What is Champ Show?

If you have friends who open show in the northern Midwest, your social media has probably been flooded with Champ Show posts the last few days.  And you’re probably wondering what in the heck is Champ Show?  Champ Show is short for the WSCA Championship Show.  But to explain further WSCA is Western Saddle Club Association and encompasses all of MN, lots of WI, and people come from IA and South Dakota/North Dakota to show as well.  In order to qualify for the Champ Show a competitor needs to place first or second under a WSCA judge in each event they wish to compete in before the end of August.  The competitors at Champ Show are typically the best of the best of many breeds, all under one roof and in one arena.  I give props to the WSCA judges who are trying to judge a class of apps, quarter horses, POA’s, Arabians, Morgans, you name it and judging them all according to their breed standard.  Not each other.  It isn’t an easy task. 

At one point, and it may very well still be, Champ Show was the largest open show in the nation.  The show takes place over 5 days, two for the pleasure events and 3 for games.  For the pleasure events, patterns are run side by side in the large coliseum at the MN State Fairgrounds in St Paul. Rail classes are run in "cuts" of around 25 horses each with everyone hoping to make the "call back" for the final cut.  All that being said, for many of us, Champ Show is the culmination of the season of showing, our "state championship" to compare to high school athletics.  But Champ Show is more than that too.

Champ Show is crazy.  There are so many horses in so many barns, people and trailers and vendors and families and campers and.... Every direction you turn there are sequins and bling, sparkles, show sheen and the scent of fly spray hangs in the air.  There are competitors from 7-70, lunging or warming up their horses.  Trainers barking commands or drying tears.  Moms and dads with the grooming totes ready for a final wipe down and checkbooks at hand for those last minute expenditures.  There are tears of joy, tears of disappointment, laughter, hugs and yes- some dirty glances at the competitor who cut you off or ran into you in the warm up.

Champ Show is more than that too.  Champ Show is where your competition for the summer becomes your family and you root for each other to beat out the best from other states, associations or districts.  The kid that you tried to edge out all summer becomes the one cheering the loudest for you when you get to make that walk of pride to get your ribbon or the one there with a hug of condolences when you don’t hear your number for call backs.  It's you guys against the rest of the upper Midwest. It's nice to have a few like minded people in your corner.

Champ is sleeping in a folding chair, holding your horse's head in your lap and long walks from your stall to the ring.  It’s patting your horse on a well done pattern and patting your horse for not freaking out at the cart pulled by a mini. It’s snacks and concession stand food, camping and needing a shower for 3, 4, 5 days straight.  It’s hauling buckets and hay, picking stalls and having your horse still finding that one pile you missed.  It’s pulled shoes and chiros, sniffles and missteps.

Champ is having the ride of your life and not hearing your number or it’s leaving it all in the warmup and having your horse look rank in the ring.  It’s your horse nailing an element of a pattern you never thought she’d do and then 5 seconds later acting like she’d never been asked to do something she’s done a thousand times. Its expectations and disappointment and surprises all in the space of minutes or seconds.  A roller coaster of emotions from the second you leave your home until the minute you arrive at home.  And still days later, I can’t believe that Champ Show 2019 is over.

What is Champ Show?  It’s impossible to explain to someone who has never been, but even more impossible to explain to someone who has never sat astride a horse.  It's Champ Show and some day I hope to be back.