Show Time

The question most frequently asked by someone who’s never been to a horse show is…

“What time do you ride?”

Time for friends

Anyone who’s been to a horse show knows that you ride when you ride. Sure, there’s a schedule. But that schedule is a moving target. It’s as unpredictable as the stock market, it’s as temperamental as the weather, it’s as fluid as the ocean.

“But you must have some idea?” A newbie will insist.

I smile, “The schedule says 10, so I’ll be on anytime between 9 and 12.”

“That’s a three-hour window,” Newbie moans. “And it might rain.”

“Exactly,” I tell them. “Remember, no umbrellas.”

All-weather friends

It reminds me of the best announcement I’ve ever heard at a horse show. “We know it’s raining. But you’re at a horse show. No umbrellas allowed because they might scare the horses. We know you’re going to get wet.”