These are definitely my people. It's nice to feel a part of something. The people here have one thing that binds us all together--Appaloosas. It's kind of nice to know that we all share the same passion and there won't be any bad Appy jokes. We've all heard them, and we don't need to hear them again, but we will. I don't know that there is any other breed that is so universally made fun of. It's somewhat disturbing. That's okay, nobody is thinking about that this week.
Today was my first full day at the show. I was there before the first class started and there long after the last class ended. I thought it would be tough to "kill time" during the classes that I wasn't all that interested in. It wasn't. That's the thing about Appys. Even if you don't care for Halter, Western Pleasure, Driving, whatever the case may be, it's an Appaloosa, and you don't want to miss out on the chance to see a really cool looking one. They're like snowflakes; there are no two the same. At least that's what I'd like to think.
I saw some really neat color and patterns today. They seemed to come out of the woodwork for me today. I couldn't take enough pictures. I am sure some people thought I was a stalker, because I would take 50 shots of their horse and even follow them back to the barn in some cases to ask questions about their horse. The good news is no one thought I was a stalker (at least they didn't looked freaked out by me), and people usually LOVE to talk about their horses. Along the way I've even met some interesting people. Mostly I am here for the horses, but I tolerate the people.
Finally I watched a class that had more color than solid Appys. Praise the Lord. I sat next to a woman from Australia for part of the day. A bunch of folks from the Australian Appaloosa Club flew here to watch the World Show and just soak it all in. There is also a crew from Italy which is pretty cool. It's neat that we have a horse that other countries want. I forget that the Appaloosa is an American breed. I am so used to being around all the Warmblood people who import everything. Anyway, the Australian woman shared my sentiments about solid Appys. We had a good, long talk about it, in hushed voices of course, because we didn't want to get beat up (not that an Appy person would do that). I knew I wasn't the only person that felt that way. It was just good to confirm it. It's funny however to watch how the judges place based on color. I can't say for a fact that they are placing on color, but when there is on spotted horse in the class and the judge puts the solid chestnuts in places one through nine and the leopard in tenth, it kind of makes you wonder, especially when the other four judges placed the leopard. Weird. I promised I would not keep harping on that so I am going to attempt to change the subject now before I really get someone mad at me.
I met some truly fascinating people today. That is the great thing about being an equine freelance journalist...I get to talk to horse people. A woman I had interviewed for a story was here, and I got to put a face with a name which is always nice. She was lovely, even more so than I thought on the phone. She took me in to meet her horse and is going to let me watch how they sew in the fake tails before her next class on Wednesday. That is something I haven't really touched on--the use of fake tails. It's not just Appaloosa people, but everyone is doing it now. It looks so good that if you don't do it, you really stand out. It looks fake though, and why we can't just showcase the horse and his ability is beyond me. Apparently it's like sewing extensions into a person's scalp. It's quite the procedure. I am looking forward to watching. Anyway, she introduced me to a man who had a stroke at the World Show last year. He obviously wasn't fully recovered but enough to compete this year and place...very cool.
Today was also horse shopping day. The bug finally took over. I was watching the Junior Hunter Under Saddle Class and there was one horse in there, a big beautiful, roany looking thing, who didn't have his nose to the ground. He seemed to be built uphill, and I was seeing Dressage horse written all over him. I was overjoyed to see one finally move the way I wanted it to. Of course he didn't do well in the class at all, but I followed the rider out of the arena so I could inquire more about him. The owner is in love with him, and he wasn't for sale, but you never know. If he tanks in his next Hunter class, who knows...
Tomorrow morning the jumping classes start bright and early at 730. That's going to hurt in the morning, but to see a bunch of Appaloosas jump (hopefully successfully) I'll do just about anything, including skip breakfast.