06/25/2024
The truth:
“Nobody goes back to horse show after horse show after horse show because they “won a trophy” or “a head stall” or “a buckle.” They don’t pay their entries time and time again because they might win a shiny token that validates their efforts. People go back to the show pen because they enjoy the challenge and the people and the camaraderie and the social environment that makes up The Horse Show Experience. . They go back again and again because they love the responsibility of caring for their horses, the process of working with their horses in the pursuit of a personal goal, and the reward that comes when the judges and their peers praise them for a job well done. They hook that trailer up weekend after weekend because they love facing the ever humbling challenge of showing horses with other like minded people who understand their insanity...their strange addiction to the abuse that is the ups and downs of showing horses! When it is all said and done, they go back again and again, year after year because they love that early morning ride, that coffee with friends, the stories recounted, the laughs had, the failures and successes shared with their trainers and barn mates. They go back and pay up over and over because they love all of the parts that make up a horse show or a rodeo or an expo or a clinic. The buckle or trophy alone isn’t enough without the praise or adoration or admiration of fellow riders who understand the hours of hard work, dedication, tears and sweat that go into simply setting foot in the arena.”
Written By:
The late Becky David Hanson
Clements, California