Exmouth - rain, sunshine, horses

I popped out to take some photographs the Exmouth Horse & Pony Club's Gymkhana last weekend (remember the sneak peek) and we had it all, weather-wise: dark foreboding clouds, blind you painfully sunshine, dull flat grey skies, brilliant blue skies with bright white floaty clouds, happy fat raindrops, torrential downpours. Luckily the rain held off on day one until all the competitions were done but then it bucketed down all night and part of the next morning. There was doubt about the upcoming jumping events due to the havoc caused by the heavy rain, but the sun came out strong late in the morning and they were able to move the jumping area to more suitable ground.

This was definitely a family event and the kids watched the action intently.

The barrel racing was great fun to watch and there was only one rider who went flying off his mount at barrel three. I loved watching the concentration and joy on each rider's face - these guys were having a great time!





Cowboy

Day two had lots of fun team games followed by jumping events after the lunch break. I never would have thought balancing a tennis ball on a traffic cone from the back of a horse would be so difficult, but it did appear to be a challenge for some! This little girl made it look easy though.

I do so love to watch horses & riders jumping!



This guy patiently waited his turn but kept creeping a little closer and a little closer to us, the spectators! He had a bit of a mischievous grin, but was very well behaved.



And the same rider also rode a gorgeous dark horse


It was an excellent weekend and everyone who was there got involved in one way or another - even the little ones

I liked some of the more rustic bits I found about the place and of course, what would a horse & pony club be without the appropriate loo signs?


If you were there or if you'd just like to see more the whole gallery is up at Kristin Anderson Photography. Images are available for purchase and I am donating 20% of every sale to the Exmouth Horse & Pony Club plus offering a great deal for those who book a new portrait session, so check it out!