Simon and I are going to be riding with our team at the Pennsylvania Horse World Expo http://www.horseworldexpo.com/PAmain.shtml in just under two weeks.  It is a really neat opportunity to show off our sport (mounted games) to a large variety of spectators.  Our organization, MGAA, has a great 1 hour time slot at 4pm on Saturday.   

We will be one of the five MGAA teams taking part.  Our team will be representing the adult fossil division, with other teams representing the intermediate and masters divisions.  Two of our usual teammates, Linda and Kim will be riding with Simon and I as well as two riders, Nancy and Phyllis, from one of the other teams we usually ride against. 

If you or anyone you know will be at the expo on Saturday, be sure to swing by for our time slot and cheer us on!  Mounted games loves loud cheering and good hearted heckles and our team might need the extra encouragement since we will be riding against some of the USA’s top games riders who are still in their prime!

MGAA also has a double booth for the expo which will be open Thursday-Sunday.  Linda, Kim and I, along with some other friends, will be working the booth on Friday.   We will have MGAA clothing for sale as well as great information about the sport of mounted games, equipment on hand for spectators to see up close and personal, and a selection of photos on display and video playing.  We will also have information about different clinic and competition opportunities in a variety of locations.    

Going back to the exciting riding portion of the expo, we are told that it is a spooky location and even accomplished, been-there-done-that horses get a little weirded out by the echoes and sounds.  One thing to our advantage is that most of those horses would be in the arena one at a time, performing all on their own, where our ponies will be piled into the ring with 24 others and allowed to stand in tight knit groups, toughing their buddies. 

But since it was recommended to try ear plugs, I picked up a pair of wool twist plugs in black.  I attempted to stuff them in Simon’s ears and had absolutely no luck.  I might have been successful at inserting them if I could also grow an extra arm or two to aid in the process, but I decided that even if I was able to get them in, chances were he would not be in any kind of temperate mood afterwards.  So Scratch that idea.

I had a very fuzzy memory of a ear bonnet mixed into my horse stuff so I spent some time digging around until I came up with it.  So I gave that a try last night.  Simon was fine with me putting it on, but kept twitching his ears in attempts to dislodge it so I decided to put it under his bridle instead of over it.     I now understand why people put them on top, as getting his bridle on was a little less than easy, but once it was all straight and in place he seemed less annoyed with it. 

I left it on and went for a hack around the field to see how he reacted and I was less than impressed.  The bonnet is better used over the top of ear plugs, to help hold them in, and being used on its own hardly dampens sounds.  And although Simon seemed to get to the ‘whatever’ point about it, I decided that a less annoyed pony will be the better choice for me at the expo.