What I learned at Texas Rose

Published on by Amanda C

Every horse show weekend is a learning experience in and of itself, but that was especially true for Texas Rose…

1. Always watch ALL of the helmet cam footage, don’t just delete the excess. 

I’m not coordinated enough to be able to properly push the button to start the GoPro while I’m mounted, so I always turn it on when I put my helmet on and turn it off when I take my helmet off. This makes for a really long video file, which I just cut down to the ride itself and trash the rest of the footage. This time I accidentally left the raw video rolling in the background on my computer while I did something else and happened to hear my post-ride conversation with Bobby. It was too great to omit, so I made it into it’s own video. If you like cussing, burping, high fives, or Bobby – it’s pretty hilarious.

2. Saddle pad = stall door.

Henry is a bit of a dumb, and every time I closed his stall door he would start spinning and neighing in his stall. Solid walls with no windows… he was pretty sure that by shutting the stall door I was also removing all his friends. I tried tying his lead rope across the doorway and leaving his door open, but he kept putting his head under to escape. Then I hung a saddle pad over the lead rope and he was like “Aw man, now there’s a DOOR there, I can’t get out!”. Yes Henry, you’re totally right – that saddle pad is absolutely a solid door. Bless your heart. Worked like a charm though, I could leave him like that for hours and not only was he perfectly content, he stayed put.

I is not a dumb!!!

3. Hot pink underwear, while beautiful, are not wise.

I have this one pair of underwear that are so perfect for dressage. No seams, very soft fabric, the perfect size and shape. For real, they’re the holy grail of underwear. None of my others compare. Sadly, they’re also hot pink and I’ve never been able to find the exact same pair in white or beige. I skirted this problem by wearing an underlayer, thinking I was pretty smart. Then I sweated buckets during dressage at Texas Rose, my underwear bled through my underlayer and my perfect white breeches, and it looked like I had my bubble gum period. Luckily I was so hot I couldn’t muster up the energy to give a shit, but you’re welcome fellow Area 5 eventers for the entertainment.

4. Yelling “CHAMPIONS” at people is totally acceptable.

When you have a 4 hour haul to get home and are totally delirious from heat stroke and lack of sleep, it is perfectly ok to entertain yourselves by honking at strangers and yelling “CHAMPIONS!!!”. It works even better if you hold your ribbons up to the window and wave while you do it. People love that. It’s basically a parade.

CHAMPIOOOONS!!!

5. There are idiots everywhere you go

If I saw one more person sitting on their horse immediately after XC, standing in the sun and chatting for a while, and then having the horse carry them all the way back to the barn, I was gonna throat punch someone. It’s HOT, the horses are HOT and TIRED, get your ass off your horse, loosen your girth, and get them walking in the shade. Come on people. It’s an animal, not a golf cart.

6. There are awesome people everywhere you go, too

Eventers are a pretty cool lot. Between the finish line and the barn I had 5 complete strangers ask me how it went and congratulate me, one of whom was an Olympian. You just don’t get that anywhere else. I have never in my life walked back from a jumper class and had a complete stranger ask me, with a smile, how my round went. It’s impossible to go to an event and come back without at least one new friend. Stay cool, eventing… you’re the greatest.

Rolex 2015 (I event therefore)

39 thoughts on “What I learned at Texas Rose”

  1. I love all of these…and seriously seeing people stay on their horse talking or even just while they’re walking back from XC drive me nuts too! GET OFF! At one of the schooling 3-phases I go to it is a completely uphill walk back from the finish to the trailers and you best believe I get off my pony and walk my own ass up that hill after she just carried me around XC. Most people don’t though and I can’t even believe it.

    I hope you can get those stains out of your breeches because that sucks :/ Not to get too personal here, but I have a pair of underarmour underwear in beige which are perfect for under white breeches. Soft, no panty lines, and you not need an extra under layer. They’re like $15 a pop which is kinda ridiculous for one pair of panties, but I actually think they’re worth it. Especially since having them show through is like my worst nightmare because I am super self conscious like that >_<

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    1. The stains came right out. The benefits of Scotchgard. 😉 It’s my summer mission to find ones I like just as much as those but in beige… I’ve tried 3 pairs already with no luck.

