THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SARAH
AMATEUR SARAH ELDER CHRONICLES THE WORLD SHOW EXPERIENCE.
November 2, 2007 - Hello and Hit the Ground Running
Fifteen hours behind the wheel and a few coffees later, Dad, Bailey (my horse), Dottie (the puppy) and I pull onto the Oklahoma State Fair grounds in a sleepy daze.
Finally! We are here!
After a year of hard work and showing (or maybe I should say 26 years of hard work and major parental support), we are finally at the AQHA World Championship Show! We check in with the health inspectors and roll around to where our stalls are. Thank goodness my friend and World Show expert, Karen Mundy, called us ahead of time to tell us the short cut.
I immediately go to order shavings ... another thing I should have done prior to the show. Those things keep coming up no matter how prepared I think I am. I make it back to the trailer and Dad starts unloading buckets. As he takes a load in, I start unpacking my saddle and the other showing necessities when two gals in a golf cart roll around and ask if I need help unloading! I almost made them repeat their question – so thankful after no sleep – I gladly accepted their assistance. AQHA’s "Horse-pitality" crew is from Oklahoma State University's Horseman's Association, and they were volunteering their time to help sleepy deprived horse owners get settled in at the World Show. They were great and very much appreciated!
I check in with the office, get my exhibitor's number, all of the information I need to show and a few goodies. After the necessary running about, I finally get back to my little home away from home for a short session of “shut eye.”
By 6 p.m., I decide to head back to the barn for a ride even though I could sleep for a week. The horse is why we are here! I am so happy that Bailey is comfortable in all of the arenas. Now we can just concentrate on doing the best we can and not have to worry about him being nervous ... just have to work on me! After a good ride, I head back to grab some dinner and then back again to the barn to braid.
It’s been a long day – 1 a. m. and I am headed to bed. Tomorrow we show in the amateur hunt seat equitation, and I am sure I will be clucking in my sleep and dreaming of diagonals!
--Sarah
Go to http://www.aqha.com/showing/shows/worldshow/experience3/sarahelderblog.html for the rest of Sarah's World Show blog.