by Cindy Mark
The riders have been chosen, the horses schooled, and the strategies honed. Yes, it’s that time of year again when teams composed of different horse breeds battle it out at Spruce Meadows to decide which should be crowned champion of the TELUS Battle of the Breeds.
This year, there are 14 teams vying for the title, with the events taking place from September 6 to 10, 2006 on the Meadows on the Green, the All Canada sand ring, and the North American ring.
The breeds represented this year are: American Saddlebred, Welsh Pony and Cob, Appaloosa, Shetland Pony, Canadian Horse, Thoroughbred, Trakehner, Morgan, Paint, Mule, Quarter Horse, Arabian, Connemara, and Canadian Warmblood.
The Battle will, again, be composed of five events: barrel racing, trail riding, jeopardy jumping, compulsory skills, and precision driving.
There is a lot of strategy in the competition, and it came into play last year when the reigning team champions, Team Appaloosa, lost out to Team Welsh Pony and Cob. (Before their loss in 2005, Team Appaloosa had won five out of the last seven years of Battle competition.)
Team Appaloosa captain Chris Ullmann explains: “You have to figure out where you are in the placings and act accordingly. For example, in hindsight, we shouldn’t have done the jeopardy jump; we would have been better off not doing it.”
The new tournament champions, Team Welsh Pony and Cob, can already feel the heat as they prepare to defend their crown. “We’re doing our homework as we speak,” says their team captain Celia Alpress.
While Team Welsh Pony and Cob have been practicing diligently, Alpress believes that with Team Connemara on deck, this year could be dubbed the “Battle of the Ponies.”
While Team Connemara has never won, their captain, Bridget Wingate, says the Connemara’s are well-suited to the competition as the breed are such good “all-rounders.”
She adds, “We’ve been second twice, and we have a very competitive team, so this year we intend to win.”
Team Connemara isn’t the only team with a strategy to win, though. The American Saddlebred team has placed second in the Battle for five years in a row. As team captain Adrian Neufeld says, “We’ve always been the bridesmaid; never the bride.”
Their team this year consists of two veteran Battle competitors and two new players. One of the new members is 12-year-old Breanna Van Rooyen who will be jumping on her mount Howard. The other jumping rider on the team will be Neufeld. And, while he’s a veteran of the Battle (having never missed a year since its inception) he’s officially never jumped before in his life. “I’m as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof,” he says.
Team Saddlebred’s strategy this year? “It’s a huge, big secret,” says Neufeld. “If I tell you, probably everyone else will pick it up and run with it, but I’ll tell you anyway. Our strategy is … to win!”
While each team believes it’s their year to win, finding the right horses and talented riders to make up that winning team can be a challenge.
Team Appaloosa believes that they have a new star in member Jessie Halabura from Saskatchewan. “She called us last year and was really interested in becoming a part of the team,” says Ullmann. “Then, this year she sent in her video and we saw how good she was and we picked her.”
However, Team Trakehner had to travel 10,000 km in 10 days to pick up a suitable Trakehner driving horse. Trakehner Team captain Eileen Poole explains: “Driving has been the bane of our team’s existence, so we picked up Arima three years ago. The first time she drove in the Battle she had her foal at her side. She’s a regular ‘working mom.’ We find that the best horses are those that go back year after year, and Arima will be back again this year, for sure.”
Each team has its own set of challenges to overcome. For Team Morgan, driving isn’t a problem at all, says captain Cec Watson. “Morgans are bred to drive, so they’re pretty handy at it,” she says. “The challenge for us is in the barrel racing. Of course, you always hope for a ‘ringer’ to come along, an especially talented horse.”
Since the members of the Morgan team live throughout the province of Alberta, team practices are not something they can do, so Watson relies on each member to work on his or her own and be prepared come Battle day.
The same holds true for Team Paint, says captain Sharon Tegart. “Our members are scattered all over the province, so while we may not necessarily win, we want to proudly represent our breed, that’s very important … of course, winning wouldn’t be bad either!”
As for Team Mule, their members are scattered all across North America. “We have an international flair this year,” says captain Jadene Mah. “Our second jumping and barrel racing mule is from Kansas, and its rider is from Oregon.”
Mah is truly excited to be representing Team Mule. “Mules and donkeys often get a bum wrap, and this competition is a great way to display what they’re really capable of doing.”
The true underdogs of this year’s competition could be Team Shetland, but you’re best not to underestimate them. While it’s only the second year that Team Sheltand has been in the Battle they, too, have a secret weapon … and her name is Flying Lollipops. She’s a Shetland mare that stands only 10.5 hh, but can jump 3.5 ft. high!
Flying Lollipops also did well in the barrel portion of last year’s Battle, coming in just behind the famed Quarter Horses. However, there is one, unique problem that Team Shetland has, says captain Joyce Enders. “Our one girl who competed in 2005 grew a foot, so she can’t compete this year!”
Whichever team you decide to cheer on, make it loud, because team members – both human and equine – deserve our support. It takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and determination to make it to the battlefield, let alone be crowned the winner.
Horses All wishes everyone good luck!
And, if you’re at Spruce Meadows between September 6 and 10, be sure to stop by the Horses All booth at Equi-Fair to say “Hello.” We’d love to see you!
