Yup!
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That 1986 poster brings back so many memories! Good ol’ Rolling Hills… I can still picture that drive on Empty Saddle Rd. in my mind.
If I remember, that was also in the days before number strings tied around our waists. Instead, the exhibitor numbers were big, round discs like heavy duty paper plates, with a hanger at the top that we tucked into the back of our coat collar. 
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Was on the Western side in So Cal in the early to mid 70s showing on a robust unrated circuit called ETI (Equestrian Trails), it was statewide, each local chapter was called Corral and had a number (Corral 51). Had State finals/convention, showed at 2 of them, IIRC at Bakersfield fairgrounds and Ventura just about right on the beach.
Many counties had shows with year end points and banquets. Remember showing at Ridge Riders (Covina), Fullerton, Parnell Park (Whittier) Diamond Bar, Rolling Hills and others that have faded away in memory.
There was an AHSA Open Western circuit that mixed their classes with HJ, ASB, TWB and Arabs. Showed at Del Mar(at the track), old Indio with the stables in the date palms, ostriches, camels and belly dancers.
Of course the Flower Show in spring and the Western show the week before the Turkey Show at Santa Barbara( rained there too). Showed at the City of Hope International at the old Forum. And my favorite, the unique and classy Portuguese Bend Charity show.
We all learned to recognize and appreciate what other disciplines did and saw good bad and ugly. Most turned out to watch and enjoy the Open Jumper Stake, 5 Gaited Stake, Corinthian Hunters, Stake and Arabian Native Costume at the big rateds. These often ran one after the other in the stadium ring on a Saturday night. What a treat. My favorite was actually Fine Harness, haven’t seen one in 40 years 
Today we all seem to have retreated into discipline or breed centered bubbles and too few venture out to watch, appreciate and learn about what others do.
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Yes. So often I read posts here and think, “well, there’s another person who has never experienced anything outside their own tiny little corner of the horse world.” I acknowledge that it’s a lot tougher these days to get that diverse exposure, but still, it does bother me that so many people not only don’t have much exposure to that diversity, they don’t even seem to know that it exists at all.
But maybe that’s just me being a grumpy old lady. 
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I think almost everyone who worked for the show with maybe the exception of the jump crew wore formal evening attire. My grandfather was on the administrative staff and handled the visiting international teams and even though his office was in the bowels of MSG he had to wear a tuxedo every day for the eight days of the show. I still remember the famous course designer, Pamela Carruthers, walking through the dirt measuring all the fences in her fancy floor length evening gown, she was very hands on despite her fancy attire. And then Mrs. Kenneth Wheeler was always a glamorous figure beautifully coiffed and made up driving her Hackney ponies in an evening gown too. Nothing compared to MSG in the 1960s.
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My trainer always punched holes in those and still made us tie them on!
But we used those all the time in Arabs and Western.
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Any of you CA folks ever see the crazy western trail classes I’ve e heard were in CA in the 1970’s?
Did they really have big jumps and BEARS?
They had an elephant once at Cow Palace.
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I remember one year they had a couple of elephants in the warm up ring at the state fairgrounds the week before the horse show was there. I wondered if the horses arrived and smelled them, and had no idea what had been there before them. Lol.
I had just started showing rated hunters and eq. in… 1971 (?). But yes, I can remember western trail classes could get creative to sort out the ribbons at bigger shows. Besides a mailbox, bridge, water box and a natural jump (I never saw big ones), sometimes there would be a calf, a goat or a pen of chickens somewhere on course that competitors had to ride through or past.
The typical horse show trail class these days-- at least those I’m doing at the bigger Paint shows-- has become a whole lot of poles in various configurations. Some poles are elevated a few inches. It’s very much a test of precision and navigation vs. simulating what’s actually encountered while riding outside the arena on real trails. While there might be a gate or a bridge, it’s nothing like in Ye Olden Days.
Yep ours weren that way in the 70’s and 80’s as well but there are stories about these crazy CA classes at Cow Palace. Hunter size jumps, deep water obstacles…and BEARS. May be urban legends. LOL
I actually like modern trail courses quite a bit. Lots of thought in riding them. It is hard to teach to judge them though as kids get too caught up on penalties and forget to reward horses for plus maneuvers.
I would like to see a good figure 8 back thru barrels again though. And more side passing. And the rope gate can go away. I mean who can’t manage a rope gate!
Ever show at one of the big indoor shows, where Saddlebreds also competed? They whoop and holler when their favorite horse goes by. Guess how well that went over with the hunters that they really liked? 
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This reminds me of one of my mom’s friends who showed saddlebreds in California in the 60’s and 70’s. She said that if you weren’t half out of control coming up the ramp and into to the ring you wouldn’t be getting a ribbon.
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Ah yes, the rope gate. It is ubiquitous in competition. I’ve been told that it’s used for “the purpose of expediency.”
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Remember the old Indio show, during the Date Festival/county fair? My huntseat eq. flat class came right after a big Saddlebred class where the audience had been encouraged by the announcer to cheer and clap for “their favorite.”
Guess I was their “favorite” eq. rider because a section started clapping and whooping for me every time I came past the bleachers. NOT FUN at the canter on a hot, sensitive horse! 
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I remember that “A” rated shows only had rated divisions and they were huge. I groomed at many of them in So. Cal.
