![]() Despite my desire to look like an expert, I relied heavily on the veteran head steward for cues. I stumbled awkwardly while learning the ropes that day. All of those things my trainers had told me in the past were true. Then, the first exhibitor took her place at the cone, the show started, and everything became clear. “All you have to do is stand here, pay attention to the judges, and check the cards, dummy,” I mumbled to myself. I tried to take a deep breath, reminding myself that I have shown now for 10 years and the arena is not an unfamiliar place. The judges were reviewing the pattern and exhibitors were quietly warming up their horses for Showmanship. The sun was just peeking over the trees and the atmosphere was still. Something unexpectedly humbling happened when we stepped out onto the freshly harrowed arena. I became a believer in January, when I innocently volunteered to steward and scribe for the very first time at a two-judge horse show for my husband, an APHA judge, so I could be prepared to scribe at a much larger show later this year. How could it possibly make such a difference being inside the ring as opposed to standing outside the rail where everything is still in plain sight? I can tell you from first-hand experience that it does. Oddly enough, I have found the cure and it came while standing inside the ring. ![]() Admittedly, I wasn’t blessed with a poker face. You know that conversation, when you’re sharing your opinion about a judge’s results and someone says that everyone should have to stand inside the ring, just once, to see what it’s really like? Cue the eye-roll. Octo| Filed under: Current Articles, Editorial | Posted by: Brittany Bevis
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