RIDGEFIELD — Twins Clare and Erin Welch, 3, and sister Gwyn, 4, of Ridgefield love horses and have said they’d like to take riding lessons one day, said their dad, Dan.
On Saturday, the girls each rode a pony at the Washington State Horse Expo.
Nearby, spectators watched Mark Bolender do a demonstration he called, “Trail Inspiration,” with his quarter horse, Checkers, on which he’s won three titles at the National Mountain Trail Championships.
Bolender, of Silver Creek, impressed the crowd with the control he had over his unbridled horse.
Too many trail riders get injured because they don’t have control, Bolender said, and control comes from developing a bold, confident horse.
“It’s not about domination,” Bolender said after the demonstration. “It’s about a partnership. This horse has freedom to be itself. I want to bring out his natural beauty.”
From novices to experts, it was all things equine at the three-day expo at the Clark County Event Center at the Fairgrounds.
Bolender told admirers that owners have to believe in their horses.
“So often we don’t believe, so they don’t do it. A lot of it is a mind game,” he said.
He said he trains horses on a 32-foot-long balance beam so the animal will be confident with its footing, which is a necessary skill on a steep, narrow trail.
“Their instinct is absolutely amazing,” he said. “The man who knows how will always be working for the man who knows why.”
Along with demonstrations, there were booths for horse gear, horse care and horse organizations.
The first-time event was organized by Maryjo Turnbull, owner of Turnbull Horsemanship in Battle Ground.
According to figures from research conducted by the Clark County Executive Horse Council, interest in horses is high here.
A 2009 study showed that 7,633 households in the county have horses; the average number of horses among those households is four.
The county has an estimated 29,000 horses, and those equine owners spend a total of $50 million a year on basic care and maintenance.
Anita Will, who recently undertook an effort to restore Whipple Creek, was at a booth Saturday. The Battle Ground resident was taking the opportunity provided by the expo to educate people and raise money for her goal to restore an old mill hidden in the woods at Whipple Creek Park near the fairgrounds.
She said she hopes the expo returns next year, and said it does makes sense for Clark County to be home to such an event.
“There are a lot of horses here,” Will said.
Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4508 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.
