RIDERS, HORSES KNOW HOW TO SHOW SHINE.

Byline: Jim Feehan The Register-Guard

Riders in top hats rubbed elbows with sequined cowboys Sunday at the Oregon Horse Center in northwest Eugene.

About 200 people competed in the fourth annual Summer Showcase featuring American saddlebreds, Morgans, harness ponies and other breeds. Riders from Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho and British Columbia competed in three different categories: English, Western and driving.

Driving involves pulling a buggy, similar to harness racing, while the others are defined by what the riders wear.

"Each discipline has its own attire - and don't call it a costume," event organizer Julie Harper said.

English riders wear top hats and tails, with black vests and satin ties. Think equestrian events at the Olympics.

Western riders sport cowboy hats, chaps and sequined shirts and vests. Think Robert Redford in the movie, "The Electric Horseman."

And don't expect a saddle horse to plow the back 40 acres. Saddle horses are bred and trained for riding. Medium-sized and often dark-colored with a white face, the horses are characterized by a long, swanlike neck and a free, easy gait.

Several of the 160 horses at Sunday's event carry six-figure price tags as high as $350,000, said Dana Paparo, a trainer at Far Niente Stables in Pleasant Hill.

"Saddlebred horses are the peacocks of the show," she said.

Some of Hollywood's favorite horses were saddlebred, including the animals in "National Velvet" and "Black Beauty," said Catherine Gallo, a Eugene neurosurgeon.

Gallo, who learned to ride growing up in rural Louisiana, won in the American saddlebred Western pleasure category Sunday atop her 9-year-old gelding, Presley.

"You have to partner with the horse and understand its mood and personality," Gallo said.

The competition is similar to dog showmanship events. Judges look for how closely the horses adhere to breed standards, how well they perform prescribed routines during competition and their overall appearance, Paparo said.

"Their coat has to have a nice sheen to it," she said.

Meanwhile, back in the well-appointed stable area with its monogrammed director's chair and canvas curtains, ornate lamps, planters and framed art work, 16-year-old Demi Ruffatto of Pleasant Hill was grooming her 6-year-old saddle horse, Kaysi.

In only her second year, Ruffatto won in the junior English exhibit pleasure category, advancing her to the world championships at the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville next month.

"It's such an adrenaline rush. I'll go back there and try not to make any mistakes," she said.

CAPTION(S):

Catherine Gallo, a Eugene neurosurgeon, won in the American saddlebred Western pleasure category riding her 9-year-old gelding, Presley, at the Summer Showcase horse show on Sunday. "You have to partner with the horse and understand its mood and personality," Gallo says. Wayne Eastburn / The Register-Guard Wayne Eastburn / The Register-Guard Demi Ruffatto, of Far Niente Stables in Pleasant Hill, sprays water on Doubletree's Well Kept Secret to shine its coat and tail before it competed in the Summer Showcase on Sunday.