Horse Show Superstitions--Or Why I sometimes Don't Wear Socks

Let's paint the picture, shall we?

It is my last lesson before a show, and I arrive at the barn.  I am nervous.  I am anxious.  I check my gear a million times before the lesson begins.

And I don't have socks on.

That's right, people.  No socks.  Even when it is below freezing.   Even in the hot summer.

I do this on purpose.

Why?   Because wearing socks during the last lesson before a show is terribly unlucky.  If you're my instructor, you think I'm crazy.   But I think they've learned to deal with my unique ways.  After all, I have informed them that there is, in fact, an unlucky whip (it is the really short white one just so you know) and an unlucky saddle (the #8).    Yes, I am extremely superstitious.   But why?

I did a quick google search of "horse show superstitions" and found so many articles and forums where riders talk about their lucky socks, their "unlucky" meals, and more.   Why do so many riders have superstitions?

I think superstitions are okay (I think my instructor may think otherwise when I make her give me another whip or a different saddle to ride in).   They are okay because they help those people like me, people who can be so "in their heads" that it can jeopardize the show before it even starts.

You see, by having these "superstitions", we are creating a routine.   And in that routine, we feel prepared for what is to come.  It eases our minds and helps us feel like we are moving forward, even when we are scared to death.

So this is one small snippet of my horse show routine.   In the mornings before a show, I always wake up, listen to my pre-prepared playlist, drink coffee, and eat a CLIF bar and a banana.   I do this every show morning.  I get to the show early so I can watch the judge and figure out if he/she prefers quicker horse, more aggressive riders, or if he/she is asking everyone to reverse at the trot.  I am not someone who can waltz into the show five minutes before go-time.   I need my routine, and I feel woefully unprepared if something messes it up.

So, go on with your bad self.  Choose those socks an hour before the show, wear your lucky underwear, chew your lucky gum and be as superstitious as you need to be in order to feel prepared.

I am curious- what are YOUR horse show superstitions?

Why You Need a Barn With a Really Rad Cheering Section

There I was, standing in the lineup, after my first ever class in the Walk-Trot-Canter division.   I can't say that this first class was a success (well, I didn't die, so there's that), because I engaged in all of the following activities while the judge was looking: cantered incorrectly the first direction, forgot to change my whip when we reversed, forgot that we had to canter again after the reverse, and lost my stirrup going into the lineup.   I guess that's what I get for not participating in #nostirrupnovember, but I digress...

Anyway, I had just had the most-um-interesting start to the world of Walk-Trot-Canter classes, and I was just glad it was over.  I had cried at least three times before the show, and couldn't sleep the night before.   I was disappointed in myself for making so many mistakes, and I was ready for them to hand me my last place ribbon and let me get the heck outta that ring.  I think at that point I was trying my best to come up with a really good excuse as to why I couldn't go back into the next class.   I was avoiding eye contact with my instructor so much that I think the other competitor next to me was convinced I was giving her the stink eye.  They called my number.  Third. 

Then, I heard the cheers.   

You would have thought I had won the dang thing, and you could hear cheering from multiple sides of the arena.    Even though I had one of the hardest, most stressful rides of my life, this melted away when I remembered that I had a whole group of riders there to support me and cheer me on, no matter what place I received.

In the next class, I got second- still not a blue ribbon ride, but the cheers were even louder this time.   

This is what happened for all of our riders at our barn.   We cheered on each other, even if it wasn't a blue ribbon ride.   We hugged each other.   We shared words of advice and last minute preparations.  We loaned our stirrups, saddles, gloves, and hands and hearts when others needed them.   

This is why it is so incredibly important to have a barn with a really rad cheering section.   Cheering on each other doesn't mean that you forget the rivalries.  It doesn't mean that you'll never be jealous of someone, and might have to try a little harder to offer congratulations. 

But sometimes, you'll forget.   Sometimes, you'll be swept away in your own victories or defeat that you'll forget, but if you're a member of a barn with a really rad cheering section, you'll be reminded of why it is important.  

Because at our barn, we don't just build riders.  We build people.