“It was perfect weather, not too hot not too cold … It was all about having fun and meeting new people,” says Cat Armitage.
On Saturday, June 17, there were dressage classes, including walk-trot tests and training tests (which includes canter/loop), with a general performance show on Sunday, including English and Western flap classes and halter classes. Armitage judged the dressage on Saturday and was a ring clerk on Sunday.
“The importance of doing it is to have fun. That is the thing we stress and even our judge for Sunday, who was from Prince George, that is something she kept stressing; have fun. Don’t put a lot of pressure on yourself. The smaller shows, which is what we’re doing, is what we call the ground entry to working your way to bigger shows … We’re sort of where everyone gets to start with less pressure and just have fun and enjoy themselves,” says Armitage.
She says they probably had 10 to 12 riders on Saturday, with 19 on Sunday adding that on Sunday riders came from Clinton to Williams Lake.
“They did very well… We’ve opened up some, what we call beginner classes for adults and juniors or kids so it gives them an opportunity to compete against people at the same level they are. They don’t have to compete against someone who is maybe more of a professional rider or someone who’s got maybe 10 years of showing under their belt, instead of ... where maybe this is their first or second show.”
They had four juniors and three or four adults who were new riding in either their first or second show, according to Armitage.
The next show will be sometime in July, but the exact date hasn’t been picked yet says Armitage.