Thanks, guys!
There is a bit of a story behind the photo. First of all, when Bob was taking photos at Villa and Chad was watching my classes, Bob figured out that the guy standing by him was my husband. Bob said that it is hard to photograph black horses because the lighting is challenging. (I have heard that from other photographers, too.) So I didn't figure that I had a shot in the dark at getting in the calendar.
So when Bob had emailed me about using a photo of us in the calendar, I was surprized. Actually, I didn't think that was the best photo of me he took at that show, especially because I am wearing sunglasses (for an obstacle class), and that is now my least favorite hat (the hat is fine, but it was my standard hat for a number of years. I am so tired of wearing it, I didn't even take it to Villa last year. That way, it couldn't be photographed!
) And the class that photo was taken in was Gambler's Choice obstacles. It was the last class of the show, and I took a gamble and tried an obstacle that no one else in my division did. If I would have completed it (setting a cone upright, which I got until it fell over the other way....
), I would have won the class, but instead it was the only class I didn't place in!
That was fine, because it didn't affect my point status and that way someone else got a ribbon.
A couple of years ago, I said that if I got in the Mischka calendar, I would have to be done driving because that would be the ultimate! But I guess I am not ready to quit yet, so I will have to go for a big photo instead of a little one!
(Not that I have
any control over that!)
The gentleman with the Friesian Sport Horse on the big photo is a friend of our's and a super nice guy! That horse is perfect for him. Dane is fairly young, but he doesn't have mean bone in his body. Dave takes him out virtually every day and sometimes more than that. They drive in the woods and practice standing in the middle of it while Dave drinks his coffee and reads the paper (I'm sure he doesn't put down his reins). Dave was Best of Show at the Columbus Carriage Classic last year against competition that has been to Walnut Hill. We keep trying to convince him to take Dane out East, but Dave wants a different vehicle first.
We have a celebrity in our midst!
Oh, I don't know about that!
(For those of you that don't have access to the calendar, here is the photo
http://www.mischkapics.com/Equines/Driving-Horses/091109-Villa-Louis-Classic/9602573_P56td/59/665941757_FXwti/Medium
Myrna