Beezer, Michael is still around. He lives in either KS. or Ok. Finally got married and has 2 or 3 kids. Very happy from what I hear. Doesn’t do alot with the horses any more, teaches here & there, no barn. Think he was Max’s nephew. He was/is very talented. Still have the Hermes he sold me so long ago, it was practically new.
I love those baggy breeches and is that your pony club thing on your hat?
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>“Jumper classes were at night and drew tremendous crowds”-spfarm <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Hmmm… Maybe we’re missing an opportunity again? It seems the evening performances at the Del Mar Fair and Cal State Fair always had large crowds,too in the grandstands. A captive audience! I’m not sure of the logistics, but why aren’t more shows held during county/state fairs anymore? We’re always complaining about getting spectators and new blood into our “sport”. Maybe we should go back to this earlier form of entertainment?
Clifford C. Claven strikes again!
This about 1974 +/-. A 17 hh mare in the greens, I think because the fence does not look that big. She went on to show in the open working when the fences were or appeared to be all 4ft. 6in. She went to Virginia in 76. I showed her in one of the first hunter classics held in Ontario. The fences were awesome for a hunter class. The first 5 horses were jumpers that “converted” for the day.
is the benefit for the Pony Club … it used to be at Mrs. Streeters farm on Seven Oaks Road, lately is at the Ludwigs Corner Horse Show Grounds … the Pickering Hunter Trials is a whole different thing. Put on by the Hunt to show off the field hunters, it is on one of the Detwilers farms off of Rt 113. The fence Star and I are jumping is the last or next to last of a course that is over a mile long, and includes a LONG downhill gallop across a huge field - what a rush! Longer ago, when King showed there, it was at the farm that now belongs to Harry and Marjorie Gill on Green Lane - it was then Josie Taylors place. WOW! 
Isn’t if funny how back in the early years snow fence was an icon at horse shows? I remember hooking my pony’s reins on the snow fence while I ate lunch
His name was Just In Case
Such a nice boy.
There was no way that hair was fitting up in her helmet. Duffy to the rescue! I even sewed braids back then. No pull-throughs for me! LOL 
It was Bold Minstrel.
Merry, I worked in CA for about 9 months in 1975, worked for Leon Butts at Kaleidoscope and then for Max Bonham at Coto de Caza. Had completely forgotten the portable jump thing, but yes gang! That is exactly what you did out there - set up your portable jump(s) or whatever you had and do you schooling in the barn aisle.\
BTW, schooling in the barn aisle took on an entirely new meaning at the ‘80 World Cup in Gothenburg when Katie and Jonesy were so close to winning. You can imagine George and all other trainers/riders helping “school” Jonesy on a rubber mat about 20’ long, one small jump brought in from ??? With three of us stationed outside to “guard.” It was too funny.
Laurie
Duffy - Is that a side-saddle on “Roy”? Doesn’t he look like the perfect gentlemen - exactly what one would wish for in the side-saddle classes…I wish they’d bring 'em back - I used to love watching the “ladies” in their long skirts. It would be the perfect way to recycle some of my old ballgowns!!
"I loved having the shows with western and saddleseat. What an education! "
My trainer shares a barn with a dressage/valuting and morgan trainer.
We will have saddleseat, roadsters, western, dressage, and a vaulting horse being longed in our indoor all at once. And the morgan trainer uses a whip with a plastic grocery bag tied to the end of it to spook her horse as they pass her to make them more animated. Not to mention at one end having 3 people on the longeing horse at the same time doing all sorts of acrobatics.
My 4 year old isn’t into any of the above. But we did use the vaulter’s practice barrels as a jump once!
Me on the right - the baggy breeches were white cotton with a bib front and buttons at the knees that I inherited from a friend of my mom’s. (The woman who had once owned them moved West and founded the Museum of the Horse (Cowboy?) out in AZ or NM). The pony I am on is the one that was CONSTANTLY carded, even though he was only 14.1 with shoes & heels!
Would it be fun if we all just plain started wearing plaid coats and velvet collars again? (Not that I ever had either, but…) Or at least follow the European trend of dark shirts with white collars & cuffs - ties or chokers.
Bet you, if you were neat and had a nice horse, the judges wouldn’t even notice - or if they were old timers (like us) they would applaud!
At the New York State Fair, there is a very diverse horse show with the whole variety pack of divisions. For years, very few h/j people would attend, largely because of the logistics- parking, security, crowds. It seemed there would always be a “fair family” (parents, screaming toddlers, baby stroller with balloons attached) underfoot as you were getting ready to show. There were also time constraints due to the huge number of divisions running in one ring.
Now they have built another ring near the edge of the fairgrounds which is much quieter since it’s off the beaten path, and that’s where the h/j divisions show. Huge improvement, which is reflected by the number of entries. There are still spectators, and kids who show can still wander over to the fair for entertainment, but it’s not quite as mind-boggling for the hunters. There are some horses who find the ferris wheel distracting, but it feels much more like a normal show now. (But if you bring a young horse, be sure to pack your sense of humor.) The idea of a large crowd of spectators may sound like a good thing, but the reality can be problematic.
(Kudos to Naomi Blumenthal, the show manager, who does a great job there!)
[This message was edited by MHM on Jan. 06, 2001 at 07:39 PM.]
Hey Weatherford, Awesome picture----wouldn’t happen to be at the Rockland County Youth Fair…Would it?
I am not 100% positive, but if my memory serves me correctly, I believe that I saw an old picture of Bold Minstral doing the hunters in a COTH in the last 6 or so months. I could be wrong with the time frame, but COTH is the only magazine that I look at. Possibly someone in their office could help.
Also, how does one include a photo on the board without having a web-site?
These “old” pictures are soooooo much fun to see! Thank you so much for posting them! 
and I have a question!
This is me, early 80s at a hunter show at our barn in Chester County, PA. The horse I am riding was known as Willy - we raised him from a weanling.
Does anyone out there recognize him? LOL
April
I love Connemaras. I have my eye on a really cute Connemara/TB weanling, but for some reason, my husband thinks one horse is enough. 
Guys - 10 pages and counting…think we need a new thread!
I did not not show for a few decades and was very surprised that most of the shows are gone from the fairs. Merry’s post really brought this back for me.
I loved having the shows with western and saddleseat. What an education! Not many formats today where any of these riders mingle. What a shame. And showing at the fairs was really participating in an “event” - nights especially. Loved the recount of all the applause and the horse bolting - too funny. I had the experience of waiting for a class at the fair and my friend from school drove up with his welsh pony (roadster cart). My green hunter took one look and backed up about 40 feet in 5 seconds! Heads up indeed!
I think the lack of a jog at the end of the class is also a loss. There is little that can compete with the thrill of getting called out first and jogging into the ring at the head of the line.
