The 2nd annual Musical Freestyle event, held on September 6th at Red Tail Farm, provided both excitement and entertainment. There was a large crowd of spectators, chairs and picnics in hand, ready to enjoy the beautiful summer weather.
As everyone eagerly awaited the showβs beginning, the first act, a group of children rode their stick ponies into the ring, while the ringmaster used his lunge whip to keep everyone moving along. As the kids wrapped up their βrides,β local cowboy, Ben Cano from B.W. Furlong Associates showcased his roping skills, truly making it feel like we were at the Dutton Ranch or in the Wild West.
For the second year in a row, the judge for the evening was Heather Mason, an S level judge, the highest level of National judge licensure you can receive in the US. Heather owns Flying Change Farm in Lebanon, NJ, where she trains and teaches.
The evening started with a trip to the stars with the first musical freestyle rider, Evelyn Dietz on Ginerella. She launched the show with a super cute performance dressed as a tiny astronaut, taking the audience to outer space!
Evelyn was a tough act to follow, yet several outstanding riders stepped up. Among them was Mane Stream Board Member, Madison Rezaei, whose horse, Wellie Welcome playfully asked for donations for Mane Stream, sporting large dollar signs painted on its hindquarters. Other standout performances included themes from Beauty and the Beast and two lions from The Lion King.
During intermission, spectators were treated to a Quadrille plus 2 featuring six performers on their βhobby horses.β The performance went smoothly, except for one horse that kept misbehaving. Rider Mariano Granados did a commendable job of managing his horse while maintaining the integrity of the performance. (wink, wink)
The team performances were nothing short of spectacular; each team put in tremendous effort and delivered rides as impressive as the last, impressing the judge and racking up high scores! We were also fortunate to witness Jessie Steiner riding her elegant mount Snappy in a professional dressage performance that showcased the pinnacle of her riding career.
The finale brought down the house with a vibrant 90's-inspired routine from Madison Rezaei and Tea Uzman. Both riders adorned their horses in glowing neon tack, while they donned fluorescent pink riding outfits. As the young stick horse riders distributed glow sticks to the audience, Madison and Tea had everyone dancing, singing, cheering, and contributing to the cause!
A heartfelt thank you to Red Tail Farm and all the riders who participated in this Magical Musical Freestyle Show to support Mane Stream! This year the fundraising stakes were high as a mysterious matching donor committed to match the first $10K. So when the evening was done and all was accounted for a total of just over $22K was raised thanks to the incredible support from all!
Thank you to the competitors (in order of appearance)
Evelyn Dietz, Madison Rezaei, Lila Rockmore & Katie Berger, Sophie Wayner, Liliian Mikulski & Paige Zimmerman, Quadrille (or sextette really) names: Jessica Dinonne, Mariano Granados, Jennifer Miranda, Morgan Myrdal, Madison Rezaei, Tea Uzman, Abby Fodor, Katie Berger & Frederick Rodriguez, Jessie Steiner, Alessia Morgan & Hassini Raj, Madison Rezaei & Tea Uzman.