Saturday October 4, 2003

Region 2 Championships Capture Largest Entries - Page 3

This enthusiasm was evident throughout the entire weekend as feathers stayed unruffled and horses displayed their calm and agreeable personalities, (possibly emulating their counterparts of the show: the mounted police,) over the miles and miles and at least as far as the eye could see. It was fun to hear the impressions of a first time helper/auditor. Fresh eyes catch a kaleidoscope of details and can remain somewhat anoymous, apparently unlike me who must have screamed: Dressage competitor to Kassie Barteau upon my arrival at the host hotel, Holiday Inn. “What do you ride:::”””open/AA, where are you from???? This junior’s effervescent personality was impressive indeed off a horse. Imagine the seamless transitions she performs with her “all legs and wide smile” on “her best friend.”

Her father, Kim Barteau, also came away with the “Big Ribbon” in the freestyle. At one point I was thinking of renaming it “The Barteau Show” due to their appreciable winnings. It may be a family thing but this family knows how to have fun which they proudly displayed in their imaginative take on the tack stall contest where they turned a 12X 12 box into a full service Saloon complete with Saloon girls, bartenders, bar stools, peanuts on the floor and all of the other accruements one would associate with an old fashioned saloon. The judging crew, Carrie Schwartz, Steven Heingtleman, and Margee Koffler had their hands full as other entrants did similar things in terms of Margaretville and beach scenes. The diligence of all of the volunteers made for a “Smoothie Of A Show!”