Ok, I told you a few months ago about the crazy workout that is 'taking riding lessons'! Well, all that hard work and sore muscles was about to be completely worth it!
I spend the week cleaning my saddle and getting my show clothes ready to go!
The show was the Thoroughbred Classic and it was down in San Juan Capistrano. I was originally going to stay in a hotel, but boy oh boy are they expensive! So, I went to trusty Airbnb and found a great place for next to nothing!
I had a view of the ocean from the top of the hill!
And a friendly buddy to greet me!
I got there late Friday night and ordered some gluten free pizza and watched Orange is the New Black!
Then it was an early bedtime so I would be ready to go first thing in the morning!
The Thoroughbred Classic Horse Show was at the Mission Viejo Riding Park right by The Oaks.
I got to the barn first thing in the morning to get my handsome steed ready!
Next, I took a look at my first course.
Then tried to figure out which fences were which.
Then my next course.
It was first thing in the morning so the ring had not been touched! I was pretty excited to get out there!
I think he was excited too!
I wish I had more photos from the day, but you have to pay to get the professional photos and my mom couldn't figure out how to work the camera so the video of everything does not exist.
After I was done for the day I was exhausted! You can probably see how gross and sweaty I was, and it wasn't even that warm out!
I'll have you know, hair nets are a key component in horse show fashion! Hair nets and blue ribbons, the accessories every girl wants!
I had quite the workout, and I'm not even doing the big crazy jumps, yet!
I'm pretty sure some of these horses can fly! They are incredible to watch!
Even if riding isn't for you, you should totally go check out a show sometime! They are usually free to get into so if you don't like it you can leave. But it is pretty amazing.
Another great thing about horse shows, is that horse people are generally also dog people.
There is a good chance you may find a puppy or two hanging around!
This particular show was all Thoroughbreds that were at one time racehorses. The organization bring light to the fact that these horses can do more than race and can have bright futures when they leave the track.
After day one was over I got to explore San Juan Capistrano a bit!
The Shwack was recommended and it was delicious!
They even had yummy cider which hit the spot after a long day of riding!
The food was great! I had the salmon burger wrapped in lettuce and ate the whole thing as well as all the french friend I could find!
The area we stayed was actually Dana Point, its a great neighborhood with cute shops, restaurants with a very beachy vibe. Get the salmon burger if you to visit Dana Point!
It was a bit cloudy and chilly that day but we still enjoyed exploring! We kept it low key though because I needed to be up pretty early again to get to the barn for day two!
The next day, we were back at it, get ready, learn the pattern and get out there and get it done!
My trainer is Janie Stiener and she is amazing! The teeniest woman, but don't let her size fool ya, she is a tough cookie and can get any horse to do just about anything for her! Plus she really pushed me and made me absolutely hate her some days, but because of that I loved how quickly I got better!
The second day was a shorter day for me and I shared Sarafan with another girl that trains with Janie.
I think half the fun of showing is getting to hang out with and support the other riders. Its so much fun to just hang out, eat food and watch some classes. The riding part is fun too, but its a great community to be a part of.
By the end of the weekend our barn had racked up quite a few ribbons!
Obviously we had to show them off!
After the weekend I was so sleepy, and I needed to rest my body for a few days, but it was totally worth it!
Just to show you that anyone can ride, check out these future riders of America!
How cute are these itty bitty kiddos in the lead line class!
So stinking cute!
Well there you have you it (minus the cool pictures from an actual camera since technology is really hard for some people *coughmymomcough*) The profession pictures are here but they are not very easy to see, but at least you can see that I physically got on the horse!
I had the most amazing time at this show and was planning on another one in November, however my trainer moved about an hour and a half away so now I'm looking for a new trainer. Super sad, but I will find something good! If you know any great trainers in LA be sure to let me know!
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