Hey, I want to know what is WRONG with peeing in my horse trailer? Is this a bad thing? Am I allowed to do it at a HJ show,but not at a dressage show? Gosh, I need to know, so I won’t be ostracised by those who are far more sophisticated…(Maybe they are all doing it too?)…I wanna go to the shows with the fancy potties and vahsssses…it’s not fair, I must be in the wrong part of the country! 
“Perfect practice makes perfect.”
Yes, yes, yes. Wouldn’t it be great to roll all of the best things from each discipline into one event? I want a specific ride time, a horse that will lope around a 3’6" course on a loose rein and get every distance perfectly, the rush of crossing the finish line after a great cross country run, fabulous prizes for my spectacular performance, and definitely a chilled glass of wine when I dismount. Is this asking too much? 
“Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved” Western Zen Saying
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Merry:
As Cactuskate and I also observed, as we watched Guenter do one-tempi changes on a 10-meter circle, sigh, we hunter folks are careening out of a line toward the arena wall and uttering, "Get a clue, horse, we’re turning left, so change, dammit!" 
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
AWWW, c’mon Merry!!! My horse can do VERY impressive one time tempis… on that long run to the single oxer… 
[I]"You can pretend to be serious; you can’t pretend to be witty. "
jgrass: So, what you’re saying is, you need that chilled glass of chablis when you hold one of your hunter shows!
And yes, I did tell one little ditty from my past to Cactuskate. I was seeing how easily she blushed. You know, uttering a four-letter word in conversation doesn’t seem so crass when you’re wearing cashmere and watching a grand prix freestyle. 
Dear Anky:
Included with my new membership, will I receive my complimentary pair of white gloves and a trial 6-pak of individually wrapped Purelle handwipes?
Signed,
Your Neophyte DQ, Merry
And here I thought mirrors were just for parakeets.
“You just keep thinkin’, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.” – The Sundance Kid
You know, you’ve given me an idea. Maybe there’s room in my horse trailer for a flower vase… 
“You just keep thinkin’, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.” – The Sundance Kid
so Merry - did you enjoy it? And by the way, who won? (well, obviously Debbie won - but what about the rest?)
Merry, you’re not really intimating that the dressage crowd is somehow more civilized than the rest of us - or are you? 
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rockford:
At the end of the test, do they bark? whoop? whistle? Or is it a more civilized “golf-clap like” applause?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
I believe at the first sign of a whoop or whistle, the dressage folks would unanimously give you the “stare of death” Merry mentioned.
Now, how come no one’s mentioned the long, flowing, usually floral skirts they wear over their breeches?
Not nearly as much of a deduction as there is for wearing leopard print polos.
I believe that’s at least 5 points off on all movements performed.
I can tell you that having an icicle stab your horse in the butt in the middle of your canter circle (it fell off the ceiling) resulted in a 4 for that movement.
Merry - are the DQ’s portapotties any nicer than ours? I heard they get mink lined toilet paper! 
Now, now, Heidi, I’m sure “more civilized” is not at all what Merry is saying…
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Merry:
Yes, DMK, but are those tempi changes in time to the stacatto clacking of a castanet interlude during the tango?
And me, yes, I am saying the dressage folks appear to be more civilized. Why, I even noticed:
they used napkins and sat down at tables to eat their lunches! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Gee, I dunno Merry… but we do it to the rhythmic whine of the ring manager of the adjacent ring as he pleads with the 458 people in HIS warm up area…
“THREE MINUTE CALL, I’M NOT KIDDING, THREE MINUTES AND I AM SHUTTING THIS RING DOWN, C’MON ONE OF YOU GET IN HERE OR ELSE, THREE MINUTE CALL, PULEEEEZE GET IN HERE (note to DQs, all HPs know the gate crew is defeated when he resorts to “puleeeze”), WHY ARE YOU NOT COMING TO THE INGATE, don’t you guys love me anymore? whimper…”
This I can do perfect tempis to… almost inspires me to be quite truthful.
As for the sitting down and dining, that is why we have obscenely expensive tack trunks. And napkins… well they are rendered mostly obsolete by puke green breeches!
