Fometimes, people get intimidated when they watch videos of World Champion Working Equitation competitor Pedro Torres as he and the Lusitano stallion Oxidado perform effortless flying changes and canter pirouettes in the
Celebrating Member Kris Blacklock:
Volunteer, Competitor, and All-Around Wonderful!
By Julie Alonzo
www.weunited.us
orking Equitation draws people from a rich diversity of backgrounds. In previous issues of We Ride Sport & Trail we’ve highlighted the accomplishments of a variety of judges, some of our highest-level competitors, and horses representing many different breeds. Equitation mounts. In the process, this Texas breeding farm introduced a number of people to their breed of choice, the Australian Stock Horse.
The Ease of Handling test is also scored, with points for each obstacle ranging from 0 to 10, and collective marks also awarded. Some obstacles, such as Jumping Over Bales of Straw, and Sidestepping Over a Log are not performed at the Children’s or Introductory Level. The majority of obstacles, however, can be found at all levels. In Ease of Handling, greater complexity is introduced by requiring more challenging gaits within and between obstacles and increasing the expectations for how lead changes are performed as one moves up the levels.
The Speed trial is only performed by riders in Novice A and above. It’s important to note that there is no requirement that the Speed trial be done at a particular gait. In fact, it is quite common (and even advisable) for lower-level riders to perform their Speed trial at the trot to help maintain the horse’s relaxation around the obstacles.
Event organizers can opt to split classes in a variety of ways, such as offering Divisions for Amateur and Open riders. Although one might assume that Open riders have a significant advantage of Amateurs, the data does not appear to support this contention. On the contrary, analysis of scoring trends across all licensed 2017 working equitation competitions to date provides fairly convincing evidence that this is a sport in which Amateur riders can be quite competitive (see Table).
Intrigued yet? We sure hope so! To find out more about this great sport, please visit our website at: www.WEUnited.us.
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Kris Blacklock and her Rocky Mountain gelding; Gambler's Jackpot
representing many different breeds.
This month, we turn the spotlight on one of WE United’s most active members, Kris Blacklock. Although Kris always adored horses, it wasn’t until she turned 45 that she and her daughter Michelle jointly purchased and started riding their first horse, a Morgan gelding named SKM Timeless (Seiko) who’s now 23 years old. At age 60, Kris and her husband Dale own 3 horses on a 55-acre farm they built in 2005 in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin.
Her initial introduction to the sport came in 2016, when she attended a five-day intensive seminar offered by the Pedro Torres Academy of Working Equitation, USA, in Woodstock, Illinois, with Academy Head Instructor Nuno Matos teaching. Kris was quick to see the potential in the sport and its link to dressage, a discipline about which she is passionate.
She brought her then-three-year old blue roan Quarter Horse mare Boon Ocean Blue to the Academy Seminar, and wowed those in attendance with her and her mare’s clear connection to one another. As one learns more about the partnership between the two, the connection begins to make sense!
Kris tells the rather endearing story. “In 2013, Ocean, a 4-month-old blue roan American Quarter Horse filly, chose me during a farm visit in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Ocean left her dam and fellow foals to greet me while I was admiring Quarter Horse breeder Wendy Woldt’s perennial gardens. A year later, when I was laying over at Idlewild Farm for a weekend equestrian drill team competition with Gambler’s Jackpot (my Rocky Mountain Horse), Ocean left her yearling herd and rushed over to greet me at the paddock gate.”
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Photo by Howard Peet