The Return of the Equine Affaire!

I wait all year for the Equine Affaire! This year it was Nov 13-16 and so on Saturday, Brandon and Kestrel and I made our annual trek there. We always start with a portrait in the parking lot. It was REALLY cold!

There are several buildings to visit at the Equine Affaire. One is filled with vendors. This building is always our first stop (after getting a baked potato from the baked potato vendor, that is....one must be sufficiently fueled for the EA!). Right away I spied these pink boots. Aren't they totally great? Brandon hated the blunt, rounded toe.

 

 Kestrel and Brandon love the Aussie booth with all of its pistols, machetes and knives. They could care less about all the cool saddles. Kestrel says this booth is one of the reasons she comes to the EA at all. Ballerina one minute, knife investigator the next! It is a pretty cool booth, I agree.

Uh oh. Detached horse leg in the Better Living Building.

 How cool is that?

 This booth (which is set up by a vet/horse hospital in New Hampshire) had all kinds of interesting yet creepy things in jars. There were  two tiny horse fetuses in jars. You should have seen how small their hooves and ears were.

 At 3pm Chris Cox had a demonstration in the coliseum focusing on gaining confidence in the saddle. He had two participants--ladies who felt afraid to ride their own horses. All I can say is that Chris Cox is amazing. Not just for his horsemanship, but for his skill at pushing someone to flex the boundaries of their comfort zone while keeping them feeling safe and supported.

 Chris told this participant he'd like to see more weight on her mare. He also told her she needed a bigger saddle! Her bum was kinda large. He said it nicely. But he meant it. The second lady was really scared. She hadn't really cantered very much. She really wanted to grip the horn. Chris had both riders cantering around without any bridles on their horses. But of course, even though they were in the saddles, Chris Cox was really the one riding those horses, if you know what I mean. It was very inspiring.

 Brandon and Kestrel are very good sports at the Equine Affaire seeing how they don't ride and Brandon is always one step away from a horse allergy attack. They end up spending a lot of time just waiting for me as I flit from booth to booth and demo to demo. Thank goodness there is an excellent fudge maker there, and fresh squeezed lemonade to die for.

 And Karen and Paul are always there! Another delightful facet of the Equine Affaire. Do you see Karen smiling ear to ear? Because that is how you feel when you are there. Just plain happy.


In the next post you see my purchases in action on my brumby!!! Stay tuned!


Parting shot:

 World's Best Pet Dog and Husband in Neighbor's Cornfield. Run, Getty, Run!!