Years ago at a recognized event, a woman in a panic approached me and said she had forgotten her bridle and had sent someone home to get it but her dressage test was coming up.
She’d been asking around, and I said sure, you can borrow mine but it’s a small horse /cob sized bridle (at the time evented my little 14.3h Morgan) and she was thrilled to find it fit her TB.
I then left to help my friend and when I got back to my trailer, my bridle was back on its hook, all cleaned and oiled.
My friend and I always brought extra saddle pads, girths, reins etc. to events. You just never knew when they might come in handy.
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My horse pulled back at the trailer and snapped my reins. I was by myself and was quite frazzled. The people beside me, without even needing to be asked, just gave me their reins. Was SO thankful, won’t ever forget that
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One thing I love about eventing is the unpretentiousness of many of the top riders (I won’t say ‘all’). Many are quick to lend a brief hand to a stranger. Perhaps because everyone , including them, has been that stranger, from time to time.
And, due to the relatively small eventing community, the good chance that you will meet several Olympians and other ‘stars’ personally over the years, if you are involved and if you go to clinics. Have a conversation and personal interaction. Just another rider at that moment.
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I remember a friend forgetting her dressage coat (back in the day when they were required at all levels), and borrowed a TEAM COAT from a team (obviously big name) rider!
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A couple of years ago, at the Waredaca 3-day, on SJ morning, I was in our barn’s tack stall, changing into my white breeches, when I realized I had a problem. My underwear was blue. Dark blue.
An incredibly kind soul across the aisle heard me lamenting to a barnmate about what to do, and she said, “that’s why I always travel with extra clean white underwear!”. So yep, I wore a stranger’s (clean) underwear. And immediately bought loads of extra pairs to live in my show garment bag. This summer, at a recognized dressage show, I heard someone across the aisle caught in the same predicament, and I ran over with a little too much enthusiasm, offering to share my underwear. My generosity was politely declined - but I’m going to be prepared to pay it forward when the time comes!
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Wins tonight’s internet, for sure !!!
Adding this to my list of reasons to never be caught dead wearing a pair of snow-white riding breeches. A reason that goes at the top of the list. What if I forgot to wear white underwear … 
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@OverandOnward White breeches have long been a puzzle to me. White? Around horses?!?
Another story I recall. A rider doing her first cross country was walking the course. She said aloud “How do I ride this?” and the leader of a little group of riders who were also walking the course immediately included her in his explanation of how to ride the fence. He then said she could join his course walk if she wished. She did. It was only later in the day, when she saw him at the start and heard his name over the loudspeaker that she discovered her kind coach was a multimedalled Olympian and FEI top ranked rider.
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Many years ago I used to take my niece to one day 3 phases. She worked with someone who did not know the rules…it was so nice to show up and have the eventing community circle around us and help us through it! I always said eventers are the most welcoming!
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“You’re never going to believe what happened at the show this weekend… a stranger ran up to me and tried to get me to wear her underwear…”
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@Texarkana, I feel like I totally outed myself as an eventer at a dressage show in that moment!
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This is the most wholesome thread 🥹
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Enjoying reading this immensely.
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Okay, we need to add white underwear to our “lives in the trailer” list along with the extra halters, reins, and girths.
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Not my story but Billy Haggard loaning his great Bold Minstrel to Mike Plumb for the Tokyo Olympics in 1960. Mike’s horse Markham had to be put down on the plane on the way to Tokyo so he was without a mount until he was loaned Bold Minstrel. That must have been especially difficult for Billy Haggard because he was hoping to be part of that Olympic team. A great example of sportsmanship in those days, I can’t imagine it ever happening now.
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Not quite the same (and not the same sadness, thankfully), but Phillip went to the WEG in 2014 with a borrowed (for the season) horse from Boyd! Boyd was staffed up for that season and Phillip had a gap, so Trading Aces went to him for the year before returning to Boyd’s stable. It’s trickier these days with qualification requirements and such, but the heart of it is still there.
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You’re right, I remember that now. Phillip and Boyd are great friends though, so not surprising Boyd would do that.
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And a few years ago, Phil kept Boyd’s horses going and competing while Boyd was out of commission with his injury du’jour.
There are plenty of other riders who do the same for each other, albeit not often as high profile as advanced level horses.
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Caroline Pamukcu had posted recently about Sharon White coming down to her place to jump all her horses to keep them going while Caroline wraps up her maternity leave. I love that!
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Things I’ve given/loaned out of my trailer to others in need:
- Ibuprofen
-Tampons
-Reins (theirs snapped when the horse did something silly while mounting)
-Extra bridle numbes
-A (legal) dressage whip (they had the foresight to check with the TD and when theirs was over length didn’t have a backup
-An extra pair of scissors (I keep like 5 in the trailer)
-A saddle pad
-A belt
Things I’ve borrowed
-Scissors (how I learned to keep 5 in the trailer)
-Braiding yarn
-A saddle pad
-A bridle (mine was stolen out of the tack room the day before the show. I had brought a back up but horse didn’t seem to like the bit set up. Neighboring trailer loaned me theirs which was closer to horse’s normal bit)
Eventers really are the best, but I have a good group of dressage friends too!
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YES !!! My opinion exactly !!! 
I have mad respect for those who can ride XC in white breeches and keep them clean! I wear brown to match the dirt. Clean is not something I can do well around horses. 
I’ve heard people say that they wear white breeches when they feel the horse trials / event is more ‘formal’. But but but … it’s cross-country. Out in the dirt and mud. That is my thought. 
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