ae SAANICH PENINSULA AND GULF ISLANDS REVIEW =O; a a S 52 = G to maintain over the years. ». Pony. racing was. presented for A crowd of close to 600 put up: with chilly breezes and en- -joyed to the fullest a program “Of chuck wagon, chariot, relays and flat racing. At..was rough and tumble at ~. times, but there were no serious. “injuries, “and” undoubtediy’- the > ponies will be back to perform "again: for peninsula residents," They. came. from .the Fraser. “ “Valley on an expenses-only con- ~ ‘tract’ with: the ~ agricultural “society, hoping that in the near “a full-scale show here. Many of the spectators were enthus~ “jastic.at such a. prospect, “The” pony performers are members of the B.C. Pony Rac- ing Association, a hobby group ~ active-“in-five centres. of the. a province | for the past eight years =~ the Fraser Valley, Clinton, -100-Mile House, Quesnel and Armstrong. : "Phere were mothers, fathers, little. children, teenagers -- in ~~ faet all ages -- among the con- me testants. .’ s : ‘selves as much as the crowd enjoyed the show, and so did the little horses. / ‘ Mostly. of Welsh-cross breed- tion, tucked up like little race sleekness, 2 0. Rearin’ ToGo 7 of rearin’ to. go.. ‘future they will be able to stage — : They ‘seemed ‘to enjoy them~ - .ing;.the ponies showed good con _ --horses: but well covered in their. ALL Sora pets of their own” their: particular event. ~ “" 28 case . By LLOYD BAKER. tt “was. new, but it was in keeping with the country fair traditions the. North and South Saanich Agricultural Society has been able the first time on lower Vancouver . Island at the society’s Saanichton fair grounds last Saturday as a ‘prelude to the annual Labor Day weekend exhibition. © to signal the event was under- way, the action was furious with hooves pounding in maximum ef- fort, The: show opened with a dis- play of Roman. Riding by {twe sisters from. Aldergrove, Bon- _ nie and. Penny Davidson, whose father. Cliff, a cattle. shipper, was organizer of the group and competed in the rough riding ‘events of the day. The twogirls, 13 and 11 years of age, worked their pony teams in’ the walk, trot and gallop as they circled the ring standing on the backs of the animals. 7 -Laier they again showed their horsemanship - in competitive evenis, Chariot Flipped ; The first of several spectacu= lar spills came early in’ the program in a chariot race when Cal McKinnon of Fort Langley went into. a turn at a neck- breaking rate. with his team of little appaloosa ponies. His cha- riot flipped and McKinnon went sailing. through the air, landing hard on a grassy section off to the side of the track. He was _ cut slightly and shaken, but was back again later to drive his. team. Meanwhile the ponies kept running..as the ‘chariot. righted itself-and they-gailoped- five cir-. ~ cuits before they: could be caught.