DEL MAR — From reining to park horse, young exhibitors to the not-so-young, the Arabian Horse Association’s Region 1 Championship Show brought the Del Mar Fairgrounds to life May 27-31 in an energetic showcase of versatility.

Entries were up in the regional finals — always a good gauge of the state of the industry — and so were the moods of exhibitors and trainers.

“It was a good show,” Region 1 Director Mary Ann Hughes said of the five-day weekend that featured a “Pre-show” Wednesday and Thursday, followed by the Nationals-qualifying Regional Championships Thursday night through Sunday. “Two things. Regionals are where a lot of them qualify for nationals. “Regionals are where a lot of competitors qualify for Nationals, but there are a lot of people who don’t intend to go to Nationals, and the Regionals is the big show for them for the year.”

Some horses are independent. They exhibit a low level of separation anxiety that can be handled easily by the rider. Other horses display a strong herd-bound mentality that, when separated from their companions, creates an almost dangerous behavior.

This is partly their personality, and just like people, horses have different traits. However, whenever you interact with your horse, you are either (A) supporting or (B) correcting the behavior.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — It was a Sunday showcase of talent in Southern California. The Blenheim EquiSports June Classic I show culminated with the $30,000 Blenheim Grand Prix, presented by FarmVet, the $10,000 1.45m CardFlex Jumper Classic and the final Zone 10 North American Young Rider Trials.

With a talented field of riders, including Thursday’s Markel Insurance Grand Prix winner Nayel Nassar with two horses, veteran Susan Hutchison also with two mounts, Josephina Nor Lantzman, Michael Endicott, Harley Brown and more, the Grand Prix had eighteen quality horse and rider combinations performing for a sizable group of spectators enjoying the beautiful Southern California afternoon. Course designer Olaf Petersen, Jr. of Germany ensured a display of scope and skill from riders with a twisting track of 16 elements in a time allowed of 90 seconds.

Planning ahead requires education: reading articles, taking lessons, making observations. Why do horses get us in trouble?

Horses are fight or flight animals whose brains have been hard-wired for survival. A horse may react by standing, freezing and assessing the situation while deciding if staying is a good idea (fight), or to put some distance between itself and whatever it perceives as a threat (flight). When a horse chooses flight, things can go downhill very quickly – even more so when a cart or carriage is attached. If the “bolting” involves multiple horses, they can quickly bond into a herd mentality. If one runs, the others will too, as there is safety in numbers as far as an equine brain is concerned!

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