CWMNANT ENGLISH/WESTERN FUN WEEKEND
24th AND 25th May 2008
I know the mere mention of cowboys, let alone Indians, is likely to send most self respecting Western Riders into a frenzy of indignation but I just can’t resist mentioning ‘Wild West’ and ‘Tregaron’ in the same breath! Whenever I make the trek west to visit the Crowe family’s fantastic indoor Western venue, I get a bit of the feel of early pioneering settler about me. I’m not sure if it’s the interminable twisting road from Llandovery to Lampeter or the one-horse-town nature of Tregaron itself but once on-site, nothing could be further from that image.
The shows and attractions that are conjured up by all and sundry at Cwmnant are a joy to behold with every comfort laid on in the shape of a hugely warm welcome, continuous hot food and drinks, every type of accommodation for your horse, informative clinics, evening reining display, barbecue, ‘retail therapy outlets’, tasty Western classes to enter, a hugely relaxed (non confrontational!) atmosphere plus this year, on the late May Spring Bank Holiday weekend, a bonus of a Cambrian Mountain Pleasure Ride, courtesy of Endurance GB South and West Wales Group.
It’s a measure of the Cwmnant welcome that several days before the Show I contacted Nigel to say that my horse was ‘indisposed’ but that I had another little “fat cob” I could bring who not only had never been in an arena of any kind but had never even sniffed any sort of Western competition. The “all are welcome” message came through loud and clear. So off I set with Sparky in tow on a fairly damp and dreary Brecon morning. We were greeted with Tregaron sunshine on our arrival with lashings of Cwmnant optimism for the weekend.
The Endurance ride commenced almost immediately which was hugely well attended and such was the friendliness of the event, I was able to team up with another lone lady rider on a fairly hot 5 year old cob. Sparky, who is 22, was in heaven competing for first place over the 10 miles of stunning Cambrian countryside, which shot by in a blur of kamikaze proportions, arriving back at Cwmnant amongst mutters of “how old did you say your pony was?” The weather remained steadfastly sunny.
Barely had we wiped the sweat from our brows than we were into Thea Lloyd’s Pre Show Western Clinic in the Indoor Arena -described in the programme as a chance to practice some classes and familiarise your horse with the arena and equipment before the show. Perfect for Sparky who initially balked at the sight of sand on the ground let alone coloured poles to negotiate. Thea’s quiet but thorough tuition had us all clambering up humpbacked bridges and shimmying through the gate like pros before the end. Sparky with his keen ‘on button’ showed a vague aptitude for reining, which I had no idea existed, by demonstrating a couple of spins to the right and left much to Nigel’s amusement.
Much supping of tea (thanks Joe) and catching up with old friends over a bit of retail therapy ensued. Again a feel of ‘the frontier’ pervading the proceedings as we lounged on trailer ramps in the afternoon sun before the evening activities were brought on. Congrats on the first really tasty veggie burger I think I’ve tasted! And good to exchange news over a touch of the hard stuff before being treated to a fabulous cabaret in the shape of Lisa on her new reining horse who performed a fantastic display and then proceeded to allow others in the audience ‘have a go’ on her. Pity Sparky hadn’t been watching in the audience to get an idea of what he might aspire to. Fabulous.
Because of the price of diesel and with half an eye on my carbon footprint, I decided for the first time to sleep in the back of my truck amidst much barracking from Steve Young who was attempting to do the same in his saloon!! I think I got the better deal despite my new lilo deflating during one of the coldest May nights on record judging from the Quasi Modo act Steve was performing at 6 a.m. in an attempt to get his horse ready for the show.
And what a lovely show too. Quite a master stroke to have an English judge as well as Western. So thanks to Thea again and Mrs. Liz Harries and also Heather Gwillim for all the careful deliberations which gave so much pleasure to all the competitors. Nigel and Sheelagh provided a wonderful benchmark of expertise in Pleasure and Horsemanship and us lesser mortals were tickled pink to be in the ribbons for the first time!!
I know the weather turned sour on the Sunday during the Show, but PLEASE all at Cwmnant don’t let this put you off in your plans for future shows. If Sparky and I are anything to go by, all attendees had a wonderful time and would like to give our heartfelt thanks to all who so diligently helped in putting it all on.
Fran Groves and Sparky
