My Inner Child Whines About Horse Shows Past

While I was one of those kids who just loved to be around horses, ride on the trail, and develop a relationship with my own horse, I was also just a teensey bit obsessed with horse shows. I used to daydream about them all the time, wore out a copy of Cherry Hill's From the Center of the Ring and looked forward to the summers when my mom would take me around to watch Arabian horse shows. I wanted to show SO BAD -- just schooling-type shows, nothing big and fancy -- and honestly, I still do. Yet for someone so into showing, I have only been in a grand total of three shows my entire life.

The first show was when I was 11. Every June, our boarding stable put on a two-day schooling dressage show. In my opinion, this was a HUGE event because lots of people trailered in, there was an official show results board in the barn, and of course all those fancy ribbons. I had watched the schooling show once or twice as a young child before we moved to a different boarding stable. Then, when I was 11, we moved back to this stable and I was THRILLED because it meant I could ride in the show.

While my mother was happy to watch shows, she was definitely not into showing herself and I knew there was no way she'd let me embark on a full show schedule. But I figured I might have a shot at the barn's schooling show. I actually spent months in advance planning a strategy of asking her permission to be in the show. When I finally put my well-prepared plan into place and asked her, I almost couldn't believe that all my obsessive plotting and worries were unfounded when she simply said, "Sure, why not?" Score. Hurdle number one was down. Now I just have to get ready for my showing debut.

But then, just when I was excitedly looking forward to a few months of preparation and getting those tests down pat, the stable abruptly canceled the show. I guess it was just too much work hosting the event or something; in any case, it was done and I was sorely disappointed. So I went about riding casually in the ring and taking trail rides and tried not to pout too much.

Then, about three days before the originally scheduled show date, I learned that the stable had decided to put on a last-minute show for just a handful of lesson kids. I frantically asked the stable owner if I could ride in the show, too. Even though I wasn't in the official lesson program at the time, I was a kid and rode at the barn, so they were cool with it. I was over the moon and almost didn't mind that I had almost no time to prepare before show day. Who cared? I was finally going to show. Plus, I already had both those tests memorized...never mind that I also practiced at home on my bicycle, ha ha.

This teeny-tiny show consisted of a total of 5 girls in the lesson program. They all took turns riding one of two push button lesson ponies, and I rode my Arab mare. So okay, maybe I went into the show with just a little bit of an attitude because I was riding a "real" horse, not a push button pony who could do the test in his sleep. Not to mention that I was a "real" rider and horse owner who came out and cared for my horse, led her around late at night if she had colic, made her hot bran mash with molasses in the winter, and learned to deal with her spooks and surprises on the trail. Surely I was a better rider and horsewoman than these girls who showed up once a week for a lesson on the half-dead schoolie.

Can you see where this is going? In the first class, which was a walk-trot test, every rider competed. I thought I did pretty well, with no major mistakes that I can remember, but my mare and I placed 6th out of 6. Yikes, what happened?

The next and final class was Training Level Test 1 and only one other girl entered besides me. Again, I thought I did well -- except we picked up the incorrect lead going to the left. I immediately brought her back to a trot and then got her to pick up the correct lead, but it was still a glitch. I ended up in 2nd place to one of the lesson girls who didn't have such a glaring error. Everyone told me that it was wonderful that I recognized the mistake and corrected it right away, but I was upset. What kind of show was this if less-than-great riders place highest because they happen to be on push button ponies? Maybe, I thought, there was a conspiracy since I wasn't included in the show from the beginning and they wanted their paying lesson riders to win.

Even though I came in last in both classes, I was still excited to be in a show. The sight of my red and green ribbons made me feel both exhilarated and ashamed, but in the end I was glad I had them. The whole experience humbled and embarrassed and angered me, but I'm glad it happened and I think I learned from it.

My second show also occurred at this stable about 5 years later. I was 16 years old and, like the first show, found out about it at the last minute, about a week or so before the show took place. It was another last-minute schooling show just for the stable, but this time more riders would be competing, including boarders. I decided to compete with my Arab again but frankly didn't have very high expectations. I decided it was likely the lesson program girls would wipe the floor with me yet again, and that was okay.

This was a very relaxed "fun" show. The only semi-serious class was the trail class, and after that it was a bunch of games like egg and spoon, etc. I was 16 years old, a little cynical, and also big into my bareback stage. So I decided, screw it, I'm riding bareback. I think I wore jeans, sneakers, and a green t-shirt (in contrast to my first show, when I wore high boots, breeches, and a jacket my mom and I bought second-hand from another girl). I showed up not really caring about what happened as long as I had fun.

The result? I won my first blue ribbon in the trail class. This actually felt like a pretty big deal because there were many competitors, including several adult boarders (and two trainers). My mare and I worked very well together, I guess the result of all our years of riding together and trusting one another. And the crowd lined up to watch us since I was the only rider going bareback. All in all, a good experience.

Then, to my surprise, I also won first place in the egg and spoon race. While bareback. I still don't really know how that happened. Then I went on to win first place in the next two classes, as well. (I can't even remember what they are now; similarly silly classes like the egg and spoon.) I was due to enter another class later in the afternoon, but I decided I'd already had so much fun and my mare had done so well that I didn't feel the need to keep competing. I took her outside and hand grazed her for a while, so proud of how well we'd worked together. What a complete turnaround from my first show.

So now I'm all old and stuff and still totally into showing even though I don't do it. My third show, as you may have already read about, was the schooling show for the lesson program at Other Barn. That was also a humbling but fun experience.

At the beginning of the summer I had secretly hoped to show Mae at a nearby schooling show, but that is not going to happen. She and I have made a lot of improvement, but I really don't think I'm ready to show her. Oh well. Right now it looks like I am stuck with Other Barn schooling shows until I am able to get my own horse. Even then, I can't see myself trailering out to tons of shows, even despite my obsession. Just maybe one or two summer schooling shows. That would be enough for me.

Is it totally embarrassing that, even though years have passed and I've moved something like 1,000 times, I still have every ribbon I won in those shows? Some things never change, I guess.