05/30/2026
I have been immersed in the horse world for over a decade now with the enthusiasm of a reluctant participant dosed with an innate, heavy level of natural skepticism, horse show dad Gordon Ballantyne writes. My wife is a hunter and equitation rider, which only heightens my confusion due to the subjectivity of the events. I enjoy seeing my family doing something they love and are extremely passionate about; there is nothing they would rather be doing than riding and competing on the back of a horse.
But, I have some questions.
Why does it cost so much?
A local two-day schooling show costs less than $1,000, whereas a four day rated “A” circuit show costs around $5,000. It can be the same horse stall, trainer, preparation and judging process. It follows the exact same format (although neither venue has a toilet that flushes). Are the blue ribbons at rated shows gold plated?
Does anybody own a watch?
How can something scheduled at 10:00AM consistently happen after noon? I could see it happening if there was an injury or an unforeseen happenstance but it is every…single…time. Can they not just put a buffer in the schedule because “stuff” seems to happen every…single…time?
Why is the judging so subjective?
Sitting ringside, I have zero inkling whether a given round was good or bad… and I’ve been watching for over a decade. I know what a “chip” is, what a missed lead change looks like and can count strides. But I also know that the price of little blue ribbons has gone up significantly based on the price of horses in the hunter ring. I can compete as an amateur in almost any sport because in things like golf, bowling or shooting, you have a handicap. You compete against your average. But in the hunters, it seems like little blue ribbons are for sale.
📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2021/05/05/questions-and-conundrums-from-a-horse-show-dad/
