More and more people are interested in equestrian competitions. After two more difficult years for events due to the pandemic, the Association équestre gymkhana Est-du-Québec continues to expand.
Gymkhana is a discipline ofwestern riding, widespread in North America, in which the agility and speed of horse are put to the test. In fact, the gymkhana has several timed events that must be performed according to a specific pattern.
In July, Sainte-Hélène-de-Kamouraska hosted a competition for the second year and it was captured by the MAtv Bas-Saint-Laurent television team. The episodes air these weeks.
Each season, Eastern Quebec and Northern New Brunswick host approximately seven events. In 2020, we were able to hold three competitions and five in 2021, which is not so bad given the situation. The 2021 event was held in compliance with sanitary rules, but the biggest challenge was a downpour of rain the day before, which required emergency track maintenance the next day, delaying the event.
“We’re a great gang, people were patient and wanted to race,” says Sandra Soucy.
The opportunity to present the event to the general public is major, according to her. “We often talk about hockey, soccer, baseball … equestrian competitions must have been difficult to spread.”
If the competitions are not too expensive, apart from the travel costs, the costs are relatively high for the practice of the sport. Annual costs are estimated to be around $ 8,000 to $ 10,000 mainly for the maintenance and health of the animal.
