[Justbay]

Great picture Weatherford, which one is you??

Bold Minstrel did it all didn't he? I wonder how Billy Haggard is doing....anyone know? Nicest kindest horseman...

[Merry]

He was one of the first "real" horsemen we (my sister and I) rubbed elbows with. Caroline still teaches out at Coto; sat with her at the last GM clinic at the Oaks and we humorously mused why about a dozen clueless locals we could list weren't there, at least being exposed to some sort of method... any method... of horsemanship. Oh well...

Yes, lauriep, the days of schooling in barn aisles! My sister (Beezer) and I rode with Bob McDonald for years and the classic time was at Indio (Date Festival era) and Bob's barn was in the rows of palm trees. He put up his port-o-jump and felt compelled to decorate it, to sharpen up our horses before going in the ring. One time I turned back down the aisle at the canter, and Bob had pulled the aluminum foil off his sandwich and hung it on the pole! Yee-haw! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

And for the racetrack display, well, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds there used to be a big arena on the grass of the infield. My sister decides she's going to "work off a little steam" from her AQHA gelding (17+ hands), so she traipses out to the track kind of tagging behind the last of the REAL fair track racehorses out for their morning works. A bit later, I'm tootling around, getting ready for the a.m. classes, and I hear this "thunder of hooves" and look up to see my sister and her--- hunter?--- breezing a furlong past the amazed racetrack people. What a sight to behold. I guess it worked as well as lungeing him [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Becca]

I LOVE that picture!

[Merry]

BUMPKIN: Beezer and I didn't ride in the same barn as Gigi Gaston; she rode at Flintridge, where our trainer used to be an assistant (in more ways than one to Jimmy, if you get my drift, ahem). Gigi was a totally spoiled rich kid (Getty oil), but she just cracked me up! Something was always a tad askew with her. We rode in the same divisions, so you know how you start hanging out with your competitors, as long as they're not complete snobs/idiots? Anyway, I can't remember most of her horses, since they came and went so quickly, except her palomino pony, Lemon Drop.

But the best Gigi story came from Bob Hubbard, the commercial horse hauler. One day I was talking about kids I grew up riding with, and he told about how he hauled Gigi's string of horses back east with Flintridge (I assume along with Francie Steinwedell at that era) and Bob's comment was that Gigi and her mom were constantly embroiled in a fashion emergency, because Gigi absolutely could NOT wear the same coat/shirt/outfit more than once during a multi-day show. She just couldn't be seen in the same coat more than once. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img]

And we wonder how we became so hung up on monograms and show bows and rust breeches? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[havaklu]

I want the plaid huntcoat!!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif[/img]

[Lisi]

Hey Cactus! i know this is a reply to a post on the first page but about the Oregon State Fair, most of the barns that actually do the A circuit don't go there anymore. too tired of them losing entries, or holding jumper classes at 7:00 am when no one is watching, and miniture ponies in hand at noon when people want to watch, etc. just wondering, but did you used to ride in OR or something? who did you ride w/?

[MBS]

I love those baggy breeches and is that your pony club thing on your hat?

[Weatherford]

Me on the right - the baggy breeches were white cotton with a bib front and buttons at the knees that I inherited from a friend of my mom's. (The woman who had once owned them moved West and founded the Museum of the Horse (Cowboy?) out in AZ or NM). The pony I am on is the one that was CONSTANTLY carded, even though he was only 14.1 with shoes & heels!

Would it be fun if we all just plain started wearing plaid coats and velvet collars again? (Not that I ever had either, but....) Or at least follow the European trend of dark shirts with white collars & cuffs - ties or chokers.

Bet you, if you were neat and had a nice horse, the judges wouldn't even notice - or if they were old timers (like us) they would applaud!

[img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[Weatherford]

This is the First Prize winner of the Horsemanship Class at the Spring Valley Horse Show, 1929. (age 12 or 13).