[I]"You can pretend to be serious; you can’t pretend to be witty. "
While you generally don’t spend as much time watching dirt at a dressage show (no waiting around for Muffy who is waiting for her trainer to come from the other ring) watching lower level dressage tests is not that different from watching dirt in many cases.
I discovered what good care our Pacific Coast HA takes care of exhibitors when I started going to dressage shows and events. At that time AHSA didn’t require an ambulance on the grounds or food the day before (do they now?).
Yes, you know your ride times at a dressage show. And this is very helpful once they send them to you–oh, a few days before the show. Almost guaranteed that your rides will be at 8:05 and 8:25 and your friend’s rides (the friend who WAS going to trailer your horse) are at 4:45 and 5:08. They are pretty good about keeping your ride times more-or-less together.
Food quality overall may be better at dressage shows. But, the only time anyone I knew actually got food poisoning at a horse show, it was a dressage show.
The bottom line is that I’m a lot likelier to go watch friends ride at a HJ show than a dressage show.
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Canter:
Merry - are the DQ’s portapotties any nicer than ours? I heard they get mink lined toilet paper! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
If I may speak of the facilities. Those of us near the arena at LAEC had not one, but two, choices of flushing facilities with lots of running water and mirrors.
And a couple of years ago I attended the “Dressage at the Club” at Rancho Riding Club that was part of the pre-olympics hoopla. It was an invitational hosted by Dick and Jane Brown, translates to the people that fund Guenther Siedel and all his wonderful horsies.
I swear to you the “porta-potties” had a little mirror and a bud vase (pronounced vaaahse) in each of the “ladies”. I can’t report on the mens, but there was a difference I am sure.
“The older I get, the better I used to be, but who the heck cares!”
Merry? Civilized? As in, knowing what such a thing is? C’mon … SHE PEES IN HORSE TRAILERS, OK??
I see trees of green, red roses too. I watch 'em bloom for me and for you. And I think to myself … what a wonderful world. Yes, what a wonderful world." – Louie Armstrong.
As a dressage show manager, I’m happy to tell you, the difference in the facilities is ALL due to the expertise and extremely elevated sense of what is due our DQs by an equally civilized show manager!
BTW, the onyx and diamond stud pin is given out at CDIs for the top scoring rider. It’s called The Diamond Stud Award" and is sponsored by Diamond Legacy Breeding. If someone wins four of them, they receive a scholarship to attend IAEA in Warendorf, Germany. It was first awarded at Devon last year and will be offered at a number of CDIs this year including ours (CDI*/CDI-Y/J Allentown (NJ)). 
Oh Peggy, don’t even bring up food poisoning at H/J shows! Remember my old mantra: “Friends don’t let friends eat fish tacos.”
Gotta love the icicle-in-the-butt scenario. But at least, maggymay, your horse was still forward, right?
I heard that all day long. “Well, in dressage it’s all about being forward.” Huh?
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Cactuskate:
If I may speak of the facilities. Those of us near the arena at LAEC had not one, but two, choices of flushing facilities with lots of running water and mirrors.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
ODG, I AM in the wrong sport… even WEF is rife with ye olde porto-sauna-potty, unless you can walk 3.8 miles to the 4 “real” bathrooms in the permanent barns (always an adventure as a) the lights rarely work and b) the locks NEVER work.)
As for the wine, I can see yet another difference - we are just thrilled when we remember to put the beer in our cooler before we head off to the show (although I will say I am notorious for bringing plenty of wine along when I hit the road for the summer shows Still, no one has ever though to greet me at the ingate after my round with a glass… 
But as nice as a diamond/onyx stickpin is, can’t you get a lot more use out of a good ballcap? Still I suppose you could trade in the stickpin for a pair of puke green TS’s!!
[I]"You can pretend to be serious; you can’t pretend to be witty. "
Yes, DMK, but are those tempi changes in time to the stacatto clacking of a castanet interlude during the tango? I mean, at least the dressage folks get music in their freestyles. During our hunter rounds we just get our trainers carping, "Leg! More leg! LEG!… KICK HIM, DAMMIT!"
And me, yes, I am saying the dressage folks appear to be more civilized. Why, I even noticed:
they used napkins and sat down at tables to eat their lunches!
“You just keep thinkin’, Butch. That’s what you’re good at.” – The Sundance Kid
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