A BIG DEAL for quarter horse lovers.Byline: Mike Stahlberg The Register-Guard DEXTER - Next to his horse, a cowpoke in the early American West was likely to be most fond of the game of poker. So it's not all that surprising that quarter horses, the American-bred workhorse work·horse n. 1. Something, such as a machine, that performs dependably under heavy or prolonged use: "the 50-year-old DC-3 ... favored by cowboys, and poker came together here Saturday. The occasion was the fifth annual "Poker Ride," sponsored by the Oregon Foundation Quarter Horse Club (OFQHC). About 80 horses and riders from throughout Oregon - plus a couple from Idaho - showed up for the group's annual trail ride and fund-raiser at Elijah Bristow State Park. The "poker" part of the ride, however, had little relation to the betting and "I'm-all-in" bluffing popularized by poker tournament A poker tournament is a tournament in which the winners are decided by playing poker, usually a particular style of poker. Contrast this to a ring game, where the game is ongoing with no formal structure to determine a single winner in a certain length of time. programs on cable TV. Each participant in the Poker Ride did have to ante up $5 for a "hand," or $20 for five hands. But the drawing of seven-card stud Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. hands was simply a method of distributing prizes by chance - although there was a modicum mod·i·cum n. pl. mod·i·cums or mod·i·ca A small, moderate, or token amount: "England still expects a modicum of eccentricity in its artists" Ian Jack. of skill involved. Riders had to follow a route, marked by pink ribbons, that led past seven buckets hung alongside several miles of horse trail that loop around the outer edge of the park. They removed a token from each bucket, and exchanged each token for a playing card after returning to the start. Miss a bucket and you got to draw only six cards instead of seven. The rider who drew the highest-ranking poker hand - which turned out to be a straight flush, queen high - got to pick from among the saddle bags and other horse-related prizes displayed on several picnic tables A picnic table (or sometimes a picnic bench) is a modified table with benches expressly for the purpose of eating a meal outdoors (picnicking). In the past, picnic tables were typically made of wood, but modern tables can be made out of anything from recycled plastic to . The second-best hand picked second, and so on down the line. "Everybody will walk away with something today," said Heidi Olds, chair of the OFQHC's recreation riding committee and organizer of the event. The poker-hand raffle raised "a little over a thousand dollars" for the group's National Trail Ride program, which encourages members to go on rides with other club members. `The person who logs in the most trial rides between April 1 and Oct. 31 wins a custom trail saddle," Olds said. "You have to ride with at least one other club member, and have to haul (trailer the horse) at least one mile." Olds and her horse, "Docs Poco po·co adv. Music To a slight degree or amount; somewhat. Used chiefly as a direction. [Italian, from Latin paucus; see pau-1 in Indo-European roots.] Ripple," won the saddle in 2003, logging 71 trail rides and more than 300 miles. "It's all about riding," Olds said of the club, which welcomes all breeds of horses and non-member riders to its Poker Ride, campouts, trail rides and clinics. Club members' equestrian equestrian a rider of horses. focus, however, is on riding a particular kind of horse - one with bloodlines at least 80 percent American ranch-bred quarter horse, a muscular "bulldog bulldog, breed of thick-set nonsporting dog developed in the British Isles many centuries ago. It stands from 13 to 15 in. (33–38.1 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 40 to 50 lb (18.1–22.7 kg). " of a working horse known for short bursts of speed over a quarter-mile or so. In other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , the kind of horse a cowboy could love. Quarter horses were so named because "they were always good for short-distance bursts of speed - things like chasing down cattle," Olds said. "And they're very versatile, all-around horses. They have a good temperament and they're not generally real huge." Concern that quarter horse bloodlines were being diluted by thoroughbred Thoroughbred Light breed of racing and jumping horse descended from three desert stallions brought to England between 1689 and 1724. Thoroughbreds have a delicate head, slim body, broad chest, and short back. Most are bay, chestnut, brown, black, or gray. bloodlines led to the creation of the "foundation" quarter horse movement about 10 years ago. The National Foundation Quarter Horse Association, now based in Joseph, was founded in 1995. NFQHA's Oregon affiliate has about 400 members, Olds said. Horseback riding horseback riding: see equestrianism. is generally a form of recreation enjoyed by individuals or small groups. The appeal of club events "is the camaraderie," Olds said. "We all share the same interests, and it's as much a social event for us as an event for our animals." The OFQHC holds 10 meetings a year, generally in Sandy, and puts on three shows and four clinics a year. The annual Poker Ride is at Elijah Bristow State Park, Olds said, because it has good trails and is centrally located for the statewide membership. Additional information about the club and its activities is available on its Web site: www.ofqhc.com. CAPTION(S): Quarter horse riders complete the Poker Ride course around Elijah Bristow State Park near Dexter last weekend. Quarter horse owners turned in their cards for a shot at prizes during the OFQHC's Poker Ride. A quarter horse owner tends to his steed steed see nag. at the Poker Ride. |
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