Hawkridge C Rally

June 6-8, 2003

Pictures:


Katelin Everson (United Counties PC)
Heather Hanson (United Counties PC)
Chantal Hortop (Westwind PC)
Kirsten Scott (Kingston & Region PC)
Michelle Visneski (Temperance Lake PC)
Kirsten Scott
(Kingston & Region PC)
Chantal Hortop
(Westwind PC)


Val Everson's group

Results:

Stable Management teams:

The Pam Dillingham Award went to Matt Kidney. The Groom's award went to Jessica Shipman with Anne Douglas in second place.

Write-Up:

This year's Hawkridge rally really had to be the best one ever. From the break-dancing beetles, bovines on a bun, my empty finger, floating tacos, the bovogs, to the "melony" salad, this is one rally I won't forget.

It all started on Friday, June 6th. I had arrived to see my team mates all ready for a fun filled weekend. When you first get to Hawkridge, you just take a look around and see all the paranoid people cleaning their tack, checking their horses for anything and everything and the grooms trying to do their best to accommodate each and every one of their team mates. It is kind of funny but if you have ever been to a rally you know exactly what they are thinking. That night we had a barbeque: hamburgers and hotdogs; mmm, they were good. While we were eating, the stable management judges, Cat Hunter and 'The Spy' (Heather Tomalty) were checking the tack, horses and the stable area itself. Boy oh boy, after the first stable management check everyone smartened up. All I could say was: have fun finding a horse that was dirty or a bridle that had a dirty bit!

After we fed the horses we did some crafts, compliments of Pia. We had some time to socialize with the other clubs and our friends. It was so good to see everybody again. As we do not usually get together and have so much fun. I met some new people: The Devil (Chantel), The University Student (Anje, she is really in grade 10) and The Sister of Michelle (long story). They are all really nice people and really funny too! I think by the end of the first night everyone had a new nick name. I really liked Kate's name: it was Teka (you had to be there to understand).

On Saturday morning only the crazy pony clubbers were up at 5:00 am... and I can assure you it was not KRPC. Seeing anyone from our club that early would be scary. We went down to have breakfast, to greet any clinicians who were around and to have our second stable management check. We had muffins and a fruit salad. The muffins were really good and so was the salad. The juice--you had to love the juice--but I think some of us had 'Pepsi Twist' with our breakfasts, I wonder if that is in the pony club manual?

Anyways...we went back to start tacking up the horses. I was a groom and as a groom's job I think they should have to do stalls. So I did them...the hardest part was getting the horses and riders out quick enough to have all the stalls and the stable area clean before either the Spy or Cat came to make their morning roundabouts.

The grooms had the choice to attend unmounted clinics, to go and help out the clinicians, or to find something else to keep ourselves occupied. Being the barn rat that I am, I stayed and cleaned a pair of field boots. That was a mistake. By the end of the weekend I had cleaned six pairs of boots like two or three times a day. Sometimes it is bad to be really good at cleaning boots especially at a rally where everything had to be clean. Lets just say by the end of the weekend I was out of saliva from spit shining all those boots!

Lunch time could not have come any quicker. We were all hungry and starting to get tired. That lunch I discovered that I had an empty finger. (another one of those "you had to have been there"s). We had our third stable management check at lunch. Everyone was catching on to their foolish mistakes. The riders went and got tacked up again. Sure enough I was up cleaning stalls while people were watching stadium. That afternoon was quiet. I cleaned boots and went to watch jumping for a bit. Then supper came along. Before we went for supper we had to prepare for forth stable management check. Once again I was busy cleaning boots.

For supper we had tacos, compliments of Kathy Harding (thanks a bunch). I made eating tacos interesting for the Devil, University student, Allison and Kirsty. We made them float. That was really funny.

After supper we had to feed our horses and walk them...the smart people did their stalls again at night so they wouldn't be so bad in the morning. After we tucked them in for the night we had a few games running in the grass ring. We has feed-bag races, played horseshoes and we watched the bobbing for apples turn into a huge water fight. Next thing you know the pony clubbers are carrying horse buckets to soak each other...now on what page in the manual is that on or on what page does it say to smear ice cream in your grooms face? I must have missed that! We had fun just hanging out and getting to know each other. I think this is the first year where we were not stuck up and actually associated with the other clubs. I mean, what do I know? I was just a groom who got ice cream in my face.

That night (Saturday) I discovered the "break dancing beetles". Kirsty, The Devil and I were sleeping in the office at the barn and there were a lot of beetles. There was this one who got his head stuck in between tow blocks and his wings were flapping very fast... so I named him and his buddies the break dancing beetles. It does not seem funny but at the time we were so tired everything was funny, especially Hawkridge 101. I am not to sure what was worse...hearing every time Beamer had pooped or the mosquitoes! That night I didn't get any sleep. Once again those early bird pony clubbers were at the barn at 5:00 am which did not help while I was trying to get in at least a half hour of sleep. I can tell you that it didn't happen.

In the morning we fed the horses and went to eat breakfast with our fellow pony clubbers and wait for the results of our fifth stable management check. I was so dirty that I am surprised that I did not have marks taken off for my dirty mane! After breakfast it was time to tack up and head out to the cross-country course. I stayed behind to make sure we were cleaned up and can you guess what I did...I did not clean boots...well I cleaned the stalls again. After I was done I started heading out to the cross-country course. Well I got half way there and realized I forgot the camera, so I headed all the way back to the barn and then I somehow got lost going out to the cross country, don't ask me how, I just did. So I had to turn back and start from the tents. Once I finally made it to the cross country I met up with the Spy and we went off to take pictures. You do not understand how tired I was from all that walking.

Once The Spy and I got to the field there was no one there so we met up with Cat and then we went to the helicopter field. It was one hell of a hike. Cat had her daughter Fiona and she was in a wagon...just imagine pulling that up two steep hills and through the long grass. You could tell by the look on Cat's face that she was tired. So after all the cross country we all had to walk to the barn and tidy up our tack and the horses. I think I got more of a bath than Ceb-o-saur did. Ha ha ha.

I have to say as a groom I was really impressed with all my team mates, they rode really well. My hat goes off to Allison Vanhorne especially because of Beamer. We got all the horses happy and clean for our last stable management check of the weekend. While we were eating lunch (yes again) The Spy and Cat were tallying up our final marks and choosing the best groom. I had enjoyed lunch because we got to sit down with Vicky Hanes and Mark Isenberg, both wonderful clinicians. I got a chance to tell them all about Hawkridge 101.5 and how happy I was to be there.

So after lunch we had our awards ceremony. That was a lot of fun too. We were all very excited because we were all competing against each other, friendly of course. I cant remember what teams came in what place but I do know that Amy, Kate, Charlotte and Sarah with grooms Ronnie and Grace (team #2) came in sixth and our other team (#1) Allison, Molly, Kirsty and Gina came in fourth! We were happy with our placing. We all had smiles on our faces.

It was then time for the grooming award. They told us that picking the groom was not very hard and then she called out the name....Jess. There were no other Jess's there so I was guessing it was me. I guessed right! I was so happy....I was thinking that all the stall cleaning, spit shining and the wonderful care that I have been taught to give to horses has finally paid off.

So after all it was a great weekend. I would like to thank all of the parents who helped out, especially Jane Billings, Liz Tennent, Gail Cornett, Kathy Harding, all the clinicians, Heather Sherratt, and all the other volunteers who made this rally possible. Thank you very much!!!. We all had a lot of fun.......

Jessica Shipman, Kingston & Region P.C.