A very romantic gentleman rented a $5,000 suite at a nearby beach front hotel and arranged to have a beautiful white Andalusian stallion owned by the Gutierrez’s to be part of the ceremony. The stallion is a multiple national champion in Halter and Saddleseat.

“When we got to the hotel,” Moe said, “they would not let us drive near the site of the outdoor wedding and so we had to park some distance away. The problem was that in order to lead the horse to the place where the groom was to mount the horse we had to cross an inlet to the ocean. The tide started coming in and we found ourselves wading thru the surf with our clothes on.

“The groom, who was not a horseman, was wearing a white tuxedo and white patent leather shoes and when he mounted, we realized that he was wearing no socks. So we tried to pull his pant legs down over his bare legs, to help him look better but there was quite a gap. His dream was to ride up the aisle to the bride on this white horse, dismount and have the ceremony and then sweep her up onto the horse and ride off into the sunset.”

Somehow, he had chosen the theme of “The Lone Ranger” to ride up the aisle on and in his enthusiasm started galloping in and almost shot right past the bride and over the minister. Sue had to step forward and grab the horse as it roared by.

The vows were taken. Then luckily, the bride realized that mounting a stallion with a long white veil and bustle and train, was not the wisest thing to do. And the Gutierrezes were able to get them to walk hand-in-hand down the beach together in a romantic finale.

One Valley Girl’s Dream Comes True

Valley girl, Molly McGill, has finally had her dream come true. She has been competing in gymkhanas for a number of years and has attended the big California Gymkhana Association State Finals for three years.

 

“Every year, I wanted to win a silver buckle so much,” Molly said, “but I never did. My horse, El Nino, is a Quarter Horse-Thoroughbred cross, so he’s built for speed!”

 

This year her luck changed. Molly again went to the CGA finals at Balado Park, in Hollister, California. Contestants come from all over the state to take part. Molly competed in 13 different gymkhana events over a week’s time. When the dust settled, Molly was named California State Gymkhana High Point Champion! She went home with a big smile and two silver buckles as well as a beautiful saddle.

 

“I have been taking part in the gymkhanas at the SYV Equestrian Center, Molly said, “and we would all just love to establish a CGA district here in the Valley. There would be lots of volunteers!”

 

The gymkhanas are put on by board member, Tracy Ward.

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There’s a First Time For Everything

A first time ever event took place in the Valley, at Flag is Up Farm. It was a “keuring,” which is the Dutch term for the inspection and evaluation of Friesian horses. The judge was J.R. Blumenthal from Fort Collins , Colorado .

 

“I was first attracted to Friesians when I was involved in driving a carriage carrying the mayor of Pasadena in the Rose Parade in 1999. I fell in love with these horses and two months later, I owed two Friesians,” Blumenthal said.

 

These jet black horses are described as “a horse with an elegant appearance, and a proud bearing, with a thick mane, tail and fetlocks and with extended lofty gaits.”

About 25 people gathered to learn about the proper ways to evaluate their Friesian horses. There were live demonstrations, lectures and printed material for the participants to work with. In addition to confirmation preferences, feet and legs and gaits, they heard about the changes taking place and breeding goals. Horse owners also learned the very best ways to present their horses. The “keuring” was sponsored by the Central Coast Friesian Horse Club.

 

It was a day for learning and evaluation for the group, which included, Becky, Sarah and Xianne Keller of Chula Vista, photographer Tass Jones, Carolina White of Paso Robles, owner of the stallion Dimer, Chelsea, Heather and Mary Hawes, well-known local horse judge, Sue Burkman, and Pieter and Angela Franken and others, and sculptress, Niki Lugli demonstrated the art of sculpting a horse from clay.

September’s Horse of the Month Saqquara, a year old Arabian filly, is September’s Horse of the Month. She is shown here celebrating her first birthday with owner Penny Knowles. When Saqquara realized that the candle on top of the cake was actually a juicy carrot, she just couldn’t resist it. And she didn’t even have to blow it out. This pretty filly was born on Bastille Day, July 14, 2006. Her dam is DA Alexandria, who was bred by Jim Turk of Dimitri Arabians. Her sire is Mazkarade of Intara Arabians. Her name Saqquara, is from the ancient city in Egypt , where the first stepped pyramids were built. Joe and Penny Knowles have Cherokee Ranch in Santa Ynez.

All Photos Courtesy of Pat Murphy Horse of the Month, Saqquara, with owner Penny Knowles