Youth Nationals I: The Memories

In the very first blog post for The Arabian Horse Times, I'm going to begin with an entry on a major upcoming event: Youth Nationals. This will be the first installment of a series of everything about YN leading up to the big showcase.

With Youth Nationals 2011 only a few weeks away, we all know what time it is. It's the time of year when you're out at the barn every day with your horses, preparing for the epitome of the show season. It's the show that has the best youth riders in the nation and their trainers coming together to prove what kind of work they've put in over the year. Youth Nationals is the best of the best in the Arabian youth industry, and everyone is definitely "in it to win it." But even in the spirit of competition, the exhibitors always leave Albuquerque with a smile on their face, beaming from how much fun they had at Youth Nationals. I'm convinced that the show will never lose its zeal,  always live up to the hype, and most importantly, be the ultimate test for young riders across the nation.

My first Youth Nationals was in 1999, and that's all it took. I was officially hooked. Every year since, I've been lucky enough to attend with my supportive parents at my side. In those first few years, ribbons were hot commodities, and not to be taken for granted. I was lucky to get any sort of cut ribbon, but most the time, my below average purebreds just weren't cutting it (literally). But I barely remember how unsuccessful the showing aspect of YN was for me and my horses. What I remember most are the friendships and experiences I had. Every minute that I wasn't preparing to show or actually riding, I was over at a friend's stalls, playing with Breyer horses in an entirely closed off stall that was devoted to such play. It was a 9 year old horse lover's dream. We played "horse show" for hours and thought it was just the best time possible. Oh, to be a kid!

What Youth Nationals brings forward is simply the pure love and appreciation of showing horses- something that seems to flee as we enter the adult side of showing. When I was a kid, it was never about winning a National Championship or having the best, most expensive horse in the class; it was about bonding with my horse and show friends, enjoying the opportunity I had to be showing such amazing Arabian horses. And that's a beautiful thing! I think we could learn something from the nonchalant, cool attitudes of youth who simply want to go to Nationals to have fun. What a thought, huh!

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