Admit it – it has happened to you or someone you know. You hear the rip as you get up into the saddle, or you bend over to pull your pant legs out of your boots, and you feel air where there should be none.
Cindy Chilton-Moore–I had to unload a pair of boots when I checked in for a flight to Salt Lake City, and I always pack my boots in Wal-Mart bags to keep dirt off clothes. I grabbed what I thought was one pair and gave them to my husband, Gary. You can see from the photo (pictured above right) how I spent my weekend judging. Just glad I had one right and one left. I wore them for 2 days that way! Attractive, huh?
Peggy Knaus–I got on my pleasure horse at the gate after changing bridles. In doing so, I split my pants from the center of the butt about 3/4 of the way underneath. Well, while sitting one couldn’t tell and there was no time to change. So I went on in and showed, not considering that I may have to drop the bridle later in the class – which upon lining up, they started doing that very thing. Now mind you that I go commando so the dilemma began to excuse or explain myself. I chose the latter. One older gentleman judge (while laughing heartily) obliged the bit-dropping for me.
Marvin Kapushion–We were judging a Zone Show in Boise – the Zone 1 Show – and a rider was doing the trot overs after she completed the bridge in the trail. I see something hit the ground, and at first, I thought the horse had passed manure. I walked over and I realized it was hair – not the horse’s hair, but hers. So, I picked up it up, and I asked Lisa Moden, who was there judging with me, “Is this yours?” The rider’s fake hair thing hit the horse in the butt and landed in the trot overs. Afterward, the lady was so embarrassed, she just stood there with her horse, so I walked over and handed it to her. I have seen a lot of horses lose their tails over the years, but I have never seen the exhibitor lose their hair.
Rebekah Kazakevicius–In 2010, I was in the warm up pen for the finals of the Amateur Western Riding at the AQHA World Show. I was standing in the chute watching Kristina Papendick show Harley who was two goes ahead of me. After her pattern, I checked in wearing the same black Good Ride shirt I had worn in the prelims. After dropping bridles and getting back on, they said, “Hey you can’t wear that shirt. You have to cover up the logo, so here is some duct-tape!” With one horse to show before me, I yelled across the arena for Brad Ost to come hold my horse, jumped off, left the horse standing in the middle of the makeup pen, sprinted all the way back to the stalls, buttons flying everywhere from rushing to get undressed and change shirts. Luckily, Michelle Forness was there to help me with a last minute neck tie. I was still buttoning and tucking in my shirt while going down the chute to show in the finals. My mom jokes that it was a blessing in disguise, because after all that, I won the Amateur Western Riding on Cool Assets.
Daren Wright–Through a nightmare of cancelled flights, rerouting, missed connections and more rerouting, I ended up in Las Vegas at 11:00 p.m. on a Friday night. Unfortunately, my show started at 8 a.m. in California, and I was five hours away. Realizing I didn’t have any luggage, I called my friend who was part of the show management and asked him to go to whatever store he could find that was open and buy me a shirt, tie and pair of pants. This sounds like a pretty easy feat since we are pretty much the same size. So, I roll into my hotel at 6:00 am and waiting on me is a bag of clothes from the all night Walmart. Unfortunately, the only thing that fit was the necktie! With an hour and a half before I had to be at the grounds, I had just enough time to exchange my ill-fitting wardrobe before I started what turned out to be a 16 hour day after driving all night to get there. And everyone thinks we have a glamorous life!
Melissa Baus–Two years ago at the Paint Horse Congress, I borrowed a show outfit because the consensus was I needed to wear blue because it stood out more with my mare (I only had chocolate with me). All was fine until we turned to go the second direction and the back of my chaps lost the screw and they came apart. I tried to hide it and shove it back under the jacket real quick, but it was hard to show the rest of the time because I had to sit just right. I ended up showing in Chocolate the next day and placed better. Go figure!
Suzy Jeane–In Vegas, there was a girl that lost her pants during showmanship and it was broadcast all over the hotel…Sweet. We were all straight faced until one judge snorted to keep from laughing and we all lost it. That’s a visual that’s gonna last!
Tina Price–I’ve been very lucky and have only had one problem. I was showing a mare in halter, who’d won her class and I needed to go back in for Grand and Reserve. I was wearing a pair of slacks that were older than dirt, and I had debated throwing them away but hadn’t done it. As I went to set my mare up, I bent over to pick up a front leg, and I heard a loud rip. The seam split from the knee to the crotch on the inside seam. The slacks were also black, so I could just imagine the contrast between the slacks and my skin. I stood very still while showing, and tried to walk out of the ring with as much dignity as I could muster as the mare was Grand under most of the judges. I can say I learned my lesson. Once my slacks start getting even a little thread bare, I toss them out!
Karen Banister–It was pretty horrific. I can laugh about it NOW. I’ve learned a lot along the way about judging. I’ve learned not to take the last flight out ever since then, and I had taken the last flight out on a Friday to go judge. I think I was in Philadelphia with my changeover, and the flight out of Denver was delayed. Two things I knew – one–my connection was going to be late, which would leave me bolting through the airport– two- because of the changeover, not only was I on the last flight into Horseheads, New York, but I would miss my shuttle. Then, of course, I worried about my luggage. By then, I thought I’d learned to be a smart judge by carrying my hat with me. All those things were at play, so when I arrived at Horseheads, I made it but my luggage didn’t and I knew that right away. I went to the counter and they said there was not another flight until Sunday morning. They told me, “On your way back you can probably pick up your luggage.”
About the author: Delores Kuhlwein, a freelance
equine writer, shows and breeds American Paint Horses and American
Quarter Horses together with her husband, Mark, in Glendale, Arizona.
Delores began sharing her lifetime love of horses through writing in
2011 after retiring from 15 years as an educator. In addition to being
active with her local regional Paint Horse club and the American Paint
Horse Association, she manages two family-owned businesses. Her favorite
activities are showing her beloved mare in amateur events, and traveling
with her husband and two dogs.
