Fun for all ages at local gymkhana event

On Saturday, June 10 and Sunday, June 11, equestrian skills were on full display at the Whitecourt
Agricultural Grounds for a Fun Show & Gymkhana hosted by the Woodlands Lac Ste. Anne Gymkhana
Club. For those unfamiliar with the word “gymkhana” and what it means, it describes an event that
features timed athletic skills performed on horseback or behind the wheel of a car. For this event and
purpose, it describes the former; skills on horseback done on tight constricting courses meant to put
athletes and their horses to the test.
Club treasurer Erin Barber, who also sits on the Whitecourt District Agricultural Society board and is part
of the Westward Riders Horse Club, said she is excited to see everyone enter the ring.
“Gymkhana is riding for everybody. We have riders that are two years old and riders who are 80. There
are so many divisions. Since there are peewee, junior, intermediate, ladies’ men’s and senior’s divisions,
it’s kind of adjusted to suit everybody. The kids do barrels, poles, stakes and keyholes, and the adults do
barrels, poles, stakes, and flags.”
Each event is designed to push riders through a tight course, showing off their abilities to work
cooperatively with their horse as they maneuver around intricately placed stakes, drums, chalk outlines,
or poles. Though timed and still competitive, riders don’t have to worry about hitting a particular mark
or reaching a specific time, hence the name “fun show.”
“It’s like our kick-off to the summer. It’s a welcome to Gymkhana type of thing and is exactly what the
name says because it’s just for fun. We spend $2500 on prizes, and it’s a good, fun day for everyone,”
explained Barber. “We are not registering times here. During the weekly gymkhana events, you can pay
five dollars and register your times, which can help qualify you for finals later this season. You don’t
need to qualify for this event, though I think there’s some added money. It’s just for fun, where people
can ask questions and figure it out. You don’t have to be in full Western attire, either. You must be in full
Western attire when you show (compete), or you are disqualified, but not in the fun show.”
The Woodlands Lac Ste. Anne Gymkhana Club meets every second Friday, but once school goes on
summer break, they will switch to every Wednesday. As mentioned, riders can pay to register their
times during the weekly events. The fun show is different because it allows riders to practice their skills
in a similar setting as a competition, without all the pressures that a competition may bring a rider, such
as qualification, recorded times, attire, etc.
Riders have many opportunities to add to their time count throughout the season. “Since we are
affiliated with the Edmonton Gymkhana Association, there are six different clubs, and each of those
clubs holds a trophy day, and there are provincials too. To make it to provincials, it’s a top ten in each
division through all the clubs. So, you have to be pretty good to get into the finals,” explained Barber.
She said having a competition-like event, such as the fun show, is nice to help riders find their groove
right at the beginning of the season.
The fun show also helps introduce new members to the sport and how it works. “We have so many new
riders joining us, as quite a few new families have moved here.” She said four new families had recently
moved to the area and joined.

Riders will attend countless weekend competitions throughout the summer as they try to rack up
enough points to make it into the finals. “We do a trophy day on August-long weekend, though the date
is being changed for this year because the Whitecourt Rodeo’s date had to be changed. So, we will be
figuring that out. Then, we do our Fall Classic, which is September long weekend. That’s our biggest
event where we will have around 75 riders and about 200 people out for dinner,” said Barber. “The
August event has about $3,000 in prizes, and the September Classic has $20,000 in prizes. It’s a big
show.”
The Fun Show & Gymkhana began in 1997. “That was at the rodeo grounds when they were still in town,
in Whitecourt. So, it’s a long-running event, minus a few Covid years. You can ride English or Western,
and the smiles on all the kid’s faces are great to see. I don’t have little kids anymore as my daughter who
rides is 19, but I still do this for the little kids,” said Barber.
The event ran all weekend, with spectators coming and going to watch the action and cheer on the
athletes. Saturday featured barrels, poles, stakes, flags, and keyhole-timed events. In contrast, Sunday
featured various games and patterns, including scrambled eggs, toilet paper pairs, musical apples,
thread the needle, paired foot race, and double barrels. Many families camped on-site and shared
potluck meals.