It’s happened to all of us: What starts out as an embarrassing incident can morph into a great story for later—sometimes much later. We asked our Readers’ Choice survey participants to share their funniest horse show moments with us, and these were some of our favorites:

• Being chased by an emu coming down centerline.

• During a jumper round, getting buzzed out for going off course—after the first jump.

• Failing to understand that they were calling my number for winning a class.

• Falling off and sticking my landing like a gymnast, and my barnmates all yelling “10!”

• Forgetting my cross-country bridle and going (fast!) in my dressage bridle.

• Getting on someone else’s horse by accident.

• My horse sneezing mid-test at C and (probably) covering the judge in snot.

• When our area was going through a strangles outbreak, I was paranoid about anyone from outside our barn touching our horses. So when I fell off my horse on cross-country, and she took off running, I yelled at a person trying to catch her, “Please don’t touch her!” And all the while I was running after her, the EMS guy was running after me, exclaiming that he had to check me out, so I was tearing off my vests and handing them to him as I ran.

• When I forgot to salute to the judge at the end of my test. She kept looking at me, and I at her. I thought, “What ? What does she want?” I finally gave up, and as I walked past her judge’s stand, she told me.

• When I peed my pants trying to show two months after having a baby.

• When my horse (tied to the trailer) chose the moment I was changing in the trailer tack room to break the lead rope and run loose around the show grounds. I went running after him with my unbuttoned show shirt flapping in the wind.

• When my horse cantered out of the dressage arena at A and then jumped back in at P.

This article originally appeared in the June 2025 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. You can subscribe and get online access to a digital version and then enjoy a year of The Chronicle of the Horse. If you’re just following COTH online, you’re missing so much great unique content. Each print issue of the Chronicle is full of in-depth competition news, fascinating features, probing looks at issues within the sports of hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage, and stunning photography.