amazing camels

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fran

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Sep 2, 1999
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Okay, I know we're here to talk horses, but I just had to say something about the most extraordinary thing I saw at Olympia on Saturday - bactrain camels doing dressage to music. Into the arena came these two camels, with their riders in full dressage gear, wedged between the two humps. Everyone roared with laughter but then it went very quiet as the camels started their pas de deux and some pretty nifty lateral work. Even more incredible stuff followed when the camels went into canter and started doing flying changes. All this riding bareback and with bitless bridles! It really was out of this world, and the camels in their purple headbands looked like something out of Starwars. Afterwards I thought if anything proves classical training methods this must - apparently if camels don't want to do what they're asked, they spit, shout and lie down.
Anyway, hope everyone has a brilliant christmas - very best wishes to all,
fran
 
fran, that is *incredible*! i can hardly even wrap my mind around camels being trained to do dressage, much less with bitless bridles and no saddles! absolutely amazing.

the minute i finished reading your post, i went to Altavista to see what i could find about these dressage camels - found the Olympia Internation Show-Jumping Championships home page, but unfortunately, no pictures of those extraordinary animals. but what a fabulous event this must have been in general! i am, of course, horribly jealous. ;)

thanks so much for telling us about it. :D

-cyn


[This message has been edited by cynthia (edited 21 December 1999).]
 
actually, my first thought was "wow, right between the two humps?! isn't that REALLY uncomfortable?", and then i read that they weren't using a saddle - yikes!

then again, i don't exactly know much about camel conformation, so maybe it's perfectly comfy. besides which, i'm not so sure they make saddles to fit camels. ;)

still - i want pictures! did you happen to take any, fran? or anyone know of any websites? think i could get them to come to my barn and peform in our indoor?? (ha, ha)

:rolleyes:
 
Hi Cyn and Medalia - there is one picture on the web: go to http://www.kickon.com/fullstory.asp?id=186
where there's a not great picture but you'll get the idea. The guy who owns them is German, and fell in love with camels after being a zookeeper. His girlfriend is a dressage rider - and I think they just put all those ideas together. They take the camels on holiday with them...I'd love to know where they go! Watching them, they actually looked quite comfy, and they (the camels, that is) had the most fabulous furry coats, so lots of padding for the riders. If you get them to come to your barn, Cyn, can I come and watch?
 
Hi,

I saw this on the TV yesterday from the Dog agility and I thought the whole show was absolutly brilliant and I would have done anything to be there.

Karen

[This message has been edited by Kaz (edited 25 December 1999).]
 
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