Riding, reining, showmanship and jumping will all be on display at the Barrhead Blue Heron Fair Days light horse show and jackpot gymkhana on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 13-14.
The horse show will get underway on Saturday at 8 a.m., and the gymkhana will begin at noon on Sunday. Both events will be held at the Barrhead Ag Barn.
Horse show chairperson Evelyn Anderson said that for the horse show, “riders will be in their own age categories, just like in any other sport.”
Anderson said this year’s events include Showmanship (displaying the best qualities of a rider’s horse), English Pleasure, English Equitation, Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, and more.
“If you don’t know a lot about horses, there are two different types of equipment or ‘tack’ which can be used — English and Western, in terms of saddling, and some of the classes use what is called an ‘english saddle’,” she said.
Anderson explained the best examples of this type of equipment can be seen in Olympic jumping events, or through Spruce Meadows television broadcasted events.
“We don’t do the same kinds of jumps that they do, but we will have jumping nonetheless,” she said.
Other class-events like reining — where the rider leads their horse through a course at various speeds, and trail, which highlights a horse’s ability to manoveur around obstacles, Anderson said, are designed to showcase rider abilities.
“Bear in mind this is an amateur show,” she said, adding one new class – In-Hand Trail, is a recent addition and is designed for inexperienced horses such as yearlings or those aged two and under that have not been ridden yet.
“We’re hoping everyone interested will have registered to participate beforehand, but anyone that hasn’t and still wants to compete, they can register the day of.”
The Jackpot Gymkhana, she said, starts at 12 p.m. on Sunday and is, much like the Horse Show, intended for all ages.
“Every event is a speed-related event, with some finesse involved,” she said, adding there will be barrels, poles, stakes, pass-thru and flags.
Anderson said gymkhana is similar to an event held in England and surrounding areas every year.
“The only differences, aside from the jumping, are in the clothing and equipment. We use Western instead of English,” she said.
Anyone interested in participating in either the Horse Show or the Gymkhana, and has not already registered, can contact Evelyn Anderson at (780) 674-5670.
