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Conference noted::equitation

Title:	Equine Notes Conference
Notice:	Topics List=4, Horses 4Sale/Wanted=150, Equip 4Sale/Wanted=151
Moderator:	MTADMS::COBURNIO

Created:	Tue Feb 11 1986
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	2080
Total number of notes:	22383

363.0. "Horse Show Horror Stories (and funny stories)" by VMSSPT::PAANANEN () Mon Jul 30 1990 15:37

    [I thought that a topic on horse show horror stories might be
     interesting, so Beth let me copy her note from topic 1282. 
     Thanks! k.]

================================================================================
    Horse Show Horror 
    ASABET::OWEN  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Just to add a funny [???] story to the previous report of how well we
    did. The day did NOT start out so well. [This story is about an
    odyssey at North Shore Horseman's Council Show on 7/29/90. ]
    
    We have to leave the barn in NH very early to make warm-ups. My fiance
    also decided to get up at the crack of dawn and follow the van to the
    show. While at the barn finishing braiding, I asked him to pull his car
    next to mine and put all my tack and clothes from my car into his
    trunk. We loaded eight horses in the van and trailer and left for the
    show. I ride in the van with my trainer to the shows, so my fiance was
    to follow us since he doesn't know how to get to North Shore Horse
    Show.
    
    It was foggy.... and we in the van lost the trailer and three of the
    four cars following, but they all knew we were stopping for gas first.
    I was starting to doubt that I had put my jacket in the car, so I
    decided to check with my fiance when we got to the gas station. At
    the gas station, still no trailer, etc. If we hadn't been in such a
    rush to make warm-ups we probably would have waited.
    
    We get to North Shore about 10 minutes before warm ups closed. My horse
    is green and is a must for the warm-ups. I had the horse but 
    fiance and tack, etc. hadn't shown up. Eureka, here they come now!
    [Excuse the lapse into present tense, but I recall the anxiety vividly
    as if it were happening all over again!!!]

    Hurry, hurry, I need the tack for the warm-up. Fiance pulls in, I 
    quickly open the trunk of his car. The trunk flies open and I expect
    possibly not to see a jacket BUT THERE'S NOTHING IN THE TRUNK. 
    No jacket, no hunt cap, no saddle, no bridle and martigale, no brush 
    box. You have to understand, that I'm the organized one in the barn. 
    I'm the one that makes sure everything needed for shows gets loaded. 
    Everyone is so astounded by this complete break with form that they
    just stand around with their mouths wide open.

    I say to myself, I'm living the HORSESHOW FROM H*LL!!! I panicked! 
    My division was first in the hunter ring. I wan't to cry but I was
    in shock!! [Later the younger riders gave me a good laugh imitating
    my shrieks when I opened the car "THERE'S NOTHING IN HERE!!!!!"]

    Almost immediately, riders from my barn began offering
    me their saddle or bridle to use. I discovered that my fellow DECcie
    who rides at my barn wears the same size hat. I could accept the offer
    to borrow all this stuff because none of them were in the same
    division. Luckily, I had put on my boots and breeches before leaving 
    for the show. The ultimate borrowing challenge remained the jacket. I'm
    a large size and everyone else from our barn is small.
    
    Still determined to show, I went to enter and asked the show secretary
    if I could go in the first division without a jacket. I explained my
    dilemma. She contacted the show manager but he said "sure we'll let her
    show but she won't be judged -- formal attire , including jackets are
    required".  The show secretary advised me to continue trying to find a 
    jacket. Any jacket would do, it wouldn't even have to button. 
	
    So now I'm off on the humiliating mission of asking strangers if anyone in
    their barn might have a jacket large enought to fit me and could I borrow 
    it immediately please. I actually found a very kind woman who was showing in
    the same division to agree to switch off jackets. However, just as I
    was returning to our van, my horse show buddies had found one that fit
    me! They also had my horse all tacked up in borrowed tack.
    
    Oh... meanwhile, the fiance is on his way back to NH to get my stuff.
    My horse was entered in another division later and there would be a 
    conflict with tack borrowing.
    
    So I went in my division with everything except a choker and gloves.
    We were champion in the division and now everyone thinks that the piece
    of equipment they loaned me brought me luck. That may be, but without
    it I wouldn't have been able to compete. My horse was also Champion in
    the Pre-Green Division with my trainer. In her immortal words "I guess
    Horse Show from H*ll didn't turn out so bad after all!"

