I'm the kind of person who ends up in places she didn't expect. So, naturally, I ended up hanging out of an ATV, in the middle of a field, with an iPad mini, recording horses jumping over boogie boards and mock chicken coops. Confused? Let me explain.

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend tells me that we've been enlisted to volunteer in the Sunset Valley Pony Club's (SVPC) Shabby Chic Fun Derby. Doing what, I'm not quite sure. But it sounded like a great time, and before I know it, we were on our way down to Whidbey Island to do our part in the day's events. As it turns out, Andrew and I (mostly Andrew) had been placed in charge of filming the derby. A horse derby, as I soon learned, it is a two-part event -- first part dressage test, second part cross country course -- where the collective score from both determines who gets the prizes.

Now, my experiences with horses is as follows: a book of horse breeds that I carried around as a small one, a very slow pony ride in Tahoe, and the brief friendship of a family horse named Red, who liked to walk through California grape vines. All and all, not a whole lot. So when one of the members of the Sunset Valley Pony Club asked if I rode, it was almost comical how little I knew in comparison.

But horse people are a welcoming bunch, to say the least. Soon I was sitting in a lawn chair with a piece of homemade banana bread, panning around a camera in the middle of a dressage arena. The women explained the events, let me meet their horses (which, I'll admit, was slightly intimidating at first), and shared their stories about the club, its members, and their past events. Most of them competed in multiple events, and almost all of them took part in both of the day's competitions. They would practice, read through their steps, and then head into the arena for the first part of the day: dressage.

I'll be honest enough and admit that I still don't have a crystal-clear understanding of the complexities behind dressage elements and judging. With two different arena sizes, three different testing associations, and at least a dozen tests within each association, it was more than easy for me to get lost in the moves, body positioning and locations around the arena. But what I lacked in understanding, I made up for in enthusiasm. As a newbie, almost everything looks highly impressive. So while the judge was busy writing down comments, I was quietly clapping from the side lines.

What really amazed me, though, was how in-tune the riders were to their horses, and vice versa. I watched Donna, the Club's DC, go through her program after we'd captured it on video. With a keen eye and laser focus, she easily identified all of her rides strengths and weaknesses, commenting every few moments on her loose outside rein or her horse's good halt. These were things I would've never picked up on, and to the untrained eye, it seemed perfectly normal. But these competitors have taken years to train, carefully memorizing each move, smoothing over transitions, and working with their horses to perfect each test.

After the dressage tests were completed, we all started heading for the field for the cross country event. Horses and riders had a chance to compete in several levels, including grasshopper, hopeful and beginner novice. (This was also the part where Andrew and I decided it would be a good idea to drive behind the horses in an ATV in order to get the best possible footage -- which totally worked). This was really where I learned how distinct horses and their personalities can be. Some were easily spooked, others very clearly decided they were done for the day, and a couple just decided to book it over every jump without a second glance.

But their riders already knew this. If anything, these quirks were expected. It was clear, even with an untrained eye through a camera lens, that these pairs were specially bonded and had grown to understand each other over the years. The relationships between horse and rider, club members, and volunteers was clearly one of love for the sport, and of each other. Each and every person and horse present did their part to compete and help out. Several volunteers came out to time and judge cross country, solely because they enjoyed it. Every single member helped out throughout the day, whether it was taking photos, reading for another rider's test, or organizing paperwork. All in all, it was a worth-while opportunity to step inside a highly skilled new world with colorful characters and kind hearts.