I grew up riding hunters but transitioned to also showing quarter horse at a fairly early age and I don’t remember there being much of a transition for me between the two. Fast forward 15 years and I’m boarding my quarter horse at a hunter/jumper barn and I am the only person there who owns a western saddle.
One day my friend, Shalaine (pictured here) and I were talking at the barn and I was saying how much fun I was having at the quarter horse shows and how she should come and see what it was all about. I finally got her to come and watch me show in the hunter under saddle and equitation at a quarter horse show in Denver, The Mile High Classic.
We arrive at the show and there was halter and showmanship before the English and Shalaine instantly notices the sparkly outfits and beautiful silver halters. Next she notices how quietly the horses are waiting in the make-up pen, several aren’t being held by anyone, lead shanks thrown over their necks while someone is brushing out their tail, applying fly spray, etc.
She murmurs, “You would never see that at a hunter show, the horses wouldn’t stay still.” I laugh and tell her to just watch the showmanship class that was starting. She watches in awe as the horse trots along right next to the exhibitor, stops promptly and seamlessly sets up. When dismissed, the horse marches in reverse, whips out a great pivot and trots off, all with seemingly no input from the exhibitor. She asks if her horse could be taught to do that, I said her Dutch Warmblood “could” learn to do that but perhaps she should start looking for a quarter horse.
I then leave her watching while I go to get my horse saddled so I can ride on the break before we show. Shalaine watches all of us riding on the break with a look that was a combination of awe and terror. When I come out she asks me how I kept from running in to anyone with horses going every direction and horses longing too. I reminded her that we are going at a much slower pace than a jumping horse and it’s not hard to look up and steer, stopping if necessary (hey, that’s just an opportunity to practice your transition again!).
Turns out she has a pretty good eye and is able to pick the winner in most of the under saddle classes that she watches. Now she’s feeling more comfortable and thinks she understands this quarter horse thing, that it’s really not that different from the under saddle at a hunter show.
Then, the cones and chairs come out and equitation starts. She’s once again in awe, amazed not only at the precise maneuvers the horses accomplish at a set point but also that none of them are spooking at the cones or the judges!
She accompanies me back to the stall to put my horse away and then we get some lunch and sit to watch the western classes. We pass several exhibitors and she comments on how friendly and laid back everyone is. Shalaine is new to this world and yet they all smile and say hello to her like she’s been there for years.
With the western classes, there comes even more bling as she picks out her favorite saddles and headstalls as the horses jog and lope by. She also picks out a favorite outfit on one of the women and asks if we can go look at the tack shop that was on the grounds. I say sure but remind her that her warmblood has never seen a western saddle and at almost 17 hands, she might stand out in a pleasure class. She laughs but continues to the tack store. Upon entering, she looked like a kid in a candy shop, her eyes darting from one blingy top to another. She finally picks one out that she thinks would look great with her complexion on her bay quarter horse that she has already mentally purchased.
A friend of ours was at the show with her western pleasure horse and asked if Shalaine would like to ride him. She climbed aboard and said “there’s so much leather, how do you feel the horse?” I explained that she should just sit up and look pretty. She headed off at the walk (pictured above left) and at first was kicking but we told her to just sit there. The buttons are pretty different and it took her a few tries to get him jogging and loping but once she did she was hooked. She halted just by saying “whoa”, another concept unheard of on her warmblood, and the biggest grin came across her face.
Stay tuned for next time when Shalaine makes the full leap from hunter to quarter horse land!
