July 5 – Norway
The people in Norway helped us to feel at home with our American Flag flying high on the Forth of July.
There was significant improvement as the camp progressed. Jennifer Cassel’s smaller group included two horses that have never been ridden. By the end of the week, they both had five rides on them. Members of the intermediate group showed a huge improvement in their individual riding skills. They worked on rider position and using individual aides to train the horse. The advanced group enhanced training skills, giving the horses the chance to make a mistake and then correcting it.
Concluding on the Forth of July, we were greeted at the breakfast table with a “Congratulations on your country” and an American flag flowing in the breeze. The groups reviewed the things they had learned throughout the week and put it all to use in a fun game of blindfolded trail.
We said our goodbyes as they hooked their little cars up to their strange-looking bumper pulls. We packed up our things and waved goodbye to the hunting cabin in the forest that we called home for the week.
Our adventures continued with a night stay at the Anker Hostel in Oslo. Although four out of five of us had never stayed in a hostel, Jennifer Cassel assured us that this one far surpassed her expectations of a hostel; she has spent time traveling through Europe in the past.
Our Norway excursions ended with walk through Vigeland, a sculpture park containing 192 full-size sculptures portraying many emotions of life by Gustav Vigeland, and a stroll down Karl Johan’s Street, the main street leading to the Royal Palace.
The horses were more than enthused to work on showmanship skills.
At the international camps, the participants are allowed to bring other breeds, not just Quarter horses. In 2005, only about 50 percent of the horses in the camp were Quarter horses; this year, we are happy to see closer to 85 percent. Additionally, the quality of horses and the riders’ abilities have improved.
Participants in the camp are all AQHA members. Many have shown in all-breed shows as well as some AQHA shows. Some of the younger girls have gone on to do well at the Youth World Cup. On Wednesday, we had a chance to talk about AQHA and the different opportunities it has to offer. Participants enjoyed watching the finals from last year’s World Show and additional videos in reining and cutting.
