Lauren's Blog post # 2

Branching Out  




Tomorrow I embark on a journey that will take me to a far away land drawn by fierce wanderlust, fulfillment of childhood equestrian dreams, and matters of the heart. Eager to abandon ship, or more specifically my truck at some ungodly cement parking structure in LosAngeles, my bags are packed with my favorite breeches, boots, and books for the two-week trip ahead of me.

My first stop will be Vienna, Austria to explore the city but more importantly visit the Spanish Riding School; a dream I’ve held since the age of six as I wore out the pages of my favorite book in awe of the images of the cathedral-like arena and flyinghorses. I'll admit I unsuccessfully tried to teach my yellow lab the complicated movements of piaffe, passage, and levade... and it goes without saying my mother broke down and bought me a pony soon thereafter.

Needless to say, I am beyond ecstatic to see this dream become a reality. Following my stop in Vienna, I will be making my way to Slovakia to a training facility for the traditional and historically rich sport of horseback archery. The Vermes family runs this unique equestrian program based in ancient practices of sportsmanship, and physical and spiritual balance. Members of their tribe all contribute to the well being of the horses, facility, and team as a whole, as practices include ranch upkeep and maintenance, fitness programs, and character development in addition to riding and archery.

I was fascinated at the breadth ofthis program when I first heard about it, however unsure how/where/with whom they had such a following and presence in the European equestrian world. As it turns out, it’s a pretty big deal, and their level of competition is surprisingly rigorous in an international field.

Now, you might be thinking,how does this pertain to the wonderful world of Eventing? Let me draw you a picture.Thanks to Google Translate I was able to unearth the complexities that is competitive horseback archery and other related games. What I found was nothing short of mind-blowing. Envision this; you’re running cross-country. You’ve hit the long gallop between fence 5 and 6. It’s a relatively straight path and you’ve settled into a comfortable pace. You check your timer and you’re on target - time to whip out your bow and arrow, abandon all control (i.e. drop the reins), and successfully nail three bull’s-eyes 75 feet away at breezy 570mpm. Got it? Great. Continuing on.

Put your weaponry back in its scabbard, we are far from finished. But get this done quickly because there is a complex of banks and ditches up ahead. This is all before the part where you have to reach down and grab a 45 lb. pig carcass and carry it through the watercomplex. Once bacon successfully arrives on the other side of the pond, we hit yet another long gallop towards yet another water complex. Approximately three strides before the bank into water you must pick up your spear. Sometime before you exit the water and after you splash down without impaling either yourselfand/or your mount, and hurl your javelin at a moving target. Did I mention the axewielding?

These people successfully combined running cross-country with ancient warfare in the most epic of ways, and the next time I hear anyone (myself included) complain over the looks of the skinny element on the way out of the water, I'll be sure to consult "YouTube a la horseback archery" and feel a lot better about the task at hand.

Touché, my European friends. However I think I could pull together a team of event riders and give some of your soldiers a serious run for their money. Archery practice starts tomorrow. I believe the take home message here is this; never stop exploring. Whether that is in your own back yard or one halfway across the world, always branch out and seek more adventure. From taking lessons with a reined cow horse trainer to visiting the Spanish Riding School, I am confident that everything I do in maximizing my equestrian experience can only benefit the hooved creatures closest to home. I can’t wait to bring back tales of travel and experience and blog-all-about-it. I am sure there will be plenty of stories to share!

Bon Voyage, Until Next time ~ Lauren Spence