What Type Of Horse Show Prepper Are You?

Show season is gearing up and with our horses shedding we are getting the itch to get in the show ring. This time of year we are all setting up our schedule of what shows we are going to, asking for time off work, and pulling out the savings. Leaves start to change and it starts to get warmer outside, we clean out our trailers and get ready to be more organized for the season ahead of us or at the very least we will start with a clean trailer.

It is always nice to go through the trailer at the end of winter because you end up finding things that you forgot you had, numbers from past shows, and we all know about those bobby pins. Those little black hair things that come in packages of hundreds, but by the end of the show weekend we have maybe two, yes those pesky things. With a clean trailer and a schedule it’s time to condition the horse and now you’re ready for show season. What kind of show prepper are you? Are you the prepared two weeks ahead kind of person, or are you the hurry up and pack the night before, or what about the still packed from last show person?

The List Maker:

An equestrian that is very organized has lists upon lists of items to check off to make sure they have everything they will need for the horse show. They have their tack, grooming supplies, and their outfits all lined out to be checked and rechecked. This is not the only check list though, there is also list of well what if this breaks or if someone doesn’t have something “so let’s take two of everything”, items to check. Mind you, this is all done two weeks in advance. This equestrian has it together, but will be stressing all the way up until the day of the show. They will be worrying about making sure everything is ready to go, but the day of the show they will be relaxed and only focus on the task ahead. This person has a great day of showing, helping others, but come time to go home and unpack, midnight will come and go when they get home because of everything that needs to be unpacked.

The Hurry Up And Packer:

There is also the horse person that is getting everything packed in the trailer the night before, all while trying to bathe, band or braid, and groom their horse for the following day. That’s me, I am a little of both though, I make lists of what I need to bring and what I need to do but if I try to pack to early I will need the item packed or like most times I am packing to late and might forget something. This works great though because all that anticipation for the show and the excitement is easy to handle as the hurry up and pack kind of show prepper. We are so busy that our night goes whizzes by. By the time we are done, the only thing we have energy left for is to crash and get some sleep. Sometimes though the next morning we are still trying to make sure we have everything. Once we get to the show grounds we end up noticing we forgot something. Luckily the organized show prepper has what we need. Make sure to buddy up with one of those equestrians if you are like me.

The Never Unpacker:

Horse show season goes all summer, even all year for some circuits. Sometimes we end up living out of our trailer going from show to show. Living like this and unpacking on Sunday just to pack again on Wednesday seems ridiculous so why not leave everything in the trailer? When riding we can just grab what we need and then put it back after the ride, easy as that and we won’t forget anything! The next day we hit the show, say hi to almost every person because we have either seen them every year at this show or we see them at other shows. Either way it’s a great social event. We show our horses, go home unload and clean out that back end of the trailer, this makes for an early night to bed.

The great thing about showing horses is that it is a community event, we all are there to have fun and to share the same passion. Everyone helps out and if you ever need anything, someone will be there to help. It doesn’t matter how you got to the show, how you got there, or how much you spent it just matters that we all have fun. So which show prepper are you? Be honest!

Written By, Jona Lane. Share this on Facebook if you can’t wait to show your horse this year!