The Slower Road

I had meant to put this post up much earlier today, but it’s all “video, video, video” (Can you name the movie?) … and videos take a long time to upload!!

So without further ado, here are a few clips from yesterday evening at the CAA Carriage Classic.

First, Sterling Graburn’s victory lap after winning the Multiple Horse / Pony Fault-and-Out Obstacle class with his team of Hackney Ponies:

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Next on the schedule in yesterday evening’s session was the Coaching – Best Team class. In the first video, you can hear the announcer (Guy Brown) explaining some of the history of Marilyn Macfarlane’s yellow and black coach (although, sadly, the sound quality seems to have deteriorated quite a bit in the transition from my video camera to my computer to YouTube … sorry about that). In the second video clip, Marilyn is driving a figure-eight.

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Next, in the Park Division: Performance class, Tom Burgess (who won the class and the Park Division Championship) and then Jacqueline Ohrstrom, with her pair of Hackney Ponies put to an antique wicker George IV Phaeton:

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Then seven dogs invaded the arena for the Carriage Dogs class. Here are few, followed by the victory lap by the winner, Lucy Fur. If you look closely, you can see her ears flapping.

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The final class of the evening, with four very creative entries, was the Costume class. The “zebra” pulling the circus wagon (accompanied by an acrobat, a lion tamer, and a fortune teller) was awarded second place, and the “safari tours” entry, pulled by the “giraffe,” won the class.

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On the schedule this morning at the CAA Carriage Classic were the turnout classes for multiples (horses or ponies) and tandems, plus some Fault-and-Out Obstacle classes, the Junior Turnout class, and the “Old Guard” class.

The multiples class had two entries, one team of horses and one team of ponies.

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Gloria Austin's entry about to enter the Multiples Turnout class, which she won

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Sterling Graburn had a team of ponies in the Multiples Turnout class

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The Tandem Turnout class had four entries. Here’s a photo of all four lined up for the judge’s inspection. It turns out that the “long” turnouts (with wheeler/s and leader/s instead of just a single horse or pony) are even harder to capture with the camera in the indoor’s tricky lighting … so more of the “picture” is out of focus. On a whim, I pulled out my little camera and shot a couple of teensy video clips. And, surprisingly, they’re not too bad. I may try more with the video camera this afternoon and this evening!

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Here’s a look at Wendy Ying’s sporting turnout:

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… and Marilyn Macfarlane’s lovely turnout, which won the class. In the video clip, the tandem that trots by in the foregound in Raymond Tuckwiller’s.

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Then, for a different kind of horsepower, spectators and participants at the driving show had the chance to step outside the Alltech Arena and see a display of antique and classic cars (kindly organized for us by Dana Banfield):

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The car in the foreground is a 1913 Ford, which I learned has no door on the driver’s side. Who knew? If there’s a front-seat passenger, he or she has to open the door and climb out to let the driver slide over and climb out. 

Here are two glimpses at how closely early automobiles were tied to their horse-drawn predecessors — one of the car’s “carriage” lamps, and one of its wooden-spoke wheels, with the manufacturer’s name on the axle cap:

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This morning’s (first) session featured reinsmanship classes in the single-horse, very small equine (VSE), and single pony divisions.

I’ve already been hearing from competitors how much they’re enjoying this show, including the spacious and airy barn and the large, air-conditioned (yes, air-conditioned!!) indoor arena.

I did my best to take photos of all the impressive equines: two adorable VSEs, nine single horses, and eleven single ponies. But the large Alltech Arena that is so pleasant for competing in or watching a driving show, or for wandering through the trade fair, is not the best spot for taking pictures. Let’s just say that “difficult” lighting often leads to “interesting” photos!

There’s more of a sense of motion (or, blurry extremities and wheel spokes, if you prefer) in these two photos. But it’s also kind of fun to see a single focal point –the driver’s face — pop out.

See what you think …

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Tara Crowley won the Single Pony Reinsmanship class

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... and P.J. Crowley won the Single Horse Reinsmanship class

Now that I’m able to download photos from my camera (onto a flash drive onto my laptop) and copy them onto my computer, I can post the photos from yesterday!

First, a view of the front of the Alltech Arena, where the show will take place, starting tomorrow morning:

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And then: a view of the “calm before the storm” in the Miller Barn, which is just behind the arena, and a few local early birds starting to move supplies in …

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