    P.S. Fiance made it to and from NH with the tack required for later
    classes. All the moms and married riders assured me that his forgetful
    behavior is the norm in the male species and not to expect much to
    change after we are married in October. I told them that I was 
    astonished that he had actually driven all the way back to NH for my
    stuff and returned. I can now rest assured that he'll be at the alter
    at the appointed hour and day.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
363.1	Once upon a time......	BOOVX1::MANDILE		`Mon Jul 30 1990 19:16`	37
	My first show was one to enter here!!!! We arrived at the barn with plenty of time, had the three horses, equipment etc. loaded and ready to go in no time. Off we went, the trainer, my sister, her husband & me. We made good time, UNTIL we got to the last part of the directions. NO SIGNS FOR THE SHOW! We drove around for 45 mins in the area, and finally pulled into the gas station. In the meantime, one of the horses had pulled open the divider gate and it had cut him. We had to take him out, fix the gate, clean him up, and put him back. (good loader, thank god!) A car rolls down the window, and asks if we are looking for the show. YES! We follow that car in. We had missed the first halter classes, and my brother-in-law said he would unload while the three of us ran over to sign in, pay and get our numbers. Someone taps me on the shoulder, and asks me if I am from the trailer that had just pulled in. Yes? My brother-in-law had been kicked in the back by someones stallion while unloading the trailer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A paramedic happened to be at the show, and he checked my B-I-L out. Badly bruised, but o.k. was the consensus. B-I-L was sent to the truck to relax. We finally tacked up and warmed up for the first class my sister & I were entered in. I came out 6th out of 25 riders. "Not bad for a beginner" my trainer said. (beat out my sister, too! :-) Next class we were all entered. I got 6th out of about 15 riders, (beat out sis, again!) and pictures and hugs all around. I placed in 2 out of the 3 classes I had entered. Boy, I came home from Tx pleased and so excited. The next week, my sister sent me a copy of her town paper, which had written a story about me and my first show. The show had a bad start, but a wonderful, memory filled End! L-
363.2	HUMILIATION	MERLAN::KJROY		`Mon Jul 30 1990 20:13`	33
	Deerfield Fairgrounds, the second weekend in July 1978, like it was yesterday! I was riding my 4 year old Quarter horse gelding at the Annual County Show and things were going swell! He was a peach for someone on the unpredictable side. We were in our Hunter Pleasure class that was very large (before they started splitting classes) of 35 entries. The judge made a cut of the top 4 for individual performance. I was very pleased to be included. It was very hot and very dusty we were allowed to remove our jackets. Could we please dismount and mount on the wrong side? Everone is supposed to do this simultaneously. I dismount no problem, have my left leg 1/2 over when Leo decides that something is really funky here does about 4 kamikaze nose dives bucks me off on my head, and takes off around the ring doing about 80 mph. I roll to a stop, get up, I am absolutely filthy (white shirt, white breeches). Try to clean myself off and catch my lovely pet. The ringmistress corners him and I run over and catch him and mount the correct way. We finish the class they let the other 31 exhibitors back into the ring and proceed to pin the class. Now at the County show everyone receives a placing and they place the class bottom to top. So imagine my amazement when I'm standing in the middle of the arena all by myself and they announce my name in first place. I slink over to the judge and say "There must be some mistake, you must have wanted number 146, not 46". He says "There's no mistake" and the ringmistress hands me the trophy!! My parents are in the stands putting sunglasses on and pulling their hats down over their ears trying to make a quick get-away! I was only 16 and wanted to crawl in a manure pile and suffocate. And Zina has never let me forget it!
363.3	Sea Coast Horrors!!!	DASXPS::ZBROWN		`Tue Jul 31 1990 16:30`	46
