It Takes a Village… Er… a Horse Show Community to Raise a Child

Blog by: Kory Kumar

Horse show exhibitors are not just exhibiting their own horses; they are having a very powerful impact upon the young children on the show grounds. You have heard it said that it takes a community, well, the competitive horse show community is working together to raise a whole generation of people, and they may have not even realized it.

I am the mother of a horse crazy toddler girl, who LOVES being at horse shows, and I am not alone. On any given weekend, 10-20, depending on the size of the show, children under the age of 6 can be seen around the show grounds. They run all over the place. They laugh, they cry, they scream, and sometimes they even throw fits.

The grace, acceptance, and responsibility of horse people has never failed to amaze me. Exhibitors who barely know these children will step up and help out at the drop of a hat. They will wipe a scraped knee or offer a snack. I myself, have fed a child my lunch, just because she was hungry and her mom was riding.

There are things I never thought to worry about, until I became a mother. It is interesting that some of the worst fears for many parents, are things that pose no worry while at a horse show. For example, going trailer door to trailer door to find your child at the end of a day could in fact cause a tremendous amount of panic for any parent. At a horse show, however, it is more of a “normal” experience.

The range of normal at a horse show is so very different. Horse show kids tend to be famous. Exhibitors, in general, know horses and children better than fellow exhibitors. It’s funny really, as a parent, you kind of lose your personal identity and become, _____’s mom. It isn’t so very different at a horse show, but what is different is that exhibitors who may not know you very well will interact with your child without even thinking twice about it.

When I first became a parent, I did not know how I was going to be able to continue to show my horse. I wasn’t sure how I would be able to deal with having a small child, and a horse, and how to manage all the normal things that happen at a horse show. I am blessed to have the most amazing and supportive horse show family. They entertain my child, take her for walks, put her to sleep, feed her, and otherwise help me to continue to do what I love, and to be a mom. I would not be able to continue to show my horse without their love, and support, and I am truly grateful to them.

The experience I have had is similar to the experience that so many other horse show community parents have had. If you look around, there are A LOT of moms and dads out there riding horses; but, there are a lot more surrogate parents out there too.

Even though we come from different barns, and different states, we all share the same underlying love and values. I think that is what allows such a large group of otherwise, unknown people to band together for the sake of our children. To see a trainer, that perhaps you have heard of, but not really ever spoken to before, offer a hug to your child is an amazing and powerful thing! To have an exhibitor offer to push your stroller so that you can ride for a few minutes, and not have any reservations about leaving your child in the care of a stranger, is unheard of. To have a group purchase an extra stall, so that there can be a “play area” that is safe for any kid to go into is truly awesome.

I feel so lucky to belong to such an awe inspiring group of people. Thank you horse community! Even if you have never thought to realize it, you are having a very powerful effect upon our children.