The Foothills is home to a pair of champions in an emerging equine discipline.
Okotoks’ Jacquie McArthur and Turner Valley’s Jill Barron brought home a pair of keepsakes from a trip to the Lone Star State in an international showcase of working equitation at the Haras Cup last month in Magnolia, Texas.
“It includes dressage, an event similar to working cow-horse and the cowboy challenge,” said McArthur said. “It has the components of obstacles, dressage and a speed event.”
McArthur took the Novice A Amateur Championship from Texas aboard her Australian stock horse Yahoo Casino Royalle. Barron won the Intermediate A Open Championship.
“The stage for these things is very temporary, but it’s the people you meet along the way as part of that journey,” McArthur said. “The lessons you learn and the people you meet are the most memorable. With it being all-inclusive you get such a variety of people. They had judges from Portugal, the U.S.A., from France. It was quite an international event.”
The Okotokian’s riding background represents the diverse nature of the discipline.
“I played polocrosse, my early education was in pony club,” McArthur said. “A bit diverse so it lends itself well to the sport.”
Working equitation is based on the fundamentals of tradition, sportsmanship and horsemanship.
The fledgling sport is one competitors hope gains significant traction in the area.
The Foothills, with its myriad of horsemanship and riding opportunities, could be fertile ground for a boom in business.
There are opportunities for varying levels of training from introductory to advanced.
Those with a dressage background will find the dressage tests transfer over quite seamlessly to the tests in equitation.
“It’s something we’re looking to develop in the area,” McArthur said.“Just in this past year there has been a national body formed. We’re looking to kick-off the Alberta association and start to get the word out to inspire people.
“It offers opportunity for all disciplines. You can ride in an English saddle, Western saddle, you just have to present in a formal presentation. It’s very inclusive, you don’t have to have a certain breed of horse.”
Currently there are only a couple of facilities that host working equitation events.
As of now there is just one B-rated working equitation show in Alberta which is held annually in Red Deer in August along with shows at Kaspian Equestrian in the Olds area.
Barron also hosts events and teaches working equitation at the Barron Barn in Turner Valley.
“Right now it’s really about creating some awareness that this does exist,” McArthur said. “And that it’s an inclusive sport for all ages, all types of breeds.
“It’s a good opportunity as horsemen develop their skills to put them to the test at these competitions and see what it is they need to work on.”
