This message is from: "Starfire Farm, LLC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Hello everyone, Sorry I dropped the ball on a few past subjects (including being "volunteered by PAT.) I'll have to get back to them. We were busy preparing for, and performing in, the National Western Stock Show Evening of Dancing Horses. I'm preparing an article for the Herald, but will give you the short version here. Sandy and I have been performing in the Evening of Dancing Horses for the past six years. This was a show started by our local dressage group which consisted of people riding their dressage horses in musical freestyles, performing for the general public. We originally rode to recorded music. The following year, Michael Martin Murphey was introduced to the show, providing live Country music to add to the horse performances. Four years ago I pulled a group of riders and drivers together to perform in a quadrille with Fjord horses. We rode a quadrille to live music by MMM and the band for the next two years. Last year (2000) Taffy Plaisted and I drove a carriage pas de deux to MMM and the band playing and singing Mustang Sally. This year the show (which was two nights, again sold out) was performed entirely with live music, including Michael and his band and the Pueblo Symphony with conductor Dr. Jacob Chi. The band and the symphony were on a huge stage set on the arena floor, and we and our Fjords performed two acts. One was a driving/riding pas de trois in which Taffy Plaisted rode her mare RT Solveig, I drove our relatively new pair BDF John Arthur and BDF Magnum to a marathon carriage and Diane Krause drove her grey mare Melody (a Snowy Mountain mare) to a Meadowbrook cart. Diane and I drove a "mirror" pattern while Taffy interspersed some dressage movements; half pass, extended trot, simple changes, etc. We were wearing Victorian ball gowns, with Sandy on the back of my carriage in top hat and tails. Michael, the band and the Symphony played one of Michael's songs called Carolina in the Pines. The crowd (5,000 people each night) loved our routine, especially the parts where the pair and the single cart drove opposing circles, with one turnout driving inside the circle of the other. We received whoops, hollers and whistles along with enthusiastic applause during the entire routine. During the first night's performance, Melody got a little carried away with the crowd applause, the band and the symphony and cantered around for the first part of the routine. John and Magnum were steady and stayed on pattern, allowing Diane and Melody to re-enter the pattern about halfway through. The crowd never knew anything was wrong. All were "on" the second night, and our performance was nearly flawless. Samantha and Savanna Poirier, Ginny Wegener, and Carrie Young joined John Arthur, Magnum and I to act out the lyrics to MMM singing The Pony Man which is a song about children dreaming about riding ponies and sailing in a pirate ship. Michael sings this to children who have come from the audience and sit in front of the stage. It's a touching piece, and I'm sure there were several tears shed by some of the adults in the audience. Other acts included; vaulting, professional trick roper and trainer Jerry Diaz and his wife performing to live opera, Biker babes and a Harley motorcycle, Eitan riding his Morgan stallion doing Cowboy Dressage, a reining/dressage pas de deux, a Quadrille of adults and a Quadrille of children on their darling ponies, musical performances, etc., etc. It has a little something for everyone, even those not interested in horses. After the show is done, the audience is invited to the paddock area to meet the horses and performers. The Fjords were a hit, mugging for friendly pats and making new friends. Our audience is becoming more knowledgeable, as no one asked us if we painted that stripe down their mane and back! Or, perhaps the announcer mentioned it prior to the routine. Quite a few admirers told us that they come every year just to see the Fjords! If anyone is interested in a copy of our video, contact us privately. The video is not professionally produced, it was shot by Sandy or our friends either at the arena gate or in the audience. There are some good close-up shots, however, and you can get a feel for how it really went. We'll include footage of last year's performance as well as this, and ask a small fee to reimburse cost of tape, packaging and postage. If you live in Colorado (or can be in Colorado during January) and want to be part of next year's performance, contact me. Plans are already underway for another quadrille! Come join us in the fun! Beth -- Beth Beymer & Sandy North Starfire Farm, Berthoud CO http://www.starfirefarm.com
