Every year, I try to attend the Bromont Horse Trials. The event continues to be one of my favourite horse shows. I have been going for years — as a competitor, a photographer and a spectator.
The event is still run on part of the course from the 1976 Olympics. I was there for the Olympics and this is one reason why it has a special place in my heart. That was my introduction to eventing; it got me hooked. A decade after the Olympics, it was the site of one of my biggest wins — when it was still run as a full three-day event (with 4-phase endurance).
As a photographer, it is a beautiful event to shoot, with great fences and nice scenery; as a spectator, it is a wonderful place to watch with so much visible from a few key areas on course.
Although it’s been quite some time since I competed at Bromont, this year was special: “my” horse, Jake, was competing with his new owner, Caitlin. I took Jake from barely broke to his first year of competition. In that first year, he proved an aptitude for eventing that one would expect based on his lineage bred. With Caitlin, Jake has blossomed into a star. Together, they moved quickly through the ranks, and at Bromont, Caitlin hoped to qualify for the Young Rider Championships in August. They did me proud! Caitlin and Jake won their division — and qualified for Young Riders!
What a great weekend! Bromont is not far from our family cottage where I spent many summers as a kid, riding in local fairs and horse shows. Even without this year’s excitement, it always feels a bit like coming home to be at Bromont.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Getting lost and unlost
When I was a kid, I learned how to use a compass and did some orienteering on a school trip. However, that was a long time ago and I can’t say that I retained much of what I learned. These days, I usually head to the woods without benefit of a compass – not really a “best practice” — so I thought it was time to relearn some navigation skills.
I signed up for a Navigation course given by the Alpine Club of Canada (Ottawa section). We started with two evening sessions learning about maps, compasses and how to use them together. The following Saturday, we headed to the far end of Gatineau Park where we proceed to get lost.
From our starting point at the trailhead, we headed straight into the bush, ignoring the trail completely. Our intrepid leader, Darryl, started us out on a specific heading, with the goal of heading for a particular body of water. As we bushwhacked our way through the woods, we encountered a variety of obstacles, included boulders, trees, hills and ponds. Although we couldn’t walk a straight line, our compass kept us on the right track.
After an hour or so, Darryl shifted our heading by 10 or 15 degrees — to take us off track. Then, after about 20 minutes on the new heading, we were tasked with finding our original destination by returning to the original heading. We crossed several trails, which helped position our location on the map, but we were unable to locate the pond in the end. Having said that, we were able to get ourselves “unlost” by tracing a faint path back to one of the main trails.
The reward for our hard work — bushwhacking for several hours in the heat, covered head to toe in hats, long sleeves and pants — was lunch on the escarpment overlooking the valley. The beautiful view, accompanied by a nice breeze, made it all worthwhile.
The return to the cars was quicker than expected, considering how long the first “half” of our journey took. Overall, it was a great day, despite the heat and bugs, and I learned a few things about navigating in the woods. I hope that I won’t have to test my newly acquired skills, but next time I head to the woods, I will be taking my compass.
I signed up for a Navigation course given by the Alpine Club of Canada (Ottawa section). We started with two evening sessions learning about maps, compasses and how to use them together. The following Saturday, we headed to the far end of Gatineau Park where we proceed to get lost.
From our starting point at the trailhead, we headed straight into the bush, ignoring the trail completely. Our intrepid leader, Darryl, started us out on a specific heading, with the goal of heading for a particular body of water. As we bushwhacked our way through the woods, we encountered a variety of obstacles, included boulders, trees, hills and ponds. Although we couldn’t walk a straight line, our compass kept us on the right track.
After an hour or so, Darryl shifted our heading by 10 or 15 degrees — to take us off track. Then, after about 20 minutes on the new heading, we were tasked with finding our original destination by returning to the original heading. We crossed several trails, which helped position our location on the map, but we were unable to locate the pond in the end. Having said that, we were able to get ourselves “unlost” by tracing a faint path back to one of the main trails.
The reward for our hard work — bushwhacking for several hours in the heat, covered head to toe in hats, long sleeves and pants — was lunch on the escarpment overlooking the valley. The beautiful view, accompanied by a nice breeze, made it all worthwhile.
The return to the cars was quicker than expected, considering how long the first “half” of our journey took. Overall, it was a great day, despite the heat and bugs, and I learned a few things about navigating in the woods. I hope that I won’t have to test my newly acquired skills, but next time I head to the woods, I will be taking my compass.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Walk in the woods for a good cause
A little rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of 100+ people who headed to Gatineau Park for the annual iSisters Hike and Picnic in the Park. This is my second year attending the event, which features an easy 5 km walk starting at the Relais de pleine air (on Boulevard Cité des Jeunes).
Despite a little detour, caused by missing a directional arrow somewhere, we returned to the pavilion just as the rain started up again. When we arrived, we found an enormous buffet lunch was waiting for us. In addition, a silent auction featuring a great selection of goodies kept everyone busy through lunch.
Gatineau Park is an amazing public space that is less than 15 minutes away. It is one of my favourite places and a great place to spend a few hours for a good cause.
iSisters is a technology mentoring organization (non-profit) that creates community-based programs to mentor and educate marginalized women about technology. The programs focus on building confidence, self-esteem and economic independence by helping women develop technology and employability skills.
Despite a little detour, caused by missing a directional arrow somewhere, we returned to the pavilion just as the rain started up again. When we arrived, we found an enormous buffet lunch was waiting for us. In addition, a silent auction featuring a great selection of goodies kept everyone busy through lunch.
Gatineau Park is an amazing public space that is less than 15 minutes away. It is one of my favourite places and a great place to spend a few hours for a good cause.
iSisters is a technology mentoring organization (non-profit) that creates community-based programs to mentor and educate marginalized women about technology. The programs focus on building confidence, self-esteem and economic independence by helping women develop technology and employability skills.
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