Not yet ready for prime time with your horse? Here's a great option for NM horse and rider pairs who could use some competition experience in a low-stress environment:

Horse Play Days!

As reported in the Valencia News Bulletin this past weekend, long-time horse trainer J.T. Edmonds has organized a series of "Horse Play Days" at the Valencia County Rodeo Grounds in Belen, New Mexico. These events are designed to give New Mexico kids and their horses an opportunity to compete in a setting that is

• Low Cost
• Low Stress
• Full of opportunities for practice, praise, and yes, ribbons, too!

The competitions are geared to skill levels rather than age, so your sixteen-year-old novice rider won't have to compete with the kids who've been doing competitve barrel racing since the age of five! The events are especially good for green horses, green riders, or both. The Horse Play Days focus on barrel racing, flags, and pole-bending. The competitions are open to all, and the cost is low: just $5 per event to compete, and only $3 per event for an exhibition ride.

The Horse Play Days will be held on the following Sundays beginning at 1:00:

April 20th, May 25th, June 8th, and July 6th.

There will also be a Friday evening competition on August 22nd at 7:00 p.m. For more information, contact J.T. Edmonds at 864-8035. For information about horse properties, or just the New Mexico Horse scene in general, visit my website, or contact me any time by email at Laura@LauraWarden.com or call my cell phone at (505)869-7223.