Kids saddle up at horse show

Five-year-old Ashanti Partab often watches the cartoon My Little Pony, so her parents thought of a pleasant surprise for her on Saturday: They took her to the Horse and Pony Show at Countryside Adventures in Diamond Estate.

“She’s obsessed with ponies,” said her mother Alana Partab. “She was very excited; she thought she was getting a pony for herself. This is fun because she gets to see that ponies really exist.”

The show, which featured a petting zoo and horse riding demonstrations, drew some 300 people, said Countryside Adventures owner Alison Knights-Bramble.
One of the highlights of the day was a “Cowboy Up” challenge, which required participants to display their riding skills in a timed competition.

The riders, who were mostly children, were required to take a horse or a pony through a short course in the centre of the ranch, steering between cones and over elevated platforms.

“The reason we adopted that kind of event is because it fits all skills levels,” said Ms. Knights-Bramble, adding, “You don’t have to be highly skilled to be a part of it.”

While the Cowboy Up challenge took place, other participants leaned against fences watching, or stroked animals in a nearby petting zoo.

SEE THE JUNE 29, 2017 EDITION FOR FULL COVERAGE.

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