Monday, August 30, 2021

Show Ring Dreamin'

This weekend I spectated at a recognized show about an hour east of me - new trainer was there with several students and training horses, and I thought it would be a good low-key way to get to know everybody, and see how they functioned as a team at a show, since my goals include getting back into the show ring! It was so much fun!

This guy was basically a giant puppy dog and THE ACTUAL CUTEST I loved him omg. 

A gorgeous GRP showing 4th. 

My snuggly new friend who is a Friesian/QH cross showing 4th+. His freestyle was magical 🤩

We did lots of cuddling

A supremely gorgeous warmblood mare showing 2nd. When she napped, she napped HARD.


Sleeping so hard. 

Waking up from her nap to hug her mom ❤️❤️❤️

The handsome Friesian cross prepping for his photoshoot.


Behind the scenes shot from a session with Bethany P Photography - I cannot wait to see the final results, Bethany is so insanely talented and her desire to get shots that really captured the personality of the horse was just unspeakably cool! 

I was a little nervous heading into the weekend because dressage barns (in general, not this specific barn) can occasionally have a rep for being sort of clique-ish, but sort of like my first two lessons, the reality ended up being so much better than my expectations. From literally the moment I dropped by the aisle to say hi Saturday morning, these ladies immediately welcomed me into their group with open arms, eagerly quizzing me about my horses, making plans for trail riding together, swapping stories about successes and failures in the show ring, digging into their coolers to toss me seltzers, and best of all, getting super hyped up about seeing me at the barn and adding me to their show crew. It was two really long days (including a 5 am wake up call yesterday so I could catch their 7:30 rides lol) but I can't remember the last time I've had more fun! 

Even when I was showing a ton in the past, it was mostly solo and always off my trailer, and when I boarded Ruby (and before her, Topaz) it was at a barn where I was either the only dressage rider or one of just a few while the majority of the barn focused on a different type of showing. Spending more time training and showing with a bunch of people all interested in the same thing as me seems like it will be a whole different ball game, and I'm super excited! I don't think I'll ever be in the tax bracket necessary to keep a horse in training there (lol), but I'm glad that she has other clients like me (horses at home, hauling in for lessons, etc.). Super stoked for my next lesson this weekend! 

8 comments:

  1. How awesome to meet such a welcoming group of people!! I have finally found my training barn/show crew as well and it makes such a huge difference when even after just a lesson it feels like there are people rooting for you!

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    1. Yeah it was really cool to watch in action this weekend and I'm sure it will carry over into my future lessons and hopefully shows! ❤️

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  2. Having a barn family is really so wonderful! Honestly though, I like the hybrid model so I can work on things on my own at home but also have the barn family for the fun stuff! Excited for you to be on this new adventure!

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    1. Yeah the hybrid model will be my life forever I'm sure lol. I don't think I could ever give up having my horses at home but this is a nice compromise. The one thing I miss about boarding (besides an indoor🤣) is the camaraderie!

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  3. Awww that's really awesome! I am looking forward to you getting into the show ring again!

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