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  2. I’ve done stabling / hospitality all 5 days for the AECs for two years – the out of state people always comment on two things: 1) How gorgeous Texas Rose is, and how they were expecting tumbleweeds and sand dunes, and 2) How nice everyone is.

    I grew up at an eventing barn, so I assumed that we were all just competing against ourselves and really wanted our fellow horsemen to do well. Then I went to my first H/J show, and I learned BOY was I wrong! Apparently, we really want our competitors to have no shot at jumping in the warm-up, fight for a place at the gate, and then have their horse refuse the first fence and take off bucking.

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  4. Number 5 reminds me that I do not want to event. Number 6 makes me want to event again. Hmmm. I think my dislike of idiots is stronger than my like of awesome people.

    I can rewatch that Bobby/Amanda convo over and over it is so stinking funny!

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  5. OMG! Underwear showing through breeches is my fear! Mortifying but kinda funny.
    People not getting off their horse after their rounds at hunter/jumper shows is a pet peeve of mine.

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    1. I have the Smartpak version. They’re all just really hot in pants form. Gonna go underwear hunting today… I have to see and feel them in person!

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        1. These actually came from VS originally, but I bought them on clearance. I’ve tried 4 other different styles since then and none are the same. Boo.

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  8. That video is hilarious! I feel like if we ever competed together it would be a hot mess (literally between my tomato face light headedness and your burping/puking confusion), so it sounds like it’s a good thing Bobby is there for the show! Seems like a fun guy haha

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  9. I love the saddle pad idea! And sorry about the pink underwear problems. Also, I cannot stop watching the helmet cam footage of you and Bobby post-ride….totally hilarious!

    You are definitely right about how cool and nice eventers are! It shocked the hell out of me when I was grooming for Allison last weekend, and so many people came up to her and asked about Dino….you definitely don’t get that in Hunter/Jumper Land 🙂

    Congrats (again) on such a great Novice debut!

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  10. Priceless!! People who don’t get off their horses piss me off too. Either after XC, or where I have more experience, at H/J shows when there is a huge wait between classes and people just SIT ON THEIR HORSES FOR HOURS. GET OFF THE DAMN HORSE HE IS NOT A COUCH YOU MORON!!!! Whew. Sorry. That makes me mad I guess! Please let us all know if you find the perfect riding undies. And yes eventers are the nicest and friendliest and I love it!

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  12. i have to admit i have used the ‘saddle pad door trick’ many times in my lifetime. Works like a charm.

    Love the bobby/amanda show. Such a hoot. I still think Bobby needs reimbursement for putting up with you! 🙂

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  13. I just laughed at my desk and my co-workers are judging me. Thanks. So funny! I’m on the hunt for good riding underwear too. I hate when they bunch up at the sides and give you a weird line on your hip. I’m going to check out the Under Armour ones. People who don’t take care of their horse first drive me crazy. Don’t sit there and chat or drink water when your poor horse is hot and thirsty too. Sometimes people suck.

    https://adventuresofarerider.wordpress.com

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  14. i’m definitely on the ‘get off and walk the horse back’ band wagon tho it’s actually really uncommon around here (at least at the few starter trials i’ve been to). in fact it seems like the only ppl who walk back are those who fell or were otherwise eliminated. not sure why that is?

    and yea eventers are pretty much the nicest. i’ve been blown away that at every event we’ve easily slipped into friendly conversations with the trailers next to us – including borrowing and lending supplies and giving pointers about the course or rules/regs. it really feels like a community!

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  17. I love Gillian O’Malley underwear from target! Seamless (beige) and they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I wear the regular briefs for schooling and you never see any lines. Plus they are super lightweight and even if you sweat through them they dry very quickly! People not getting off their horses drives me nuts. But meeting new friends and the general feeling of community amongst eventers is so, so, so awesome!

    ps. when I completed my first starter event last summer with my young TB, the photographer came up to me after xc and said she took so many photos of me because of how loudly and enthusiastically I was patting and congratulating my horse. She said she thought it was the sweetest thing! No shame in my game!

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