Friday, April 4, 2008
Welcome to Hollywood
No, not the Hollywood you were expecting, although we do cater to some of their populace as well. Jessica Springstien comes readily to mind. Bruce flies onto the Wellington grounds in his helicopter to see her show. Glen Close zooms from ring to ring in her golf cart (of which there are about, oh, several hundred)to watch her own sweet little one. And even if you don't recognize faces, chances are the people around you still have more money than the majority of those living in the US. Including you. Including me.
Who am I? I work here. "Here" being the strange, alternate reality of the AA Horse Show world. You probably won't see me, even if you do venture onto the show grounds. I'm not in the expensive tailored outfits, I'm not lounging in the golf carts, I'm not stuffing my face with 7$ turkey sandwiches at the food stand. I'm holding a horse at the ring. I'm frantically calling the barn trying to locate a pony that should have been showing an hour ago. I'm running to get a horse measured. I'm patiently explaining to a client why she can't give her horse this great new medication her friend has started giving her horses and swears it makes them, "so much quieter!" I am trying to learn Spanish. I am doing all these things.
By now you've probably guessed that I'm more than one person. Sometimes I will report stories of my own. Other times, I will report some of the amazing stories I've heard from friends. It doesn't really matter, since we're all the same girl. We don't get the spotlight, we don't own the horses. We do it because we love it, and because despite our degrees in English and Biology and Education, we can't pull ourselves away from this insane lifestyle. We sacrifice boyfriends, friends, and family in order to stay.
Now I'm not going to be telling sob stories. It is our choice. We could leave anytime we wanted to, and if we do leave, we can always come back later. Most of us do leave and come back, many times over. Me? I'm currently in for round number 2, and I'm praying that this time it will stick. Will it? Who knows. You'll have to keep reading to find out.
Who am I? I work here. "Here" being the strange, alternate reality of the AA Horse Show world. You probably won't see me, even if you do venture onto the show grounds. I'm not in the expensive tailored outfits, I'm not lounging in the golf carts, I'm not stuffing my face with 7$ turkey sandwiches at the food stand. I'm holding a horse at the ring. I'm frantically calling the barn trying to locate a pony that should have been showing an hour ago. I'm running to get a horse measured. I'm patiently explaining to a client why she can't give her horse this great new medication her friend has started giving her horses and swears it makes them, "so much quieter!" I am trying to learn Spanish. I am doing all these things.
By now you've probably guessed that I'm more than one person. Sometimes I will report stories of my own. Other times, I will report some of the amazing stories I've heard from friends. It doesn't really matter, since we're all the same girl. We don't get the spotlight, we don't own the horses. We do it because we love it, and because despite our degrees in English and Biology and Education, we can't pull ourselves away from this insane lifestyle. We sacrifice boyfriends, friends, and family in order to stay.
Now I'm not going to be telling sob stories. It is our choice. We could leave anytime we wanted to, and if we do leave, we can always come back later. Most of us do leave and come back, many times over. Me? I'm currently in for round number 2, and I'm praying that this time it will stick. Will it? Who knows. You'll have to keep reading to find out.
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