8 Lies We Tell Ourselves About a Show Weekend
It’s Friday. If you haven’t already pulled out of the barn, we know it’s because you’re busy cramming clothes in bags and calculating how much hay you’ll need for the weekend. As you pack and prep (or think about packing an prepping), there are some common lies you tell yourself.
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Show weekends are exciting, nerve-wracking, fun, and usually full of equal parts horse hair and chaos. But before the trailer even is hooked up, equestrians are already whispering sweet, delusional lies to themselves to get through the prep. Here are the biggest ones we all tell ourselves:
1. “I’ll pack early this time.”
Sure you will. Except somehow it’s midnight the night before, you’re still searching for your lucky socks, and your horse’s shipping boots are on the dog.
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2. “I don’t need to bring the entire tack room.”
Reality check: you’ll convince yourself to pack “just the essentials,” but end up hauling half your barn anyway. And guess what? You’ll still forget your belt.
3. “We’ll be out of there early.”
No, you won’t. The schedule will run two hours behind, you’ll stay to cheer on your friends, and by the time you’re loading the trailer it’ll be dark. Again
4. “My horse won’t get dirty on the way.”
Ah, the eternal dream. You scrubbed for hours, braided to perfection, and your horse promptly rolled in something unidentifiable 30 seconds before your class. Classic.
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5. “I’ll stay calm no matter what.”
Spoiler: you’ll panic when the announcer calls your name while you’re still tightening your girth, when you can’t find your crop, and when your horse decides the judge’s booth is a horse-eating monster.
6. “I’ll stick to my budget.”
Ha. Between snacks, last-minute supplies, and that shiny new halter from the vendor booth, your wallet is already crying.
7. “This time, I’ll actually sleep.
You will not. You’ll lie awake worrying about forgetting your test, missing your class, or whether your horse is eating hay in the trailer. Caffeine will be your best friend.
8. “It’ll all go smoothly.”
Bless your optimism. But the truth is, show weekends never go 100% to plan. And that’s okay — it’s part of the adventure. At the end of the day, you’ll laugh at the mayhem, cheer for the small wins, and start planning for the next “perfect” weekend.
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The good new is that we’re eternal optimists with short memories. If we truly remembered how chaotic and expensive horse shows are, we’d never sign up again. But here we are, loading the trailer and telling ourselves: “This weekend will be different.”
