Listen to Your Mother

I spent a lot of time at this horse show remembering the away shows that my parents used to come to with me. I miss them! Parents, if you are reading this, please come back! Neither of my parents are horse people, but both of them learned a few helpful skills along the way, and both eventually drove the horse trailer for me at some point. My dad was a shoe-in for this role, having spent the better part of his young adult life with his racer attached to a van, trolling around north america in a points chase, but even mother dear ran a shuttle service for me once from the barn to my school so that I could get to a horse show before midnight (thanks, mom!) I wish I still had the picture we took of the time that she oiled a hoof. Anyways, I thought I would do a little mini post before my epic one on various things I have tried to save money at shows on a few of her lessons that I was reminded of on my trip.

• Put some blush on! I don't know why exactly this one came to me over a horse show, but it's her favorite beauty advice. No matter how late I am running or how little sleep I have gotten, I always make myself put on a swipe of eyeliner on the upper lid and a coat of mascara. It makes you look more in control of yourself and well rested than you will feel. I encourage my readers to pick a non-negotiable beauty ritual to bring with you on the road. Everyone has their thing.
• Don't drive with those boots! I had to show in my schooling tall boots this weekend, and did not think to bring any other form of footwear with me except the high heals I started my journey with. Bad idea. Bring a pair of shoes to drive in if you have a trip that is more than an hour or two. Your ankles and feet will thank you, even if you suddenly are just wearing weird pants out of context when you stop at gas stations rather than obviously being the horse person with the trailer.
• Can you feed this to a horse? This is one of her favorite questions, and it's something I have stopped doing but should make an effort to start again. Always offer horsie a bite. You never know what strange food they end up liking. Just make sure you have common edible illegal substances on the top of your head when you do this. Lego loved oreo cookies, but cocoa powder=caffiene, so he only would get them after the last day had finished and I knew he wouldn't be tested, provided there was more than two weeks before the next show.
• Take the interstate! This is one area my parents differed, if there was an option of driving routes, my father would always go with the back roads for the view and my mother would stay on the interstate for the good signage and plentiful gas stations. If you have the horse trailer, unless you have driven the route before, take the interstate. Being close to a mechanic and a gas station is very important. Also, you know, highway patrol, for us single ladies.
• Don't go to sleep with dirty feet! This is a weird non negotiable from my childhood that has stuck with me. I just can't do it. I'm not really suggesting it to the audience, just noting an odd habit we share.
• Did you bring something nice to wear to dinner? Hah, I have been able to change for dinner a grand total of three times in my show career, every other time has been in my riding clothes. I persisted in bringing a nice outfit with me for a couple years though. Do keep a mental checklist of what you need to bring for yourself, though. It's so easy to forget your own bag when you are packing five separate bins/trunks/boxes for one horse (true story, more on that at some point) that I have often found myself without some crucial item. Pack yourself before you pack the horse, and write down everything you need to put in your bag the morning of.
• What kind of beer does Chris like again? Always have the kind of beer your trainer likes, even if now that you can legally drink you think it tastes like some bodily fluid of the devil. I'm talking about you, Miller Light. They have been putting up with you all day, they will probably need it.
• Can't you pay someone to do that so you can get some sleep? Now that the answer is always no, I am much much more cognizant of how wonderful my support crew was when I was showing in high school. Write your braider a nice note every so often, even if you rarely see him or her face to face, and always leave your check on Saturday night since they will want to leave before you do on Sunday.

That about sums up the list that has been floating around in my head. Next up is the varying levels of success that my money saving budget cuts have had.