The Parkland Area Alberta Dressage Association (PAADA) Dressage Daze II show, the second of a series of three in Ponoka, saw a record setting number of entrants in the show over the weekend.
With 58 competitors partaking in the show, PAADA hired three extra judges not long before the event weekend to keep up with all the action.
“This is the biggest first day show we’ve ever had,” said show manager Shelagh Hohm.
“I think it’s because people are happy with the facility,” she added, referring to the Calnash Ag Event Centre.
The three shows, the first of which took place Feb. 15 and the final one scheduled for May 2 and 3, are also a good place for riders to warm up their horses before the summer show season.
The Sunday, March 22 show had two competition rings going, one featuring the provincial show and the other the National Silver Show.
“The provincial show, riders don’t have to be members of Equine Canada,” said Hohm.
“The level of competition is just a little bit higher at the National Silver Show,” she added.
The provincial show also features western dressage riding. “It’s very popular,” said Hohm.
Many of the horses brought to the show are competing for the Canadian Pan Am Games team.
Hohm says the show adheres to riders of all ages, with some competitors as young as eight. “It’s a very good show for people who want to come and compete and try new levels.”
During the show, judges were looking at every movement of the horse to see how well trained it is, but they also look for the harmony between horse and rider. This makes the dressage show as much about the sport and the relationship between horse and rider as it is about the competition.
Each winner is awarded a ribbon and approximately a dozen show champions would be named at the show.