Video at the Link.
Posted on 05/27/2011 12:59:31 PM PDT by billorites
FARMINGTON -- While the state has yet to officially cancel any events involving horses that might have been exposed to a local recent equine herpes outbreak, owners and arenas are taking precautions.
Because of the outbreak, contestants at the Davis County Sheriff's Mounted Posse Junior Queen Contest had to cowgirl up Thursday night without their mares.
Instead of competing on horses, as is typically the case, contestants were asked to trot around the arena with stick horses as their show ponies.
The only horses in the arena were in this bucket.
"It's kind of weird, but you can't really help that the disease is going around," said former queen Savanna Steed. She said the stick horses will test the riders' knowledge of whether they know the routine, rather than letting the horse do all the work.
Utah has 13 suspected and seven confirmed cases of equine herpes virus after horses at a regional cutting horse competition at the Golden Spike Arena in Ogden first showed symptoms of the illness.
Horse herpes is not sexually transmitted and is not considered a danger for humans, but it is highly contagious among horses and other animals of the equine family. The most common way for the virus to spread is by direct horse-to-horse contact, but it can also spread through the air, contaminated equipment, clothing and hands.
The disease can be fatal to horses and is incurable. "Instead of using horses, we are testing the girls' knowledge and ability to adapt." -Posse Member Kim Jensen
Posse member Kim Jensen said the annual contest has already been postponed for a week to possibly wait out the quarantine, but as it is still in effect for all public arenas, the Mounted Posse Junior Queen Contest had to go on.
"Instead of using horses, we are testing the girls' knowledge and ability to adapt," she said. "This will test if they know the pattern, but they are disappointed they don't have their real horses."
The contestants still showed their horsemanship, though with a little more effort.
"With a stick horse it's a lot different because you have to do all the work, and I think it's going to be a lot more tiring than with a real horse," said contestant Kylie Felter.
What really shined were the true traits of a queen: poise and personality amid trying times.
"It will give you experience for if you happen to have a problem like this later in life," Steed said with a smile. "You already have the experience of riding a stick horse!"
Ladies, we tip our hats to you.
Video at the Link.
Best headline of the year.
Oh, Horse Herpes!
The imagination runs wild...
Sounds like a Beatles tune.
“She’s got a sick pony to ride”
The imagination runs wild...
Mmmmustt....notttt.....cccommenttttt!..............
There is only one way to add to the impact of that ‘second to none’ headline. It should have been listed as coming from a San Francisco source.
I guess you know how I took it. LOL
Utah ... y’aught’a be ashamed of y’self !
.
Woah, who wrote that headline??
Too funny!
Turns out it was Bill Clinton's fault. From behind, the horse looked like Monica...
How stunningly insulting. People don't even know when they are being mocked anymore - it's so discouraging to see. And the smiling "administrators" who not only impose this kind of cruelty, but force their victims to thanks them for it, are literally enemies of humanity.
Oh yeah, I go to far, right? That's why it's perfectly reasonable to expect men to be told to use "stick ponies" too, right? Just visualize that for a moment... And why, of all groups, young women are made to hop around with, for God's sake, a stick between their legs, and it's considered "reasonable."
Fifty years ago, the person who even suggested this "solution" would have had their teeth punched in by every father of every contestant.
Bah. Sometimes I feel that the war's already lost without a shot.
I had to get a look at her.
Now my computer's full of teenage rodeo queen pictures. I hope my wife doesn't walk in suddenly.
I would find all the jumps pretty difficult.
are those brooms clean??
have they been tested??
and you want them to put the brooms WHERE????
for shame!!
Who got the Palamino??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.