OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2010 THE RIDER /23 Hills of Headwaters Destination Equitation By Mallory Hendry


Orangeville, Erin, Caledon, Dufferin, Shel- bourne and Mono - collectively known as the Hills of Headwaters - pride themselves on being places that offer something for everyone of the horse persuasion. The Ontario government agrees with them.


The area has evolved a one weekend stable tour and fair into an eight day series of events called Destination Equitation. Beginning with a parade on Sept. 11 and carrying through to Sept. 18, locals and visitors could shop at the trade show, watch a live forging competition, attend workshops or take advantage of the 20 odd sta- bles that opened their doors to the public. In part, the expansion from a few days at


the Orangeville Fairgrounds to a week of show- casing the Hills and what makes the area unique was made possible through a provincial grant


from Ontario Tourism. Celebrate Ontario aims at increasing the tourism sector and growing and expanding regional events to enhance their cur- rent level of activity, and to support long-term sustainability. Michele Harris, Executive Director of the Hills of Headwaters Tourism Association, and organizer of this event - explains that the money was a “big impetus that allowed us to expand and really pump it up.”


“We want to draw the attention of the pub- lic who see horses as they drive by on the high- way, but may not generally have the opportunity to see them close up,” she says. “Especially with the Pan Am games coming in 2015, we want to position Headwaters as a premier equestrian region.”


The hope is that with the Hills’ natural beauty and appeal, coupled with that extra push from the Ontario government, people from across


the province will take notice. While tourism has been the primary focus of the event in the past, the importance of equine and economic rural development has become an expanded focus of the project. Michele says over the years, the con- cept has been a small regional tourism event, but having a week of events, demonstrations and workshops that appeal to both visitors and more seasoned equestrian riders and operators is a way to rectify this and raise the profile of this impor- tant industry sector in terms of its impact on the provincial economy.


To that end, while there were many events set up for the casual horse lover there were indus- try related workshops and presentations as well. One example is the Provincial Forum on the Future of the Equestrian Industry in Ontario, which took place on Sept. 16.


“Equine industry people from various sec- The Art Of The Horse At Deerfields By Kelly Bowers


Now, everyone knows that there are only two seasons for driving in Ontario. One is win- ter, the other is construction. So, you would think staying well below Toronto would be the smart thing to do at this time of year. In spite of this, I did travel the long and sluggish road into the Hills Of Headwater, to Deerfields Stable for “The Art of The Horse”. This event was held as a chapter of the Destina- tion Equitation celebration going on from Sept 11 to 19th in the area. The beautiful setting at Deerfields was warm, friendly and intimate, highlighted by artists and horses and light refreshments. This is the only place I know of where you feel totally at home sipping white wine while relaxing in a stable. Now mind you, this is not just any stable. It is the spotless, bright, airy, roomy, gorgeous stable most of us only dream of. Yes, you know you are a horse person when your dream always includes a great barn.


The horses here also come straight out of my dreams. I have loved gypsy horses for years, first in the faery tales of my childhood pulling gypsy wagons somewhere long ago


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and far away. Then, at a horse show six or seven years back, I met my first Gypsy Vanner and was captivated. They have a mystique about them, and a friendliness that belies their noble stature. Deerfields is home to such horses, and I came home wearing more than enough horse spittle to prove it. Yes, the affectionate Prince Walt is indeed my prince (refer to dream), and is soooo hand- some. I also got to meet the newly famous “Mule Mom”, Flo and her adorable baby, Prince Deerfields (both medical miracles) with two little piglet sisters named - I am not making this up - Pork and Beans. How cute is that?


But, the specific reason for my trek to Palgrave was to cover “The Art Of The Horse”. So, besides the horses and the mules and pigs, there were sev- eral friendly and talented artists who each displayed pieces of work and demonstrated their craft as well as kindly answer- ing questions from visitors. Artist, Jennifer Pratt has been extra busy lately travelling to the Hudson Equestrian Art Exhibition Auction in New York recently and even to Swe- den earlier in the summer. She


made time Wednesday evening though to share some of her lovely paintings and speak with curious spectators. Meanwhile, her hand expertly worked the canvas bringing to life a horse she photographed in Sweden. Although still being worked on, the lifelike equine seems to be looking right at you, an interest- ing process to watch indeed. Louis Cauz, managing director of the Canadian Thor- oughbred Sports Hall of Fame is also author of a book, “The 150th Anniversary of the Queen’s Plate - The history of TB racing in Ontario.” Mr. Cauz gave an interesting talk, displayed his personal collection of equestrian art, and auto- graphed copies of his book. Rural artist, Peter Adams had a soulful collection of paint- ings on hand, called The Leighton Farm Project. An ode to the past really, his study involved two nearby “twin” farm houses, one cared for, the other neglected, and the differ- ent ways they aged.


Mark Grice has been skill- fully capturing horses on paper for decades and his experience certainly shows in his work. He was on hand passing on some of his creative genius as he taught


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us how to draw a horse. His optimistic and fun teaching style won him a captive audience and several recognizable “horses” emerged from the classroom. International Sculptor, Ann Clifford showed off some of her bronze equine pieces, some of which are mounted on stone and some of which are given as corporate awards. The figures are somehow chunky and textured but detailed at the same time. They are dramatic, bold and solid but still full of life, emotion and even move- ment. My previously mentioned dream also includes receiving an award made by Ann.


Finally, it was Dave Landry that entertained and edu- cated the small crowd with his photographs of mostly racing


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thoroughbreds and standard- breds. Although famous for his on-track photography, he also showed more artistic portraits, suitable to be framed for horse owners. Dave offered some tips for less savvy shutter-bugs. Sev- eral interesting questions from the audience were fully answered, hopefully enabling us to go forth and use our new found knowledge to better pho- tograph our own four legged friends.


-Moms-kids- klub/222779529980?ref=ts&v= wall. Simply adorable. It seems that Deerfields is indeed, a place where dreams come true and in the end, it was worth the drive to Palgrave.


Photo Captions


Deerfields also had a table offering items from their “Mule Mom” collection. The mule mom movie was shown and I found out they even have a song and a Kids Klub that teaches that “Dreams do come true.” at www.mulemom.com or www.facebook.com/pages/Mule


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1/ Jennifer Pratt artwork 2/ Sculture by Ann Clifford. 3/ Dave Landry photos 4/ Peter Adams 5/ Dave Landry 6/ Jennifer Pratt 7/ Pork and Beans


tors and municipal leaders from across the province attended our symposium,” Michele says.


Sponsored by the Ontario Ministry of Agri- culture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), and the Rural Ontario Municipal Association, speak- ers included Dr. Bob Wright, who led the after- noon workshop session, and the CEO of Equine Canada Akaash Maharaj, who was the keynote speaker for the gala dinner. The evening portion of the event also included a presentation from the 2015 Pan Am Games Equestrian Venue Organiz- ing Committee.


With a newly expanded platform from which the Hills of Headwaters can introduce itself to the horse community, the plan is to build on the successes seen this year.


Continued on Page 24.


8/ Stella Fokas and Greg Emer- son from E3L with Kathy Han- ley from System Fencing. 9/ Queen Cerise 10/ Louis Cauz 11/ Mark Grice


Photios by Kelly Bowers


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