This past week was particularly fun and I’ve been looking forward to share it with my readers.  If you’ve been following me you’ll know that I am a recreational rider; just for fun and not competitive.   I have never shown and have maybe attended two in my life to cheer on friends.

Shows are a big ordeal; the days leading up to the event include the last minute lessons, body clips, baths, grooming, braiding manes, braiding tails, cleaning tack, polishing boots, packing hay bags, packing day bags, and loading the trailer.  The day of the show usually begins very early in the morning and ends late in the evening…I have heard some get home around 10:30pm!  These are LONG days for the horses, for the competitors, for the moms, and especially for the trainers.

This weekend was the last of the Show Off Equestrian Events (SOEE) series for the season.  Because I work every other Saturday I have missed every show this season, so when I saw that the final show landed on a day off I was thrilled.  Saturday morning came promising unseasonably hot temperatures and lots of sun.  I woke up, fed the horses, picked up some delicious apple cider doughnuts from my favorite country store, and made for the show.

To say how proud I am of the team is an understatement.  Zac and I (I actually got my boyfriend to go with me!) showed up during the lunch break; it seemed the blue uniforms our team’s horse show moms wear were everywhere.  Our team had so much support!  I found the barn and greeted the eight horses that had been trucked in that morning, greeted the girls, and provided doughnuts.  We then made our way to the indoor just in time to see a familiar face, “A,” doing a demo of her vaulting.  What a great start to my day!

When the lunch break ended I had the pleasure of watching several of our girls in their classes; and nearly every class had one of our own.  Although I didn’t stay for long several girls had won or placed in their classes.  By the end of the day the team took home 2 grand championships, 3 reserve grand championships, a grand champion and 3rd place in pleasure, as well as a grand and 3rd in walk/trot equitation.  This is impressive on it’s own but I didn’t even tell you that our team had a rough start in spring; we didn’t even compete in the first show.  If I’m proud I can’t imagine the joy the girls, moms, and my trainer must feel!  Hard work paid off for this team and the titles were well earned.

For Part 2 of the weekend visit my other Blog: FightingTheFatKidWithin

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