With the season’s biggest shows coming up, so too are the emotions that accompany competition. As exhibitors prepare for their classes, barnmates and friends are often right there with them, sometimes searching for just the right words of encouragement. While there’s no shortage of famous inspirational quotes to choose from, a little horse-show humor goes a long way.
Here are ten famous quotes, reimagined with a lighthearted, show-pen twist, perfect for keeping spirits high as you or your barnmates step into the arena for some of their biggest classes of the year.
Vince Lombardi: “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
Show-pen translation: “Don’t trip and fall in Showmanship. Don’t fall off in Pleasure. Don’t get bucked off, lawn-darted, or anything of the sort. All of those are DQs – so just don’t. And please, don’t faint in the lineup.”
Theodore Roosevelt: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
Show-pen translation: “Roll your shoulders back, chin up, and smile like you’ve already won.”
Wayne Gretzky: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Show-pen translation: “No, you can’t scratch the class.”
Christian Larson: “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.”
Show-pen translation: “Which torture-loving trail designer came up with this pattern?”
Eleanor Roosevelt: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Show-pen translation (best said after a rough go): “But you looked good doing it!”
Zig Ziglar: “Success is not about the destination, but the journey.”
Show-pen translation: “Unless your journey takes you off pattern. Don’t go off pattern.”
Archie Griffin: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”
Show-pen translation: “Take your little 15-hander into Hunter Under Saddle and ride him like he’s a giant.”
Derek Jeter: “There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
Show-pen translation: “A 2 a.m. practice session never killed anyone.”
Taylor Swift: “’Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play… Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake. I shake it off, I shake it off.”
Show-pen translation: “Shake it off.” Best delivered with dance moves – extra points if it’s by someone in starched jeans who would never otherwise be caught dancing.
Unknown: “Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind that you have to convince.”
Show-pen translation: “More leg. Always more leg.”
