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Why do people go to horse shows?

I’ve found horse camping and off property trail riding do a lot of the job of fun project, social time horse time new sights and challenges.

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I’m with you! I show for the fun of it - a big outing with barn friends to enjoy watching each other, supporting each other, tailgating, and also being around others doing the same thing.

I am not in it for the ribbons - I want to have fun, challenge myself to have a good trip, and if I don’t - learn the lessons and fix it next time. Also in it for the beautiful professional photos. It always makes me smile seeing them in my office and having a great memory of enjoying the ride with my horse and my friends.

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Oh this is me. I think showing alone as a kid sort of burned me out on horse shows in many ways - my parents were not/are not/have no desire to be “horsey” and so shows consisted of them dropping me off at the barn the night before to braid and then load everything into the trailer, then dropping me off at the barn early in the morning to load, ride in the truck to the show, unload, get to the office, lunge, groom, tack up, get myself dressed, on the horse and warmed up all by myself. All my horse-friends loved shows, and I’m sure they did! Lucky them! Their parents did most everything for them :joy:

And now on the rare occasion I find myself at horse shows, I still end up doing everything myself, AND helping all those kiddos whose parents are a bit like mine because I desperately want them to have a better experience than I did growing up.

And none of that even begins to tap into how when I get to the show, the perfectionist in me just wishes we were at home training our weak spots still :joy:

I did go to a show most recently, purely as a “helper”, and actually had a wonderful time. There were definitely times when I wished I was riding, just to know how I would fare against the competition, but riding aside, I get so much enjoyment out of turning out a horse to perfection. I’m the person you’ll always catch by the in-gate with a box of microfiber towels to wipe boots, muzzles and hooves, and get one last pass over the neck and rump. :star2:

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This is me, too… I like hanging by the gate to fuss over horses, wipe boots, and provide moral support. It’s like 80% as fun and 100% less stressful than actually showing. And a lot cheaper.

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you dress up, clean the horse and strut your stuff.
You meet friends you normally don’t see, eat foods that taste best there, and spend money you probably shouldn’t.

Somebody called it a 'pony picnic: you play games, eat, play more games and go home.

You chose to publically test your abilities, and see how you measure up against a standard and your peers.

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Showed in two different disciplines and several different breed shows and still very much enjoy watching.for many of the reasons listed above.

Sorry OP does not get any enjoyment from it. Bit confuzzled as to why this thread was started, doesn’t seem to be asking for support. Perhaps exploring other disciplines with more available competitions would allow them to make friends and socialize which, least to me, was always a big part of showing?Like minded people really smooth out life challenges, even if they are not BFF material.

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This is exactly why I show now too!

I love having things to work on and improve between shows, but the show itself is my vacation. Hanging with my friends. Staying in a hotel and eating junk food and going to dinner.

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We used to go to a clinic series that was held 3 times a year about 5 hours away into the mountains/ranch country. It was a fabulous fun minivacation with friends even when I was just auditing. I think doing a focussed group trip with horses is a great reason to do shows.

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Imagine having a large well manicured ring all to yourself, cantering down a long approach to the single 3.6 oxer. Your horse pats the ground, tucks and curls over the jump light as air. Magical, really. That’s why I show.

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If I could expect a good effort from my horse I would definitely work showing into my rotation of fun things. My mental image however is imagine you are cantering through heavy sand to a crossrail. Horse ducks out, you come off in a puddle.

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The feeling I describe is elusive but all the more special for it.

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Been there, done that, minus the puddle. :laughing:

As a kid, I would have been humiliated. As an adult, surprisingly, it was more funny than humiliating and did not deter me from coming back and trying again.

The great thing about that cushy show ring footing is that falling off isn’t as painful as it is on hard ground. The biggest downside is the sand in your bra and underpants. :laughing:

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To have fun.
To challenge yourself and your horse and improve.
To spend lots of time with your horse and horse friends.
To see people you don’t normally see.
To get nice photos.
To be inspired by watching great horses and riders.
To eat all the things, at least if you’re working it off by doing a fair amount of your own work.

Got back Sunday from two weeks of showing. Had a blast. Saw lots of people I don’t normally see, including one I probably hadn’t seen for 25 years. Moved up to the 90-cm jumpers the first week, finishing with the 95-cm classic and then moved up to the 1-1.05 m low AA jumpers. Still a work in progress, but improving. Galloped on the race track at the facility. Took care of my horse. Hung out with our group. Indulged in VIP since it was good and we were there all day all the days. Watched lots of great classes. And got some great photos.

Still exhausted though.

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Performance addiction.

Preparing myself and my horse to compete on a specific day.
Doing our best, and getting feedback on how well we are doing.

It is similar, psychologically, to an actress preparing/ rehearsing for a play, and then performing on opening night.

I definitely don’t want to make a fool of ourselves, but our actual placing is not as important as having a performance I am satisfied with.

The camaraderie, with other competitors, show staff and volunteers, is another plus.

Having to get a (gray) horse spotlessly clean, and having to get up at “O-dark-30” are definite negatives. I often spend the evening-before and the morning-of lamenting “why did I ever sign up for this?” But once I get there I am glad I did.

The performance addiction is so strong that, at a time I couldn’t afford a horse (in grad school), I took up another, more financially flexible (if something is broken, and you can’t afford to fix it now, you can wait till you can) sport to satisfy that addiction - motorcycle road racing (see my avatar).

PS I am primarily an Eventer, but I also go to some dressage and hunter/jumper shows.

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Some go for the social aspect. In my teens I went because that was how I got to ride and I was sort of a working student.
As an adult, I go now when I have greenies who need to learn about the world or some other issue we can address at a show. Once we get past it or whatever, it’s back to fox hunting

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I have a lot of duties and responsibilities in my real life. I have a friend who went to Italy for 3 months this year - while I would love to do that, there is NO WAY I could - farm (not horses), mother, the list goes on. But what I can do is get away for a short time and spend 3 days blissfully zoned out at a horse show, focusing on nothing more than my horse, riding, taking care of him, making new friends, gossiping, and not thinking about all the other responsibilities I have. It is the absolutely best mind clearing activity and well worth what I spend to get there.

No exaggeration - horses have kept me sane through a lot these past 5 years. People talk about what horses did for them in their youth - I never dreamed they would serve the same function in my old age LOL!!

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So many reasons I love to show.
And we’re taking local charity, schooling circuit and a dressage GMO.

I like completion. I like goal-setting. I have a year end (personal) goal with our GMO and it gives me something to work towards.

I am such a better rider when I have shows on the schedule that I am working towards. I know I need to be ready for X in June, Y in July and Z in August.

This keeps me focused and motivated.

For a sport where we are always dirty, it’s nice to break out the fineries, look my best, and turnout my horse nicely.
I don’t care if it’s an audience of one - the judge - it’s me and my horse showing our best. Displaying what we’ve worked hard to accomplish.

There’s also camaraderie, and GF fun, and training opportunities. All that. But that’s all bonus to the rush of a show ring and delivering your best - win or lose.

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main reason is if our horses went by themselves there is telling what trouble they would get into

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Perhaps to look for the colored show shirts?

runs from thread giggling

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Best answer so far.

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