Where Horses are King! 8/11/2013

If you love horses like I do, Mackinac Island’s Festival of the Horse was where you should have been this weekend.  This was the 5th year of the festival, and each year the crowd grows, and the events get more spectacular.  From very small beginnings five years ago, the Festival of the Horse is now considered a major event for the island – one people are coming to Mackinac specifically to attend.  They know they will see all of our island breeds displaying their special talents, as well as world-renown horse experts showing off their well-trained steeds and teaching the crowd how they can do the same with horses at home.

Over the four days of the festival, I divided my time between working the entrance table, fitting children with helmets for the pony rides, and playing photographer (yes, that IS me with the camera hiding my face – that big lens is BIG).  Photo: Jill Sawatzki

Thursday was all about the kids, with awesome horse-related games and pony rides (the pony rides continued each day of the festival and were VERY popular).  Unfortunately I didn’t make it that day because Ted and I went to Petoskey.  I also didn’t get to this morning’s (Sunday) Island Driving Demo & Clinic.  But on Friday and Saturday, I was around most of the time, and all I can say is, “Wow! What a festival!”  If I took you through the four days, you’d be here all night, so I’m going to try and stick to a few highlights.

One of the featured performers was Betsy Van Dyke who has trained horses up through the levels from Training Level to Grand Prix, competing in both Wellington and the Midwest. She did programs both in Dressage and Freestyle.

Every time she took to the ring she drew gasps, applause, and sighs of wonder.  Here she is on Cantana (barn name Tana).

The other featured performer was to be Dan James of Double Dan Horsemanship from Australia.  The name comes from there being two “Dan’s” – Dan James and Dan Steer.  Dan brought part of his team and four horses with him including the world famous Apollo.

When I arrived at the festival to work on Friday, I learned that during the night Apollo had to be rushed to the Michigan State Veterinary School – an emergency that included a call to and visit from island vet Dr. Al Sibinic, a middle of the night walk from the Mackinac Island Equestrian Center to British Landing, and a boat trip on Shepler’s Sacre Bleu.  When they arrived in St. Ignace, they found they didn’t have the correct hitch for the horse trailer they had left on the mainland.  They combed the parking lot for the correct hitch on someone else’s vehicle, took it off, left a generous sum of money with a note that read, “horse emergency” and took off for Michigan State.  Wonder of wonders, the people whose hitch they borrowed were at the horse festival on Friday and telling about finding the hitch gone, the money and the note.  No worries at all from them, they were glad to be able to help out.

On Saturday morning we got the news that Apollo was suffering from laninitis, caused by consuming a toxic weed (hoary alyssum) which was in the hay they purchased on their way through Michigan to Mackinac.  The hay seller was contacted, and all the hay was destroyed.  Apollo was a very, very sick horse, and the vets at Michigan State have worked with him all weekend.  I’m very happy to say that the last report is that he is improving, but it is still unknown if there will be lasting problems caused by this weed.  All of Dan’s horses except one consumed the same hay, but different horses react differently to it.  There can be a delayed reaction, so all the horses have been watched over all weekend by Dan himself up in the Equestrian Center on the island.  One horse refused to eat the hay.

We pray that Apollo comes through this ordeal with no ill effects and that the other horses show no other symptoms.

With all this going on, it fell on one of Dan’s teammates to carry out the part of the show Double Dan had been planning.

Donal Hancock (also from Australia) and Swampy await their time in the ring.

Swampy was amazing and would perform every task Donal asked of him – all without a halter or any line.

I didn’t catch this horse’s name, but again everything was done without lines.

Our local stars, Maryanke Alexander and Michelle Stuck was also there and performed with their Friesians to the music “Croation Rhapsody.”

Michelle on Gysbert.

Maryanke on Regina.

OTHER PHOTOS

Betsy and Tana take a bow.

Coming through the trees out of the ring.

Swampy

Girls and their horses . . .

Maryanke and Michelle, after a very impressive musical program on horseback.

Photos of the carriage parade on Friday evening. The parade began at Mission Point, went up Main Street, turned on Cadotte, went in front of the Grand Hotel and ended on the West Bluff. (Click on collage to enlarge photos.)

It’s going to be really, really hard to come up with a festival next year that is better than this one was, but knowing this group of equestrians, I have no doubt they will do just that!  The planning is already underway for Festival of the Horse – Year Six.   I’ll let you know when the date is announced so you can begin to make plans to attend!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Personal Note:  It’s going to be a really busy week – working on Monday, appointments off Island on Tuesday and Wednesday, and on Thursday our son, Jason, from Atlanta flies in.  Yeahhhh!!!  Because of all that, and especially because Jason’s coming, I’m going to take this week off from the computer and just enjoy!  I’ll see you back here on Sunday evening (August 18).

Have a great, great week!  God bless.