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The big show
A few weeks ago, I got an email from the Side Saddle Association (well, you have to really, don't you?) begging for more people to enter the rather grandly named The Jane Hallett Costume Concours d’Elegance at the South Of England Show, on account of how last year they only had half a dozen people doing it and it was in danger of being cancelled.
Which sounded interesting.
I enquired a bit further (in particular, about what lines in the description like "Fancy dress is not permitted [...] competitors should produce a brief written resume of their costume for the Commentator" actually meant (historical costumes only, you can't go as a fairy or whatever, it turns out)), and thought "what the hell". As far as I can tell, it's more of an audience attraction thing than a proper showing class: it's in two parts, one where you go into a ring at the insignificant end of the show ground and ride around getting judged, then another (over an hour later: the gap is presumably designed to test your ability to be lady-like and not get horse poo and slobber all over your fancy frock) where you go into the main ring and ride around showing off your frock before they announce the winners.
(I'm still bemused by the fact that, in the first part of the class, "competitors [...] may be asked to give a short display in small groups," though: normally, you do a short display on your own. If you're in a group, who decides what you're going to do next? Do you get together in the Green Room and plan it? If so, how do you know who you're going to be in a group with? Although I've been working on the assumption that they'll just ask people they're planning on giving rosettes to to do this, and so I needn't concern myself, I should probably make more of an effort to find an answer before the show, shouldn't I?)
So, yes, there we go: on the 7th of June, I'm off to the South of England show, with my faux-Georgian faux-military blue riding outfit, and my pony, and a mountain of stuff and helpers. Things to do before the show include:
- figuring out how to get on the horse in at least the underskirt of my outfit, because I haven't got a bloody clue how to do it (I normally mount astride and then swing my leg over, which seems likely to lead to tangling with anything more than an apron on) other than knowing that it traditionally requires a Big Strong Man to give you a leg-up
- riding in at least the underskirt of my outfit to make sure GB doesn't bother about it (I can't imagine he will)
- hoping that the previous thing will show that the skirt is long enough for me to just wear my normal boots under it
- buying a brown bridle
- deciding if I'm going to be Authentic (wear the natty, feather-trimmed tricorn hat that came with the outfit) or Safe (wear my riding hat. Possibly with, say, a blue ribbon tied around it)
- oh, and, er, getting less crap at riding side saddle.
This should be interesting. To the best of my knowledge, neither of us has ever been in a show before, other than me leading a pony in-hand once.
Which sounded interesting.
I enquired a bit further (in particular, about what lines in the description like "Fancy dress is not permitted [...] competitors should produce a brief written resume of their costume for the Commentator" actually meant (historical costumes only, you can't go as a fairy or whatever, it turns out)), and thought "what the hell". As far as I can tell, it's more of an audience attraction thing than a proper showing class: it's in two parts, one where you go into a ring at the insignificant end of the show ground and ride around getting judged, then another (over an hour later: the gap is presumably designed to test your ability to be lady-like and not get horse poo and slobber all over your fancy frock) where you go into the main ring and ride around showing off your frock before they announce the winners.
(I'm still bemused by the fact that, in the first part of the class, "competitors [...] may be asked to give a short display in small groups," though: normally, you do a short display on your own. If you're in a group, who decides what you're going to do next? Do you get together in the Green Room and plan it? If so, how do you know who you're going to be in a group with? Although I've been working on the assumption that they'll just ask people they're planning on giving rosettes to to do this, and so I needn't concern myself, I should probably make more of an effort to find an answer before the show, shouldn't I?)
So, yes, there we go: on the 7th of June, I'm off to the South of England show, with my faux-Georgian faux-military blue riding outfit, and my pony, and a mountain of stuff and helpers. Things to do before the show include:
- figuring out how to get on the horse in at least the underskirt of my outfit, because I haven't got a bloody clue how to do it (I normally mount astride and then swing my leg over, which seems likely to lead to tangling with anything more than an apron on) other than knowing that it traditionally requires a Big Strong Man to give you a leg-up
- riding in at least the underskirt of my outfit to make sure GB doesn't bother about it (I can't imagine he will)
- hoping that the previous thing will show that the skirt is long enough for me to just wear my normal boots under it
- buying a brown bridle
- deciding if I'm going to be Authentic (wear the natty, feather-trimmed tricorn hat that came with the outfit) or Safe (wear my riding hat. Possibly with, say, a blue ribbon tied around it)
- oh, and, er, getting less crap at riding side saddle.
This should be interesting. To the best of my knowledge, neither of us has ever been in a show before, other than me leading a pony in-hand once.
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This presumably involves Renting a Horse Box too.
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Well, so did horse box, but I'm from the US, so different euphemism for the win.
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Renting A Horse Box is indeed already arranged: the advantage of having the people who own your livery yard also having a business providing horse boxes!
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Looking at the photos from previous years, I think you have to wear the hat with the outfit. GB isn't going to pitch you off is he? It can't be the most dangerous riding environment in any case.
Also looking at the photos, it does look like it's at least as much about looking good in an outfit on a horse as it is about being able to ride, right?
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I think that the judging is pretty much half points for making a pretty picture and half points for being able to ride. It may be more like 75:25, though.
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(I did think about making one up, but it wouldn't match his passport: smaller shows are fine with you just making one up, but the bigger ones want it to match the passport, and I suspect that this is big enough for that to be the case!)
(I struggled with several bits of the entry form, other than the bits asking for both show name and stable name: mother and father? Ha! Date of birth? Well, I have a possible year....)
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I suspect that the small discount is because there are a lot of people who will be there every year, never mind what the weather does, and if they make the discount too big then it costs them money!