102 SIDELINES MAY 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
The “Performer For A Day” participant gets to take part in the VIP
portion of the Arabian Nights show. Abby is sitting on the right on
the horse.
Photo courtesy of Arabian Nights
A young participant
taking part in the
“Performer For A Day” experience shows
off the beneft of the harness as she sails through the air after
falling off the horse.
Photo courtesy of Arabian Nights
Florida and has eight years of classical dressage training on her
resume. Ricky is from a long line of performers from Mexico, and
his family’s specialty is rosin back riding and vaulting – in rosin
back riding in the Arabian Nights show, riders stand on a roller pad
and performing gymnastics and acrobatics on and off the back of
the horse.
Apparently, as Performers For The Day we were also going to
try and perform gymnastics and acrobatic movements on the back
of a draft horse. “Try” is the key word! I put on the harness and
cantered around the circle and did manage to get up on my knees
– and although I would like you to think that I perched on my knees
while at the canter, I only did it at the walk. Abby, on the other
hand, might be a long-lost member of Ricky’s family because she
took to rosin back riding like a pony takes to treats – she loved it
and ate it up.
Abby went through all the acrobatic movements with ease
(maybe all that show jumping over the years helped with her
balance and kept her from being afraid) and was able to stand
at the canter and go round and round. While most horse people
have tried standing on their horses – cantering, standing and
performing at the same time is no easy feat. Abby only lost her
balance once and jumped off – proving that all those emergency
dismounts we practiced when she was little really did work.
My nephews, who prefer surfboards to horses, also took a turn
during the practice session thanks to Ricky’s encouragement.
Thank goodness for the harness, because both boys lost their
balance while trying to stand at the walk and few threw the air
with the greatest of ease. I later asked my nephews what was
the highlight of the weekend and both agreed that it was fying
off the back of a horse and sailing around the ring like Peter Pan.
(Translation: Falling off but not actually hitting the ground because
the harness kept them several feet above the ground, and all
they had to do was fnally put their feet down and then they were
standing – don’t you wish all falls could be like that!)
The Arabians in the show are all part of
the same family, the Al-Marah Arabians.
Photo courtesy of Arabian Nights