Jordan Haddock, age 14, fastened the buckle on the bridle of her horse, Sport Royal Deprix. Though there was a mask over her face, her eyes were bright with a hint of a smile. She was finally able to participate in a horse show.On Aug. 9, Meadow Lake Sporthorses in Falcon hosted their first horse show. The show, put together by the stableís owner, Andrea Valenzuela, aimed to bring some normality to the equestrian community.Valenzuela said the 2020 horse show season has been almost nonexistent because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was important that this show was designed with safety as a priority. ìHorseback riding is about community,î Valenzuela said. ìThese shows are a good way to strengthen the community and get people to come together ó at a safe distance.îAll proceeds from the show went to fund a new nonprofit, Freedom Reins. According to the website, Freedom Reins is a nonprofit, equine-assisted outreach promoting emotional health in the lives of United States veterans, active military personnel, first responders, people rescued from sex or labor trafficking and women/girls who have dealt with abuse.”Riding is therapy regardless of who you are and what you’ve been through,” Valenzuela said. “This nonprofit is really our passion.”The show was classified as a United States Dressage Federation and Rocky Mountain Dressage Federation schooling show. About 30 competitors showed up and about 50 rides were judged. ìWith how the world is right now, we need to take extreme precaution to make sure we are not making things worse,î Valenzuela said. ìBut we wanted to give people some semblance of normality. I know what I like to celebrate in the summer is getting to horse shows with my friends and show off what Iíve been working on all winter. I wanted this show to give everybody a positive boost amongst a lot of uncertainty.îVolunteers staffed the horse show, which kept the safety of participants and staff as a priority and took measures to enforce strict safety rules and regulations. The staff sanitized frequently touched surfaces and took the temperatures of everyone who entered the show grounds.ìThe staff is doing an awesome job,î said Judy Carnick, a trainer of several participants. ìThey are even reminding people standing together to please socially distance themselves.îTo keep people from congregating in a single area, participants registered for their classes online prior to the show. Participants were also required to sign a release from the United States Equestrian Federation. Anyone not riding a horse was required to wear a mask. Riders were also encouraged to spend as little time as possible on the show grounds.ìHorse shows, traditionally, are places where people gather together and hang out,î Venezuela said. ìBut we had to really lay down the law and tell people that they can only show up, show their horses and then leave.îRiders did not mind the slight changes and precautions required to participate in the horse show.ìOnce you get on your horse, you are away from people anyway,î said Gayle Littleton, a horse show participant. ìWe are all out here enjoying the sunshine. We are so happy to be here.î
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| A rider warms up her horse before her dressage class begins. Photo by Stephanie Mason | |
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| Cory Popejoy is the barn manager for Meadow Lake SportHorses; he is seen here with one of the therapy horses. Photo by Cara Lord-Geiser | Jordan Haddock gets ready to warm up her horse, Sport Royal Deprix, at the Meadow Lake Sporthorses dressage show. Photo by Stephanie Mason |
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| Amy Michaelson rewards a friend’s horse after a successful show day. Photo by Stephanie Mason | |
