‘Passion for the horses’ draws riders from far and wide for Arabian championship

Soft jazz covers of well-known songs echo through the Keystone Centre, then the music pauses and celebratory sounds flood the main arena as the top competitor in the show class accepts the flowery red award.

Canada’s National Arabian Championship — an annual breed-specific equine competition — kicked off the week of main-arena events on Monday, drawing interest from competitors more than 3,000 kilometres away for the show.

“(It’s) just the passion for the horses,” said Ashley Lauren Wilson, a longtime competitor, former judge, breeder and trainer of several Arabian and Arabian-derived horses, who travelled from Florida to participate.

She says she enjoys the competitive nature of the sport and travels annually to compete.

The British Columbia-born rider began competing in Arabian-specific shows in 1997, with a brief pause during COVID-19. While she hasn’t competed yet this year, she’s at the arena by 7 a.m., feeding, lunging and nursing horses every day — as many people are.

The rules of the shoes fall on Todd Bailey and the small team of farriers supporting horses from the ground up — literally.

“We’ll get here an hour before the start and set up by 7:30 a.m., and there will be days this week (when) we’ll finish at 10 p.m.,” he said.

As farriers at the show, it’s their responsibility to look after the hooves and horseshoes for more than 300 competing horses from across North America, which Bailey said can feel like a lot of pressure.

“We try to put mechanics (of the horse) into the shoes” to “enhance their movement,” while also following the strict weight and length measurements of the shoe, in adherence with standards set by Equestrian Canada — the governing body of equine sports in Canada, Bailey said.

The two farriers, one from Saskatchewan and the other from Alberta, are set up in a green barn outside the centre, where a golf cart sits ready to go at a walkie-talkie’s notice.

Due to the fast-paced nature of an Arabian’s movement in several show classes, it’s not uncommon for the layered and heavy shoe pack to fly off in the show — which halts the event — until a farrier can reattach the package.

“From the time we touch the horse, we have seven minutes,” Bailey said. If the task takes more than that, or a shoe falls off a second time, the competitor is eliminated, adding to the strenuous job.

Bailey drove to Brandon from Saskatoon for the competition, the only one he still works at, as it’s the biggest Arabian-breed specific competition in Canada.

Prior to COVID-19, the National Arabian Championship was organized by an American association.

In 2022, the association planned to resume hosting the competition in Brandon, but cancelled. The same year, a group of Canadian Arabian and Arabian-derived breeders and trainers, rallied to jumpstart the show again, according to Dana Romijn, president of National Arabian Breed Society, the Canadian-based non-profit organization responsible for planning, hosting and overseeing the competition.

“The driving force for us is (that) the industry needed it,” Romijn said, explaining that without this show, the competition season could have ended in July for many in the industry.

Since the first national competition in 2022, entry numbers have steadily increased from around 200 horses to 300, according to Romijn, which she says is abnormal in today’s climate.

“There’s a decline in the industry,” she said, citing the costly factors of the sport and economic instability.

The nine-day competition with western, English, dressage, hunter and more show classes reflect the adaptability of an Arabian horse.

“An Arabian is incredibly versatile,” said Romijn, explaining the strengths vary by bloodlines. “No other breed can do that.”

Under the cloak of professionalism and showmanship, Romijn says Arabians are “friendly, loving, people-pleasing horses.”

This Friday, the show will host a Community Day, giving spectators the opportunity to meet the horses and explore the barns. Guided tours and kid-friendly activities will also be available all day.

» rgerrard@brandonsun.com