This message is from: "Mary Ellen Thomas" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Saturday our therapeutic riding program was invited to bring our 13 y.o. fjord mare to Emerald Downs Race Track to be part of a Demonstration/Promotion, and get some money. The facility people were absolutely thrilled to have a non-TB horse on the grounds, and the grand finale was to have our horse walk into the Paddock area, and then walk out on the track to the Winner's Circle where we were presented with two checks & people ooo'd & aaaahhhh over our horse & our program. It was a fantastic success. our mare loved it. She got overly thrilled watching the races, started piaffing faster & faster the closer the horses came around the track, (we were situated on a grassy knoll beside the track with full view of the whole track). But she really didn't loose her cool. "Chantilly" got incredible poised in the paddock area & very regal in the Winner's Circle. She realized all this grandstand & commotion was for her & she revelled in it. The folks at Emerald Downs said we were the first non-TB to enter the Winner's Circle Anyway, I think the funniest part of the day was when the jockeys found out we had been having kids sit on 'Chantilly" and take a Polaroid Picture of them on her. The Jockeys wanted their picture taken on 'Chantilly". Here they are riding these $$$$$ TB horses and they're squabbling to get their picture taken on 'Chantilly", a little 13.1 hand mare. You had to be there. A once in a lifetime experience. Now that did give me a new idea about a Match Race, if a fjord could fit in the starting gate. What ideas I could dream up. Anyway, we are invited back next year, and they are planning to do things even bigger & better. I don't know how they could have improved on it. Mel Thomas >From Snohomish, WA - (A Little Way North & East of Seattle)
