Horsing around.

Equine Affaire was last week. The Ohio Expo Center (State Fairgrounds) hosts big crowds for seminars, speakers, demonstrations, breed galleries, exhibition riding and shopping. I took off an entire day from work and home to attend. It's a 'spensive day!.....$6.00 to park. $14.00 to get through the gates to go park. But, since I was there at the start of the day, I did get to park right up close to the buildings- at the bottom of the giant slide (not attended, but still there). I met my friend Melissa in the first morning seminar by John Lyons about de-spooking your horse. There was a lot going on in the arena, with two of Lyons' sons riding and another horse, named Preacher, just loose in the arena. Preacher was evidently not too spooky. Whilst the one son was trying to encourage his mount to stand on a blue plastic tarp, Preacher walked onto the tarp and reached his nose out to the scared horse. Then, Preacher wandered over to a big black plastic bag, picked it up in his mouth and flapped it around for a while. He knocked over a garbage can and pawed at the contents, even whacking the can with his muzzle,  and carried a yellow plastic cover around, playing with it. All this while John Lyons spoke into a mic and talked about left ears moving or something. I had more fun watching Preacher.
Melissa and I walked around the associations displays for a bit, then watched a seminar by Reese Koffler-Stanfield, a dressage rider. She was working on developing basic balanced position in the riders- it was a lot like a Pony Club lesson! Having already benefited from many years of those, we decided to make our way to the big Exhibit Halls- shopping. My mission was to find boots. For several years I have been trying to buy what are called "Dress Boots". These are the tall black boots worn for most everything outside of schooling your horse. I have ordered many pairs, only to return them for being ill-fitting. For my competitions and foxhunting I have worn a pair of winter riding boots, insulated, warm and waterproof...okay for hunting, not so nice in July.  So, in the Exhibit Hall, I tried on boots. There were lots of boots in the exhibit hall. LOTS. But, as with most things in central Ohio, they are Western style, and will not do atall atall for what I am looking for....

 I found one pair that nearly fit. They were a bit tall in the back, but still very nice. But they were "Field Boots", and I wanted "Dress Boots". Field boots have laces in the front of the ankle. Dress boots do not. Still, they were very pretty. So, asking the dreaded question "How much?" Left me gasping for breath. Twice as much as I was willing to spend. UGH. For boots that aren't exactly what I want and don't fit me perfectly, and don't do dishes? No thanks.
But I found nothing better.
After lunch, ( I found a vendor that would sell me a plain baked potato, that had been dipped only in olive oil before baking) we went back on the boot hunt. Melissa was on a trailer hunt, so we did a bit of that too, but the meat and potatoes of trailers were in another area, so we concentrated on the vast Exhibit Halls first. We saw legions of horse tails (to braid into your own horse's tail to make it look full and thick), horse voodoo dolls, tack, jewelery, art, magnetic floormats, electric purple coats, Derby hats, lotions, cleaners, waterers, sign makers, halter customizers, stalls with brass fittings....you name it. No boots that fit me.
Then, I walked around a corner and  ( drum roll please).... La Mundial! Custom-made boots since 1906. Boots that will fit me.
Dress boots, soft as butter, exactly how I choose for them to look. I hope I chose well!

Getting measured.

This is kind of the boot I chose. I chose a different leather, and a inside calf patch, and hidden stitching. No bling (alligator, snake, patent...etc.) And since my right side is slightly bigger than my left, it won't matter. My right boot will just be slightly bigger than my left boot!
I was finished with my boot fitting after the talk by Janie Savoie had begun! I had missed the greater portion of the lecture. Darn! So, we raced back to the Voinovich Arena to catch the last. And, it was really good. I wish I had planned better so I hadn't missed any of it....
We found the Mid-Ohio Dressage Association booth. I paid my membership and then received the booklet of the new dressage tests for 2011. Big doin's in the dressage test world! There is now a canter in one of the intro tests, and you can post the trot in 1st level.
On to trailer shopping. We found several fantastic options in beautiful, shiny, light-weight aluminum trailers from which Melissa can select. Oh, the options!

This is Melissa. (She chose not to have a sloppy pocket for lunch, but German potato salad and a bratwurst from Schmidts.)

Soon it was time for my family to arrive. They were joining me and friends Vicki, Kara and Kobi for the Fantasia show in the evening. Fantasia is like a circus act-type show featuring horse acts only. What fun! And, I got to sit next to Youngest, which is always great, because he's so enthusiastic.
The trick riders were his favorite. Trick riding and Roman riding have been around for a long time, but it is still fun to watch!

Eldest liked the drill team riders the best. They had a neat act, and the last part of the act, long shiny streamers, like they hang a car lots, came down from the ceiling, and the drill team members held on to the ends of the streamers and rode around in forms.

Middlest liked the Zorro act, with a big black Fresian horse. Great music and a bull whip and lots of rearing.

Huz liked the drill team and the amazing Priefert Percherons, with a crazy man riding them Roman style with no saddles and cowboy boots on. I liked that one too.

 Each one of these horses is 18.3hh. Which means at the withers (where the neck meets the back) the horses are 6'3". Their heads are about 8 feet in the air. They weigh over a ton a piece, and yet are fast and shockingly strong.

My favorite? A whole day just horsing around.