My Horse Show Top Ten

According to my dad it is genetic. It is my love of horses! As long as I can remember, I have loved them! While many little girls dream of being ballerinas or princesses...I dreamed about horses! Lucky for me, I have amazing parents who made my dreams come true! They worked and saved and sacrificed more than I realized so that I could have horses. The impact that horses have made on my life is profound and I am grateful forever for the sacrifices my parents made to make that dream a reality for me!

When I went off to college, the horses were sold (I know where they both are and they have wonderful loving homes). While I was sad to see them go, I thought this was a part of my life that was likely over. Little did I know...once it is in your blood...horse fever never goes away! Lucky for me, I have a husband who, while he doesn't particularly like horses, he loves to compete and has been just like my mom and dad when it comes to supporting my horse habit!

I am certain I will write about horses a lot in this blog. I have not shown in a year. This past weekend, we went to a show to do some business and the bug got me again. I can't wait to show! So, I thought this would be a good time to give you a list of things that I love about showing horses....

1. the smell of face highlighter (sort of like a mix between flowers, frosting and candy)
2. the shuffling sound your horses feet make in the sand when he is jogging his heart out
3. the clothes (who doesn't like a jacket dipped in rhinestones and a crisp white felt hat)
4. that feeling you get standing at the start cone of a showmanship pattern
5. that feeling you get when you rock a showmanship pattern with "the showmanship machine"
6. a perfect 360, trot around a cone and a speedy back
7. a flawless horsemanship pattern
8. a horsemanship long trot...a perfect long trot...the kind that leaves you exhausted from not only holding your frame but your horses frame together in perfect timing
9. the look on your trainer's face when you kill (in a good way) the horsemanship no matter how tired you and the horse both are
10. the look on your husband and parents face when they know that you have accomplished something you have worked for your entire life