A New Feature on Barnmice Community News:  

We would like to thank Christilot Boylen for sharing her adventures riding on a special quadrille team for an important horse show this week in Oman.  Oman is a Sultanate on the south east corner of the Arabian Peninsula.  It has a strong and ancient history of equestrian activities and horse breeding.  The current ruler, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, has promoted modern methods alongside traditional practices of horse-keeping and holds major horse shows, races, and competitions during the year.  In December, Sultan Qaboos hosted Queen Elizabeth II of England and celebrated with an exhibition of horse and camel riding and racing, showing off tricks and special skills.

The festival in which Christilot is participating is organized for the Omani high government and military officials, as well as diplomats, Shaiks, and other dignitaries.

Grand Prix horses meet camels!!!

All three hundred of them all sitting down in the corner of the warmup ring!!!  Amazingly,after a few deep breaths and snorts,the horses accepted the camels quite easily; however, I must say, I think we would have all been gone if those camels had stood up en masse!

This is a mega show of the horse world: the Queens Black Guard Cavallery are here, the Spanish Troupe, western and driving horses, along with some of the biggest acts in the horse entertainment world, like Pineault of France with his trained horse troupe that go without saddles or bridles.

Our 7 minute Quadrille is coming together, and tomorrow evening we have a dress rehearsal to music.  After training, we get to lounge around and rest at the Shangri-la Resort hotel right on the Indian Ocean, a six-star resort made up of three separate hotels on the same beach.  It is drop dead gorgeous!

So life is good this week!