Mule Wins the Quest for the
Best Challenge
By: Shannon St. Clair
Hoffman, St. Clair Red Mule Farm
Last
year I started taking lessons from my long time friend Linda Hoover. With her help
Seven and I have improved our riding and refinement. After one of our lessons she asked me if my
mule Lucky Number Seven would be available to compete in the Quest for the Best
Challenge on April 13, 2013. I said yes and was very excited about him
participating!
The
Quest for the Best Challenge is a local Southern Pines fundraiser for the
Companion Animal Spay and Neuter Program in the area. Well-known riders from the area compete, and
people pay to vote and also Calcutta the riders to raise money.
The challenge
is to ride a dressage test and then an obstacle course, judged on refinement,
partnership and versatility of the riders and equines.
Linda
had some trouble finding a rider willing to take on the challenge of riding
Seven in the event. All the other riders would be using their own horses, so it
was an added challenge to do well riding someone else’s mount, much less a
mule!
Time was
running short and I started thinking that Seven might not be able to compete.
Linda called with the good news that Dr. Jock Tate was willing to ride Seven in
the Challenge. I was very excited
because I used to work with Dr. Tate at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine
where is a respected equine surgeon and he is an experienced and excellent
rider!
We met
at Reflections Farm in Vass for the first practice session. I gave Dr. Tate
some cookies and told him how important it was for him to make friends with
Seven and gain his trust.
Dr. Tate
impressed me with his horsemanship and the two had a great start toward a
winning partnership! The first practice
was a little riding, but mostly working with the obstacles. Dr. Tate quickly
realized that this was not a problem for Seven.
For the
last 6 years I have been competing with Seven in a host of events including
Cowboy Races, Trail Obstacle Competitions, and ACTHA. Seven has grown in his
training and confidence and will now tackle nearly any obstacle with
confidence! Over the years we have won some big competitions and even a high
point buckle. But how well would he do with a new rider?
Dr. Tate
made the long drive to my house several times to ride Seven for some more
practice. He also took some dressage lessons from a successful dressage trainer.
Dr. Tate has successfully shown and ridden jumpers and foxhunters all his life,
but dressage would be a new challenge!
The week
before the show I felt like they needed a little more practice together so I
let Dr. Tate take Seven to his farm for a few days. In the ten years I have owned Seven he has
never been away from me so it was a big decision! But who better to send your
mule off with than an Equine Veterinary Surgeon?
While
Seven was at the Tates’ place he settled right in and went to work on the nice
green grass. He had his own run in shed and some equine neighbors. Dr. Tate
told me that his farrier showed up at the farm and upon seeing Seven in the
pasture, quickly announced that he “Did not shoe mules!” We all got a good laugh out of that one!
Dr. Tate
took Seven out on a hack with a small group and Seven walked out in his quick
ground covering flat walk across the fields. Dr. Tate said he was just enjoying
the ride and looked back after a little while and realized that Seven had left
the group of long legged fox hunting horses in the dust!
I came
down the night before and we went to the Hotel Jefferson in down town Southern
Pines for the party and introduction of the riders. Each rider had a costume
and a theme song for the introduction.
Dr. Tate was the Mad Hatter! Many of us put on rabbit ears and did the
bunny hop too! It was great fun!
After
the party Dr. Tate, his wife Kathryn, our friend Diane and I walked down to a
local restaurant. He went in full
costume and I had my rabbit ears on. Boy did we get some funny looks at the
restaurant, but that made it all the more fun!
The next
morning I cleaned Seven up and did some last minute clipping and we trailered
over to Reflections Farm in Vass, NC. I
got Seven tacked up while Dr. Tate went to the riders’ meeting.
Soon
they were starting their dressage test. I don’t think I breathed during the
whole thing but they put in a good test!
People seemed to be impressed with his test and I was just happy they
got the right lead they had been having problems with.
The
Obstacle part was next. It involved things like dismounting and picking up a
stuffed animal dog and delivering it to a Vet, re-mounting, opening a gate,
trotting between boulders on a black mat, backing out of a chute, and crossing
a bridge. At one point Dr. Tate did an
obstacle out of order. This was a big let down because they were doing
everything so well. He had to take a
zero on that obstacle, and was not disqualified, but it was a double pointed
obstacle and that was a big hit. We
headed back to the trailer a little down but I was still so excited about how
well the two had ridden together!
At awards
time I was surprised when Seven and Dr. Tate won the People’s Choice award! We
were very excited about that because people had to pay $1 per vote and he had
over 500 votes!
Then the
Awards were given out for the placing in the Quest. I knew that he would get at
least a 5th place since one of the other competitors had some other
major problems on the course. So when he did not get 5th I thought,
ok, 4th that is pretty good. Not 4th, wow then 3rd
then, nope not 3rd, so I was thinking, wow he got 2nd place? Nope, their names where not called. I was
counting the group and I realized he was the only one left right as they
announced that Dr. Tate and Seven were the winners of the Quest!
His
score on the Obstacle course was so good that he had just enough points to
still win the whole event! What fun to
pin all those ribbons on Seven and watch them take a victory gallop!
I am so proud
of Seven for being so willing and responsive to Dr. Tate’s cues and being so
trusting of him so quickly!
Link to
the video of the competition:
United
States Refined Horsemanship Association
www.USRHA.com
Linda
Hoover
http://foundation2success.com/
www.reflectionsfarmNC.com
Practice Session
Seven's special hair cut
The competitors
Dressage Test
On Obstacle Course
TEAM TATE - Dr. Tate, Seven, Shannon and Kathryn Tate
Mom and Dad came all the way down to show their support
Taking Victory Gallop
Seven looks rather pleased with himself
Dr. Tate as the Mad Hatter!
