By Nicole DePalma MS, LMT

On Saturday, July 10th, and Sunday, July 11th, Equitation Station (ES) of Hastings celebrated its 35th Annual Student Show! Once again, Kathy Mueller, owner and operator of ES and her merry band of volunteers and crew put together an amazing weekend of Dressage riding, human and horse games, and wrapping up with a gathering for a pot luck dinner.

During the previous 12 months, student riders under the tutelage of Kathy, along with Jessie Mitchell and Wynne Hetherington, learned how to improve their riding skills and their relationships with their horses to be able to ride actual Dressage tests in front of an actual judge, (Ms. J. Zimmerman). They learned about what is going well, and what skills can use some improvement. Schooling shows are an opportunity for riders to test and learn, but without the intensity of an actual Dressage judged event. Saturday was devoted to this type of testing, and Students of all ages and riding abilities had their chance to go through the test paces. Not only were there students of all levels and backgrounds, but the horses came from different backgrounds as well. Some horses had never been in a situation like a Dressage test before, nor had some of them been bred for such work. However, it was amazing to watch riders and horses do their very best to ride their tests well, and it seemed as though the horses knew that on this day, they were all Show Horses!

Sunday was an absolute hoot! This is Game Day! A day for children, adults, horses, and one Shetland pony to play and share time together.

There were classes where an adult led a child around the indoor arena, and of course, children then led their adults around, listening to what the judges asked them to do. There was an equitation class where novice riders got to try their turn at some basic riding skills as called out by the judges. Then things got very athletic! The Pole Weaving class had riders keeping their horses to a trot as they weaved in between cones to see who could ride the fastest time. The Egg and Spoon class is exactly what you’d think it might be; riding with a teaspoon that held an egg, as the judges called out more and more difficult skills until the last rider still keeping their egg in their spoon won the day! The Ride a Buck class was an equine version of the Twister Game where bodies were almost contorted to try to keep a dollar bill between the rider and their horse!

Two entertainment pieces of note belonged to Ms.Denise Armstead, who choreographed and danced with her Equitation Diva Dancers! These talented ladies danced to the Gloria Gaynor song “I Will Survive” wearing riding boots, riding helmets, and riding whips, and a Lipizzan trio of three beautiful Lipizzan horses ridden by Lynn Warfel, Sarah Patet, and Kathy Mueller. Ms. Warfel choreographed the pas de trois, and selected the music for the piece as well. Both of these dances were performed during breaks in the judging on Saturday.

There’s another group that needs to be mentioned here, as without them, the smooth flow of the weekend couldn’t have happened. These special people belong to the volunteers and farm crew members who took care of the “behind the scenes” duties that kept the days running on time. Karin Penrod assisted Kathy Mueller in placing volunteers in duties that included scribing, judging on game day, ribbon presenting, score keeping and score running, setting up and tearing down tables with supplies, and in general, doing the “go to” things that kept everything tip top. The farm crew kept the stables and paddocks neat and clean, had the farm grounds looking terrific, and kept the horses fed and watered.

As you can see from the photos, this annual event is so special to ES students, their families, and friends. It’s a weekend of hard work, hard play, and always, learning how wonderful the world is when horses are in it. Equitation Station is located at the corner of County Road 46 and Goodwin Avenue in Hastings. The next time you drive past the Equitation Station sign, take a look at the contented horses and happy riders living their best lives in the country sunshine. It doesn’t get much better than that! Cheers and be well.

Photo taken by Diane Stoffel