Why show horses? It’s a question that came up while reading the comments on a thread on Facebook. Why do we show horses? I don’t know if I have ever really asked myself that or been asked that before. Because it’s fun probably isn’t a good enough answer?
Why do we show horses is definitely a different answer than why do we own horses. Those answers are probably easier, yet still a bit mystical. Owning horses is a challenge. It is expensive. It is a lot of work. It is stressful at times when you have injuries, or trouble finding hay, or a place to keep them. But it is so worth every dollar and every minute and every second of worry.
Owning horses brings me great joy. Just spending time at the barn, cleaning stalls and being around the horses is fun. Of course riding is my favorite, but I don’t have to ride to enjoy spending time with my horses. When we had our horses at home, my favorite way to start the day was to wake up and go out to do morning chores. It’s literally therapy for me. There is nothing like the feeling of seeing your horses well cared for and happy. There is no way to describe how they make you feel when you master some task together. There is nothing as relaxing as just being close to your horse and spending time with their peaceful (or funny) presence.
But why horse show? Why not trail ride? Why not barrel race? Why not calf roping or the hundreds of other ways to enjoy horses? The answer to that question is many fold.
We do trail ride, well did - hard to load up and go last year, but hoping to again this year. We love trail riding. It’s incredibly relaxing and fun to do something different with your horse and put them in different situations to see how they will relax. Sophie is especially a big fan of the water crossings. They do add an element of excitement. Usually we have at least one first timer with our horses and it is always interesting to see how they will react to be asked to cross water the first time. Some seem to take it to the extreme *cough-Ace-cough*. There is always something to add interest on a trail ride. Horse eating picnic tables, fire rings, or lawn chairs for example. And yes, I have been riding a horse when it has spooked at a butterfly. 1000 lb animal versus a butterfly and the butterfly definitely won that round.
But we maybe trail ride 4 - 5 times a year, so we can’t say we are dedicated to the sport. (And yes - horseback riding is a sport. Don’t make me write another blog on that.) So why, out of the million of directions you can go with horse ownership, did we choose horse showing? Let’s see. We wanted something competitive. I feel that competition pushes us to be the best that we can be. Competition pushes us to work harder at skills and become better at whatever we are working on, in this case - making a better connection with our horses and helping them be better athletes. Since our horse friends at the time showed in judged horse events, that is the direction we chose.
Our girls have dabbled in various other events over the years, thanks to the POA being an all around breed. Both girls have tried and loved game events. Both girls have done reining patterns and love them. Both girls have done some jumping and loved that as well. But our strength, our knowledge base and connections, lie in the judged events. And while I love the game events as well - until the magical day when I win the lottery and can afford a horse for judged events and games, I’m choosing my favorite of the two and showing my pleasure horse.
But why horse show at all? Some people horse show to earn money or win prizes. Those people spend a lot of money to earn it when you are talking about pleasure horses. A good money winning/saddle winning pleasure horse costs tens of thousands of dollars. Their owners spend thousands of dollars on trainers, tack, apparel, trailers and weekends showing at every event they can. Show circuits give points at every show so you have to attend them all in order to be in the running for high point awards. That’s not just a time commitment, it’s a financial one as well. There have been shows where my girls have wanted to run for a high point saddle or other award and I had to be honest and tell them we just couldn’t afford the class fees to enter in all the classes necessary to be in the running. I hope over the years they have learned and accepted some tough lessons.
When you show on a budget, you need to show for very different reasons. You need to show for the love of your sport, you need to truly love your discipline to put in the hours of practice and training necessary to accomplish your goals. You need to show because you love your horse and want him or her to be the best they can be. That means, not getting frustrated when your horse can’t compete against horses that are better bred or more heavily trained. We have a history of showing good horses (not great, but good horses), but we have made most of our horses from the ground up so there have been some frustration and struggles along the way. It isn’t easy riding the green 3 year old against seasoned show horses. But when you hear your name announced, however infrequently, it is worth so much more knowing that you and your horse got there together. You have to go into each class not hoping to place, but hoping to reach some private goal between you and your horse. Maybe today it is just getting your leads. Maybe it is maintaining a consistent jog. Maybe, depending on the horse, it is not running over the judge this time. Meeting those personal goals is worth more than any buckle or saddle.
We show in used/borrowed tack with plain show clothing, that is usually used as well. Heck - sometimes it is even borrowed. I’m not going to say I don’t ogle and ooh and ahh at the fancy show clothes. And then I look at prices and realize that I paid less than what one jacket costs for two of our horses combined. But I do still think they are pretty. I’m thankful that no matter how much Libby wishes she could have one of those fancy jackets, she is willing to hang out with me in our button up shirts and jeans. Neither of us has an expensive hat, although we both eye them all the time. Libby shows in her training saddle and I show in my plain jane RS as well. No fancy headstalls and we have one nice show halter that was a donation to our cause years ago. I am not complaining! I love what we do and how we do it. I love that sometimes we pull out those placings or wins and prove that you don’t have to have all that fancy stuff. But I sure understand those that want it and enjoy it too. Bling does make the world go ‘round.
Showing horses is a source of great joy with periods of disappointment, embarrassment, anxiety and sadness mixed in. I think that one of my favorite parts of horse showing is all of the people we have met and made connections with over the years. There are so many great people in horses. And we have been blessed enough to meet lots of them. I love sharing the laughs, the rainy days, the sunny days and the success and failures with all of them. No matter what the judges opinion, there are always memories being made.
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