Melinda and Ducky
I had known of Melinda and her pony in the equestrian community long before she booked me for the River City Classic. A rider using a war bridle on the Jumper circuit doesn't go without notice and so I was very excited to receive a message from her, as it would be the chance to capture something truly unique, plus her pony looked absolutely adorable on her Instagram!
I can say without a doubt that her pony lived up to all expectations of being adorable! I fell in love with Ducky’s adorable face instantly (how could you not?)! While Melinda was off walking her course, I got to know Ducky a bit better and give her all the scratches. She certainly loved the attention and was happy to have her face cuddled to my heart’s content, especially loving the ear scratches. I think the peppermints might have helped win her over but after that we were the best of friends.
It wasn't the warmest or sunniest day, and Melinda, Ducky and I spent a large part of day trying to travel from one spot of "dry" ground to the next, avoiding puddles like the plague. As anyone who has spent this summer in Alberta would know, it has been a wet one for sure. That didn't stop us on our bright and early morning though and we all managed to stay dry. It was very enjoyable being out at the show so early in the morning and it was quiet and peaceful. Melinda was the first rider ready in her class and so the first up to try the tricky course. I was excited to see little Miss Ducky turn and burn around those corners.
Again, the little mare did not disappoint. She was just the powerhouse I had thought the little Arabian would be. She reminded me very much of a morgan-arabian cross mare that I had ridden earlier in my life. They cleared all the jumps easily and made some very tight turns, making for a neat and tidy first round. A few minutes later, and they were on to their second round. Their second round was even more impeccable than their first and Melinda came out of the ring with a big smile. Within a total of 10 minutes, most of my job as a photographer was done. It was a refreshing change from the usual horse show schedule, which tends to include a lot of waiting around. Melinda joked about how being the first rider to go, you only hear your name go down in placings from 1st, but she was wrong about that and pulled out a wonderful second place ribbon!
It was so much fun to spend the morning with Melinda and her little mare. These two were upbeat, kind and easy going and so easy to get along with. I will certainly be looking out for Melinda at shows and be sure to have extra peppermints in case I run into Ducky. This pair is certainly proving that you don’t need to be the biggest horse, or the horse with the impeccable background to excel at shows, and more importantly to have fun and I love that! From Quarter horses to Arabians, you never know when a horse might surprise you and turn out to be the exact opposite of what was expected but exactly what you needed. Thank you Melinda and Ducky for an amazing morning!
