DECEMBER 2012 THE RIDER /27 Jr. Reporter’s Account Of The Royal Fair 2012
By Michaela Rafter, York ON. 11 years old, Grade 6, Seneca Central Public School
“Mickey get up and get dressed,” demanded my mother. “
Ugh....do I have to?” I mum- bled. Suddenly I remembered what day it was! Wednesday, November 7th, the day my mom and I were going to the Royal Winter Fair at the CNE grounds in Toronto with our friend Kelly. I jumped out of bed and got dressed. Grabbing the book I am currently reading (gotta have something to shorten the ride), I ran outside and jumped into the truck. We drove to Kelly’s and went to the show with her.
made cookies to leather goods like ostrich and alligator skins to all kinds of clothing and equine sport necessities are sold. There are also plenty of educational displays for adults and kids alike. You can learn about all different types of agri- culture in Canada.
Late in the afternoon we checked out the wide variety of food vendors to choose some- thing to eat for dinner. I had a sausage on a bun of my own and shared some of my mom’s Chinese food as we sat in line to wait to watch the Purina Super- Dogs perform. They are some- thing to see. In the jumping they raised the jump to 12 poles
was the Paso Fino named Mercy or Mercenario deLa Libertad. He had a very special way of moving that only Paso Finos can do. The fastest speed of their gait is called the paso largo. Once his rider, Camilla Willings, had shown his gaits to the watching crowd, she did something called a Musical Freestyle Demonstra- tion. She took up a pole decorated with red ribbons and rode around in circles without using her hands to steer, and twirled and pushed the pole off the ground. My mom and I thought it kind of looked like she was paddling a kayak! It was a really pretty dis- play though with the ribbons streaming. My mom’s favourite breed, the Miniature Horse, had been part of the demonstrations earlier in the week but we missed them by a day! Once the breed demonstrations were over, the show was over for the day too. It was time for us to head home. What a fun and exhausting day we had. I can’t wait for next year!
Camilla Willings and her Paso fino Mercy perform in the Spirit of The Horse at Royal Fair - photo by Michaela Rafter
Michaela Rafter (holding her Jr. reporter notes) meets a real SUPER DOG at the Royal Fair! Photo by Lori Rafter
“Finally we’re here!” I exclaimed as I jumped out of Kelly’s van in the parking lot across from the building where the Royal is held. As we headed for the press office, Kelly explained my assignment to me. As a junior reporter for The Rider, I was asked to write an article describing the Royal experience through the eyes of a youth.
The Royal Winter Fair is always an extravaganza of sights, sounds and smells! Everywhere you turn there is something exciting to see. We spent the first few hours wan- dering the vendor area where everything from yummy apple chips, kettle corn and home-
high! Almost all the dogs made it over! The winner of the show was an Ibizan Hound named Leap who actually holds the world record for jumping dogs. The SuperDogs also performed magic tricks, dance moves and races through obstacles while we cheered them on. Once the show was over we had a chance to meet and pat all the dogs. We met an Australian Shepard named Ranger whose owner was Lindsey, a German Shepard mix named Buddy owned by Kate, and a Rottweiler named Mudpie owned by Sue. My
favourite dog of the show was Puffdaddy, a huge English Sheepdog. Boy was he fluffy! We left the SuperDog arena and headed over to watch the Spirit of the Horse demon- strations. This is where you can check out many of the breeds of horses that can be found in Canada. There were a lot of awesome performances includ- ing a driving Haflinger, a tall elegant Thoroughbred who was retired from the racetrack and found a new job as a riding horse, a Gypsy Vanner with big feathered feet and lots of hair, a beautiful Arabian, a big black Friesian, an Oldenburg pinto and a pretty little Newfoundland Pony. My favourite horse of all
Experience the beauty of the Oak Ridges Moraine from the comfort of our 1870's farmhouse. Enjoy a leisurely country breakfast on the veranda then ride or drive directly into the Ganaraska Forest. Spacious box stalls and turnout for your horse and country hospitality for you. Explore the nearby towns: theatre, antiques, fine dining, and the most beautiful scenery in southern Ontario. Relaxing rural life only an hour east of Toronto. Now available at Kendal Hills, "The Hen House" a self-sufficiency bunkhouse for guests desiring a more rustic independent experience.
Cows are also an important part of The Royal Fair, photo by Michaela Rafter
Lakota offers: all aluminum trailers at lower prices All Aluminum Stock Units:
Reg. Our Price:
2-Horse Bumper Pull Straight Load w/ Change Room $16,950 $14,795 2-Horse Bumper Pull Slant Load w/ Change Room $18,060 $15,775
Stock Units Available Ready To Go!
Lakota 2 Horse Slant Load BP w/ 13 ft LQ, 8’ wide w/ entertainment pkg, w/ exterior pkg, w/ paint/decal pkg, Cowboy Decor, stainless steel appliances.
Reg. $39,500 Demo Special $32,995
CornPro 2-Horse Straight Load Combo from $7,995 CornPro 2-Horse Slant Load Combo from $8,500
Friday, December 15th, 2012 - 9:30 am All Breed Horse & Equipment Sale
Sale starts at 9:30 A.M. with a selection of harness, saddles, trailers, buggies and horse drawn equipment. Something for everyone! Followed by a good selection of all types of ponies and horses whether it is for riding, driving, roping or simply pleasure horses. We have it all!!!
Auctioneer & Sales Manager - David Carson RR #3, Listowel, ON N4W 3G8 (519) 291-2049 • Fax (519) 291-5065
www.davidcarson.on.ca email:
info@davidcarson.on.ca
Ford now offers an F-150 Max Trailer Tow Package that tows up to 11,300 lbs with the new 3.5L EcoBoost Engine. - Talk about fuel economy!
We now sell McBride Trailers from $7,500! (Support your riding/sponsoring dealers)
1 HWY#11, VAL GAGNE, ONTARIO P0K 1W0 Ph: 705 232-4051 • Fax: 705 232-6383
guays@ntl.sympatico.ca •
www.guaysgarage.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68