The Special Olympics Equestrian Event

Hi Friends;
It's nice to be back with you. What a Breeder's Cup! Did you all ride Zenyatta down the stretch with me? I was able to get some fence posts up in the nice weather and Dani and Jen started sorting and winterizing the tack.
We are going to catch up now with the "big day". We work all year towards the State Special Olympics (SO)Equestrian Event. The skill we work on in the arena easily translate to the classes and games offered by SO.
We took six horses, thanks to Vol Eileen for supplying her truck and trailer to add to the One Heart rig. Dani loaded her PT Cruiser - I bet you didn't know that PT stood for portable tack - cruiser :)
The staff started the weekend tired and wired from the PBS crew that was still following us around. Dani and Jen had organized and organized so that we could put 20 riders up in 31 classes.
The horses held up beautifully and our former show horse, TJ seemed to relish in the surroundings. It was the first outing for Bri. It took her a bit to realize that the excitement was going to last all day and she shouldn't go too overboard with giddiness all at once. She settle in well. Rosie, Shane and Rosa are all old hands at SO. The just wait to hear for the applause and shouts encouraging the riders in the races and really get into the spirit of things. If you don't know, Rosa and Bri are "steady-eddy" Norwegian Fjord horses. Our volunteers always comment on the big change that occurs when they transform into their SO gear. Bri, in fact came in with the most medals (8), four of which were golds!
Here's the breakdown: ( Remember, the reason for this blog is so that volunteers, riders, and all the One Heart community can keep in touch. Several families and volunteers haven't had a synopsis of our SO day.)
horse total medals Gold Silver Bronze 4th
Rosa 4 2 2
Rosie 6 3 2 1
TJ 4 3 1 1
Shane 5 2 2 1
Bri 8 4 3 1
Angel 4 1 2 1

Class total Gold Silver Bronze 4th
Horsemanship 6 2 3 1
Barrel Race 7 4 1 1 1
Egg & Spoon 4 1 2 1
Ball Drop 4 1 2 1
Key Hole 2 2
Pole Bending 2
Baton Relay 6 2 2 2

Every ride was spectacular. For the first time we had two riders show without leaders or sidewalkers. Rosie and TJ took good care of these exceptional riders. We held our breath - then there was the roar of the crowd when the class was finished and the finish line was crossed.

PBS had two film crews there for the day. They followed up with the riders they met during our warm-up earlier that week. Our horses had become accustomed to the hand-held boom with the fuzzy microphone on the end raised above their heads. To help the other competitors' horses we had a volunteer carry a big push broom amongst the horses in the warm-up arena. There were no problems.

Before I wrap up with SO and the PBS film crew, I would like to comment on some of the giggles we had during the week. They had me sit for an interview - assuring me that their job was for me to look good and sound good (good luck with that!). The interview setting was outside with the lovely white paddocks of Stagecoach Stable serving as a backdrop. Two light screens and light filters were positioned to catch the late afternoon sun. The producer sat with her questions ready. The cameraman adjusted his lens. There was a sound man complete with headsets and some sort of a mixer. The lighting guy was busy with the screens. Due to the outside setting, the sound man managed when we filmed and when we had to take a break. When the school bus went by or plane overhead we had to stop briefly. During the set up the sound man busily adjusted his sound checks and asked me if I was wearing a watch. He was getting a consistent clicking somewhere in the background sound. I removed my watch but that didn't solve the sound issue. After some thought, it was determined that my prosthetic aortic valve was producing the steady clicking! Instead of stopping my heart...ha ha.....the sound guy relocated the portable mic that was clipped under my chin.
The production crew was so professional and efficient we were put at ease. They allowed us to coach them on our horses and what to expect and how to move around the arena. We were able to convince the cameraman to mount Angel and ride along during the interview. At one point we had him turn around and ride backwards to film. This is a routine position for our riders and horses but not for the cameraman! With our usual team of leader and two sidewalker volunteers I bet he got some good shots. We have to wait until next fall to see if we provided what was needed for the documentary.

So that is the end of our summer "break, the PBS filming and the Special Olympics event. Tomorrow it is time to tell you about Dagmar. That will include telling you about Alma.
Hope you are with us MK!
Chat soon, Kris