wrong, I like winning ribbons at horse shows and coming out on top at tennis or Scrabble, but my joy is not diminished by being a loser. Or a “non-winner.”

I think the little kid part of me was eager to get out and be silly with my pony. (By the way, I did tell my trainer I was competing for the “exposure” of my horse and I would not be cutthroat with the little girls. After all, my horse is from of a family of world class athletes, it wouldn’t be fair to trounce children. We’d play it low key.).

The first event was musical stalls and about six girls and I rode in circles around jump poles which were set up like parking spaces. When the music stopped Knight and I had to dart for an empty “stall.” We came in fourth. Somewhat respectable.

Then the dressage whip game came about. I know it sounds easy to ride abreast and carry something, but the mare we were teamed with did NOT enjoy having Knight invade her personal space. She flattened her ears and fussed. I told her rider to stay on the inside so she wouldn’t feel pinned up against the rail. It wasn’t pretty, but we stayed together and held on to the whip. The second place team came in .7 seconds after us. Phew that was close!

Being an ex-racehorse, Knight is used to having other horses all up in his personal space and it doesn’t bug him at all. (Yet another reason to make your next horse an OTTB!)

So there were two events that our weaknesses. I lost the dollar bill placed under my right thigh before the Dollar Bill class even started (I shimmied forward to sit deeper and dig my heels down and the money flew out, as most money does when you’ve got a horse). And Knight was HORRIBLE at bobbing for apples. He had no drive. We had to pick up the apple and feed it to him by hand.

Actually, maybe he was smarter than the other horses and just wanted to be served rather than dip his muzzle in slimy, germy water where other horses had been.

Either way, we have our work cut out for us.

At least he’s close to mastering a real sharp walk to canter transition and jump a small fence without blasting off afterward. I’ll take that over bobbing for apple champion any day. 🙂

Have you ever participated in mounted games? Any great victories or tragic defeats?

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