Gymkhana - Riding Horses Through Obstacles

But wait you say!!  This doesn't look like a horse!!  You would be right.  Currently holding court at the Pima County Fairgrounds is Jurassic Quest.  I have to say, it's pretty cool.  The first thing you see is triceppliplots or something like that.  Maybe it was the spinosaurus.  Anyway, it's BIG!

I'd love to show you pictures of the rest of it, but alas, they don't let you get very close without having paid.  I'm sure it's a bundle and truthfully, I figured the little kids would laugh at me riding one of the dinosaurs.  

They had an entire barn full, all tethered with chains.  Here's the clincher ... you could climb up and ride every single one.  They were all mechanical, moved around quite a bit and truly looked like the real thing.  I would probably eeeehawwww and make a fool of myself.

On to the gymkhana.  I bet you've seen barrel racing before.  This is the precursor to that.  It's mostly a kids event, but there were adults playing too.  There's a keyhole race, pole bending, barrel racing, etc. 

This is Laila, the Chance family granddaughter.  Having been around horse shows all my life, I've seen lots of kids that have absolutely no talent for this whatsoever.  THIS kid is not one of them.  She's a natural with horses.  First off, this is perfect posture.  Feet flat, back straight, arms straight, an extension of the reins ... she's a winner in equitation, as evidenced by all her ribbons.

This is pole bending ... I think they call it something else now ... you run down the arena, turn around and navigate back and forth through the poles, turn around again and navigate back, before screaming back to the finish line where the timer lives.

She's riding Ely, a pretty fast go getter.  

Sometimes he's not so happy when you want him to run faster.  A little kick up of the heals didn't unsettle Laila one bit.  There was one little girl who got bucked off of what we call a sour little pony. Gymkhana, as fun as it is for the kids, is NOT fun for the horses.  Most get jerked around by the reins and jammed in the sides with spurs, causing them to revolt.  I can't blame them.

This is LuLu (the horse) along with Jessica (??).  I'm really not sure since there were over 40 people riding this event.  Of course I would remember the horse's name.  For a 20-something year old, LuLu's still got it!!

At long last, I headed back to the house since I could hear the puppies calling for dinner three miles away.  It was a fun day, making me reminisce about my horse show days.  If only that gal would let me on her horse for an hour, she wouldn't have had to show off her training skills when he ran away with her.  I miss the ranch and my horses.

This morning I'm gathering up all my quilting mistakes and problems before heading off to the neighbor's house for sewing day.  I heard Patty made her famous chicken chili for the group lunch.  I can't wait!!