Can you see the resemblance? [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

What about that attire?

[Weatherford]

still lives in NC and was paralyzed in an accident a few years ago. I haven't seen him since I was about 12, but one of out NC'ians posted about him last year. (Search doesn't seem to want to find the thread - sorry.)

[LaurieB]

Weatherford, love the 1929 picture! What resemblance? Is that a relative?

[Weatherford]

My Dad.

We even got him foxhunting with us when I was growing up - which was pretty darned brave of him considering he had had a horrendous head injury and had terrible balance and other problems that plagued him til he died.

I still have that trophy, too.

Here is another picture of an outside course - about 1969. Not one of the good courses - have to find those somewhere!

[This message was edited by Weatherford on Jan. 06, 2001 at 11:31 AM.]

[spfarm]

Does anyone remember the Virginia State Horse Show that used to go on during the fair in Richmond? What a great show it was. It had all breeds there, including the walking horses, draft horses and western events. Jumper classes were at night and drew tremendous crowds! It was a great turnout every year and I'm not sure why it's no longer there. Wow, does that bring back some fond memories.

[MHM]

You guys are having too much fun!

I may have to get a scanner as a late Christmas present. I have some similar pictures from that era of my mother showing, and we still use some of the trophies at holiday meals (trays, pitchers, etc.). Those were the days when they knew how to give out prizes.

Between those pictures and ones of my cat, the scanner would get plenty of use.

[Merry]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>"Jumper classes were at night and drew tremendous crowds"-spfarm <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hmmm... Maybe we're missing an opportunity again? It seems the evening performances at the Del Mar Fair and Cal State Fair always had large crowds,too in the grandstands. A captive audience! I'm not sure of the logistics, but why aren't more shows held during county/state fairs anymore? We're always complaining about getting spectators and new blood into our "sport". Maybe we should go back to this earlier form of entertainment?

[MHM]

At the New York State Fair, there is a very diverse horse show with the whole variety pack of divisions. For years, very few h/j people would attend, largely because of the logistics- parking, security, crowds. It seemed there would always be a "fair family" (parents, screaming toddlers, baby stroller with balloons attached) underfoot as you were getting ready to show. There were also time constraints due to the huge number of divisions running in one ring.

Now they have built another ring near the edge of the fairgrounds which is much quieter since it's off the beaten path, and that's where the h/j divisions show. Huge improvement, which is reflected by the number of entries. There are still spectators, and kids who show can still wander over to the fair for entertainment, but it's not quite as mind-boggling for the hunters. There are some horses who find the ferris wheel distracting, but it feels much more like a normal show now. (But if you bring a young horse, be sure to pack your sense of humor.) The idea of a large crowd of spectators may sound like a good thing, but the reality can be problematic.

(Kudos to Naomi Blumenthal, the show manager, who does a great job there!)

[This message was edited by MHM on Jan. 06, 2001 at 07:39 PM.]

[LaurieB]

I love the way you can see the smaller brush box in the background. Remember when outside courses would have three panels, one for small ponies, one for large ponies and one for horses? The jumps never had to be reset. You just went out and jumped your height.

[Janet]

At one show (in North Salem) my horse swerved on the last stride, and took the pony side of the fence. I was sure I had been eliminated, but apparently it didn't show from where the judge was sitting, because I got third. I have a picture of me and him, with the ribbon, and he has his mouth open as if he is laughing.

[LaurieB]

Okay, here's my outside course photo from 1969, Fairfield Horse Show. (Please overlook the riding style, I was 16, still on a large pony and trying to look small [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] )

[wtywmn4]

Merry, have you seen Bob recently? He's still just like that [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] only slightly mellower. His wife won Gold in the Dressage, so we plastered her picture all over the show grounds last year, while he was there. He was whinning he just couldn't get away anymore, but enjoyed it immensely. It was quite an acomplishment. He's a great horseman.

Weatherford, there is a striking resemblance!! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]