Arrowhead Ranch: Competitive Trail Weekend ~ Day One

A few weeks ago, 4 Winds Equestrian Center hosted an Equine Trail Sports Competitive Trail Weekend.

I was asked to be the photographer one of those days, and was planning to ride all weekend. So, John and I hauled Apache and our camper down to 4 Winds, so I wouldn’t have to drive the 30 minutes back and forth all weekend.

I love camping beside my horse.

I also brought along my daughter and our 2 little dogs. Dobbie loves camping, but it was Mustang Sally’s first time, and the first night the winds were buffeting the camper and the temps dropped down to 40 F degrees, so I don’t think Sally much cared for the experience. She stayed under the blankets most of the time.

But thankfully when the sun came up the next day, the wind stopped, and the day got warmer.

And the Base Camp trailer parking area filled up with competitors and their equines.

Notice my van, camper and trailer just to the left of the port-a-pottie.

I had to ride Apache down to the Eventing Field, by ourselves, instead of with a group, because I needed to get down to the obstacles before the majority of riders, so I could take photos.

At first Apache wasn’t quite sure that was such a great idea to head the 1/2 mile down the hill by ourselves.

And when the first thing she saw was the obstacle below, she was really doubting my decision.

But once she saw that there were other equines all around, she relaxed and let me take photos.

This was Obstacle #1, The Wind Tunnel

Sadly, one rider never got to compete that day, because just after she made it through the first obstacle, her young, green Arabian mare went to bucking, and dumped her rider twice. The second time, the mare’s hooves made contact with her rider’s ribs, and the rider had to be taken to the hospital via ambulance.

I watched the accident happen, and heard the dull smack and crack…..and felt so bad for the rider. But also was hoping that the rest of the day would be accident-free and a good experience for everyone else.

Unbeknownst to me at the time, there was someone else taking some photos. It was my friend Linda, who was judging one of the obstacles. She shot this photo of me taking photos at Obstacle #2.

This was Obstacle #2, Broom Polo

My friend Karen and her gelding Rio were there competing all weekend.

(You can also see my friend Linda, up on Donner's Pass, Obstacle #5, taking photos of me at Obstacle #2)

And my friends Latana and Gayle had driven all the way up from Las Cruces, a 5 hour drive, just to compete and ride at 4 Winds.

Being that the 10 obstacles were all placed within the 90 acre Eventing Field, it made it much easier for me to move from obstacle to obstacle, choosing which obstacles I felt would be the most interesting to capture on camera.

I think Apache thought it was a little weird that we never followed along with any of the other riders, and just rode by ourselves all over the Eventing Field.

Sometimes we would cut across the field to get to an obstacle before any of the competitors showed up, and we would stand around and chat with one of the judges. But between the cookies and letting her munch grass, she was a good girl and very patient.

This was Obstacle #5. It was called Donner’s Pass. Competitors could choose their level for each obstacle. The easier level required a rider to ride up the hill and stand over the cavaletti at the top for the count of 5, before riding back down the other side.

The more difficult level required the rider to ride up the hill……

And then once at the top, side-pass over a cavaletti.

Obstacle #6 was a Bridge Obstacle with a twist: A big hairy, scary spider to pet before crossing the bridge.

Ta Da!!!

Apache and I heading over to another obstacle to prepare for the photo shoot, before the riders showed up.

Obstacle #7 was a Water Obstacle.

But the edge of the pond was very muddy and a couple of the riders were scared to attempt it, so my friend Barb took her mule, Blue through the mud and into the deep pond to show ‘em how it’s done!

And the judge let her lead my friend Karen and her gelding through, because Rio refused to even touch the mud at first.

Some of the horses didn’t mind the mud or water at all.

Obstacle #9 was a Barrel Board Pinwheel. Only one competitor was able to pull it off…and made it look easy, too.

But it is not an easy obstacle at all. As all of the other riders soon realized.

Nope! Not easy!

Obstacle #10 was a Labyrinth.

Competitors had to ride through it, bending their equine softly around the curves, and at the end of the Labyrinth, riders had to turn their equine around and back out.

After the Competition was over, everyone rode back to the Base Camp, put away our equines, ate some lunch while listening to the results of the competition and received awards.

And afterwards everyone was invited to head back out for an afternoon fun ride on the Eventing Field. All of the obstacles were still set up and we were allowed to practice and play on them for as long as we wanted.

I think Apache thought I had lost my mind when I went into her pen and brought her back out to get tacked up for a second time that day.

I hadn’t really planned on riding a second time that day, but a new friend I’d met that weekend, Amy, invited me to come ride with her and her gelding.

So we headed out together, with both of our equines crawling along as slow as could be, probably waiting for us to change our minds and let them head back to their pens.

But we were insistent, and our dependable mounts finally agreed to go take us out to explore the Eventing Field again.

I didn’t take many photos that afternoon as I wanted to just focus on my horse and trying some of the obstacles, but I did take a couple photos of my friends.

My friend Joanna and her mare.