Empty Saddle Club western horse show 2011

Welcome reader. New to BTS at SNB? Click on the "Your Guide..." post from archive list on the right. I promise, SNB is for "Stuart Ng Books"; not "Stables, Not Books."...... but September is Horse Month here.... so saddle up kids for another Horse Show post...

Just south of Torrance is Rolling Hills Estates... a rural, equestrian enclave with a strong sense of civic pride. There is an active horseowners association and the local riders enjoy extensive bridle trials as well as English and Western riding events. One of the western events is the annual Rolling Hills Estates City Celebration, held at the Empty Saddle Club.... a community stable that has a western ranch vibe.. complete with cattle!

Here's link to website for Empty Saddle Club: http://www.emptysaddleclub.com/trail_ride.asp

There are rows of stables here:

Here's a pony headed for the hot-walker (check out the painted sunglasses on his fly mask)... and the cows taking in all the action..

For the city celebration, the parking lot is right next to the pipe corrals....
This western riding event features lots of junior riders and the emphasis is on fun and games on horseback....

There's lots of speed and thrills...
Riders sign up for different contests and games....all done on horseback!
And wait on deck for their turn...
One of the crowd favorites is Barrel Racing. Here are highlights from some of the day's racers:





This Paint horse was HUGE.....




This event is more causal than last weekend's English riding show, but you can still get super close.... the horses gallop right past you! Another great show with activities for the whole family, and terrific opportunities to sketch horses and riders in action.




More on this event... and more posts coming soon.. including posts about Stuart Ng Books.... and the Tim Burton show at LACMA!