An Evening of Celebration in Headwaters Horse Country

One of the things I love about Ontario’s Central Counties is the variety of things I can do in the region. I have experienced a lot of amazing things like a demolition derby, Horse pull competitions, great local fairs and even a Rodeo! So when I was asked to check out a free event in Headwaters Horse Country that promised food, wine, art and horses I have to say my curiosity got the best of me. I made my way up to Orangeville’s Event Centre and entered the Agricultural Society building for a fabulous evening meant to celebrate this amazing equestrian community!

Did you know that Headwaters in Central Counties is getting ready to host many of the equestrian events of the TO2015 Pan Am Games?  That’s one of the interesting things I learned at this great event hosted by the Headwaters Equine Leadership Group.

Fabulous Food

Local culinary enthusiasts and businesses from the Headwaters region of Central Counties were on hand to sample some of their most delicious treats. Music was playing in the background and small tables in the centre of the room soon were bustling with activity as people shuffled in to sample some of the food and enjoy a glass of wine.
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Beef Bourguignon with Roasted Potatoes

Headwaters Art Contest

On display at the event were pieces of art from the finalists of the signature art contest. There were over 70 entries from artists in the area all hoping that their art would be chosen to represent the Headwaters Horse Country region. The finalists art included photography, sketch drawing, paintings and even a sculpture.
Finalists in the Headwaters Art Contest
The winning entry was a beautiful, colourful oil painting from Amanada Melinz called Show Horse and it will be used in marketing materials for the Horse Country Region this year.

The Forging Demonstration (the Horse Shoe Fitting demo)

While sipping wine and sampling food we watched as this beautiful horse got brand new shoes! The process was pretty fascinating. First the old shoes were removed and the horses hoof was sanded down.
Horse shoe demonstration
The old horse shoes were then placed in a hot kiln and the men worked on them one by one. There was lots of precision hammering on the hot rings. The rings were then cooled and reapplied to the horse.

Horse Power Live Show

After sampling all the great local flavours and enjoying a few drinks the crowd moved into the main arena for the most anticipated part of the evening, the Horse Power Live show. The Headwaters Horse Country has a new show geared toward family entertainment. A fun look at the different types of horses in the region with a mystical flare!
Horse Power Live
Set to music the horses and their mystical riders were introduced one by one including this magic fairy on her unicorn.
Fun at Horse Power Live
Horses were put through a series of challenges including a game of galloping musical chairs, pole bending and trick riding. In the prancing pole bending challenge, the different horses were put to the test as they raced around the poles in teams. The crowd cheered on either Team Red or Team Blue and Team Red came out on top!
Prancing Pole Bending Challenge
There were also some thrills as we watched trick riders hanging of the sides of their horses as they raced around the ring. Some tricks done individually while others in pairs.
Crazy Trick Riding at Horse Power Live
Scary way to ride horses around a ring
Balance and precision at Horse Power Live
This was such a fun event. I love visiting the Headwaters Horse Country region for these great horse shows and I’m looking forward to 2015 season and the PanAm Games!
Sharon Mendelaoui is a Thornhill based travel writer. Her blog dreamtravelmagazine.com is an online travel magazine filled with travel tips, hotel and excursion reviews and dream vacation destinations and experiences.