My husband and I were discussing showing horses.
Me: “I’m not so sure Howdy and I would do well in certain circles that many of the younger generations would likely avoid also.”
Hubby: “What do you mean?”
Me: “Howdy and I are not suitable for certain (air quotes) classes.”
Hubby: “Like dressage?”
Me: “I’m not sure if that would be the case for dressage. Maybe dressage would be a part of it. I don’t know what the criteria is for ‘show horses,’ but I’m not interested in showing my horse for ribbons and trophies.
I don’t want to have to put a blanket on my horses because they have to look ‘pretty’ for the judges. I don’t want to have to clip my horse’s coat so the judges are content with their judgements. I want to show my horses for them to be critiqued on their performance for improvement. Not for looks.
A horse can look pretty and do all the things just to do the thing. However, when they’re in the barn, they might not have manners and they may be useless when it comes to ranch tasks. They’re ornaments and I’m not into ornaments.
I do not like being called or treated like an ornament. Because of that, I do not want ornamental horses. Give me a realistic horsemanship competition that helps horses gain well-rounded courage where they can come as they are because horses don’t go to shows in the wild.”
Hubby: “Oh. Okay. I see what you mean now.”
Me: “Looks are shallow. It’s what’s under the hood that matters to me. Is it a six-banger? Does it have towing capacity? Or is it all shell with a wimpy four-banger that just looks ‘pretty’? A pretty horse doesn’t mean it will have a bright future on someone else’s ranch. I do not want a yard pet. I want a horse with character. Much like my partner.”
Source article of inspiration: Cindy Hale, ‘Horse Show Solutions: Suitability Counts‘, Horse Illustrated
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