	I remember that day so well Karen... :-) That was the show I couldn't ride because of my accident but now that think of it I would have have probably got a blue too if I rode with my cast on! That show was such a screech. Remember the Sea Coast show where a paid $26 bucks for a SIXTH place ribbon!!! Back when I was in 4-H Karen and I used to attend the Sea Coast Horse Shows which at time people that showed there didn't quite like 4-Hers for some reason, so we would just go to annoy them. One show inparticular I remember... We got there a little late (whats new) I threw my bridle on my "Beast" and ran into Fit&Show realizing I had NO helmet on! I forgot to bring it... Karen handed me hers while I was in the ring. Of course I didn't get anything because my horse was always a complete spaz when near the ocean PLUS a small Air Port was right across the street so planes are buzzing by all day. My horse at the time was terrified of planes... Why you ask that I went to these shows??? Adolescences I guess...:-) Well anyways, after I blew the Fit & Show I had to start looking around to see if someone could lend me a hat, trying to forget that everyone there hated 4-Her's. Needless to say I was unsuccessful. A storm started to blow in right before our riding classes started and our horses were all tacked up so we shoved them in the trailer all tacked up... WE didn't really have time to untack and get out of the thunder before it started. I pulled my horse in and right before Karen put up the butt bar Joe went blasting back out ripping my reins in two... I threw on his halter in the pooring rain and shoved him back in the trailer... All was fine until the storm passed... Karen went up to the front of the trailer and bent down to get something and Joe decided that Karens head looked rather tastie so he took a bit! No blood thank god but enough to hurt for awhile. after unloading my mother pulled in with my RIDING HAT! I couldn't beleive it. My equitation class was next which that is were I got my sixth place ribbon from. I then went in to my jumping class and came out doing a WONDERFUL round, no ticks or knock downs, everything perfict... Except I did it Backwards..... So I was disqulified. But hay I had a GREAT time!!!! Remember that Karen??? :-) :-) Zina
363.4	Yes but....	57577::LMCCROSSAN	Time out for a hot fudge sundae	`Tue Jul 31 1990 18:08`	17
	Did anyone else ever get soooo nervous that they got all of their show equipment loaded up into the truck and get the trailer all ready and hitched and then.... .... forget the horse????? ;^) I did remember the beastie before I had gone too far; especially when I thought "Gee, the truck seems to be hauling quite easily!" Now I've surely humiliated myself by admitting to that story! ;^) ;^)
363.5	Guess my hair looked like straw	MERLAN::KJROY		`Tue Jul 31 1990 20:33`	4
	Zina, I think I have permanent teeth marks in my head... It was fun though. KJ
363.6	When showing off backfires -	PENUTS::MADAVIS	If wishes were horses...	`Wed Aug 01 1990 13:24`	27
	All of these stories are TOO funny!! I'm going to end up with my mail account shut off if you guys make me laugh any harder! Keep 'em up, I love it! I only wish I had something worth while to contribute to this note. Actually, I do: I was at a show at Gladstone, NJ (where the Equestrian Team is centered) a few years back. During the lunch break, they were allowing competitors to warm up over the jump course in the ring. Well, there was a woman on a really nice looking pinto in the ring. She was sort of showing off by riding the horse bareback over the fences. I was standing at the food tent watching as she approached a flower box oxer. She took off from such a long spot that her horse only got his front feet over the jump and ended up standing over the fence. Imagin the spectator's amusement as the horse stood perfectly still with his front feet on one side of the fence and his back on the other. The woman was mortified! When she sat there unable to decide what to do, the horse took the initiative and decided that the grass over by the rails interested him more than straddling a jump and started to walk forward in the process taking down the jump and further embrassing his rider. I don't recall if she ever returned to the ring when the classes were started after lunch. I do believe that her horse was one of the calmest horses there, to have handled the incident without flipping out.
363.7	A few tense moments, but a happy ending...	VMSSPT::PAANANEN		`Thu Aug 02 1990 12:43`	20
	I was at a schooling event a few weeks ago and the horse that went after me on the XC course stopped at the second fence and dumped his rider on the ground. Well, fortunately, the rider got up smiling but the horse then reared up and took off at a gallop and had himself a good gallop all over the course, dashing here and there. Eventually he headed back our way (Most of us are near the starting line, the dressage area is to our left as we look out at the XC course, and the stadium rings are behind us.) and then galloped across in front of us and headed straight for---the dressage ring. And -you guessed it- there was a test in progress! He galloped right up to the edge of the arena, hopped the fence and trotted around the dressage arena. After a few seconds he decided he didn't like it there and hopped out the other side and headed for the stadium course. Fortunately there were enough people in the area to stop him. Happily, horse and rider were re-united and later completed the XC course (this being a schooling event they were not eliminated). And fortunately for the rider whose dressage test was in progress, she was facing towards the oncoming horse and was able to stop her horse just before the arrival of the errant jumper!