Back in November, granddaughter Bella was able to participate in her first horse show, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Griffith Park. Only 4, she has started to learn to ride, but she was in a lead-line class, where her trainer led the horse around the arena.
Sure enough, in the best family tradition, she came away with the blue ribbon. I'll let you in on a secret - everybody in a lead-line class gets a blue ribbon. Luckily Bella was the only participant in this one, so she was none the wiser. As she came out of the arena with her ribbon, she told her trainer, "All my dreams have come true!"
But there really is a tradition of blue ribbons in the family. Here is a picture of her mother at age 15, jumping her mare Julie in the Dome at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara. Her team won the team jumpers event in their age category that year. Every time she looks at this picture Lauren says, "Why didn't I turn my foot in?"
Here the winner poses with her proud parents.
1 comment:
Great that she is up at such a young age and enjoying it so much.
These are familiar stomping grounds: I used to live less than a half mile from the LA Equestrian Center and nearly every day rode my chestnut Arab mare, with two male Vizslas running alongside, around the large track which encircles the Equestrian Center and into Griffith Park. I finished the show championship of one of those dogs at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara.
Last: That's a good jump and the horse I think agrees. Look at any number of the photos in George Morris's Hunter Seat Equitation and you'll see the same ankle position – not picture perfect but common in the heat of competition.
D
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