Slight Detour: Hometown Horse Show

Yesterday, while watching the local Spots of Fun Horse Show, I asked the show secretary Tina who the ring steward was.

When she gave me the young lady's married name, I sensed only vague familiarity.

Later, when I saw her up close and personal after she had brought back the results to a class, she said to me, "You know my grandma."

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Ruby Bartlett," she responded.

A definite connection immediately flashed through my brain upon hearing Ruby's name.

Ruby, whose maiden name was Fitchett (the Fitchetts from Gold Creek), and I were in 4-H together, back in the day when horse shows and fairs were held at what is now Lakeview Park.

Of course, I knew her grandma. Now I knew Ruby's grown-up granddaughter who was doing a very efficient job as ring steward at this week's Spots of Fun Open Horse Show.

The generational touch struck once again when I spied one of the triplets from Bonners Ferry I'd known several decades ago when our 4-H club put on horse shows where I served as announcer.

Back in those days, these ladies, then teens, had always been enthusiastic entrants at our shows.

Yesterday one sat in the stands, while another competed in horse-show classes, riding her beautiful and talented chocolate-colored/maybe gruilia (lots of dust yesterday) mount.

Over the years, I had also watched yesterday's horse show announcer Sarah compete in 4-H and open horse shows while announcing classes myself.

That's how it goes at the hometown horse shows. We not only see new generations of riders, but the past also comes bouncing back with the simple mention of a name.

If someone as a child had fun riding and competing on their horse in a show way back when, the odds of their own kids or grandkids following suit years and years later, are pretty strong.

As an oldster at the show yesterday, I shared my memories of the judge's grandparents, the Rosenbergers from Hayden Lake who were big names in regional horse shows when I was a snot-nosed kid growing up.

Though I don't compete in horse shows and never really have seriously, I love the generational aspects of attending these shows and the sharing of memories.

I also loved yesterday seeing a colorful black-and-white pinto named Pache, shown by my sister Laurie, whose trot due to his years of dressage has developed into amazing and sheer beauty in motion.

Lucky for Laurie that Jacqui, the judge, must have missed seeing the brief moments when her horse switched gears and started going up (that's called a buck) rather than forward.

In the classes I watched, the triplet and my little sis took turns winning first-place ribbons. When one of the two won, the other placed second.

It was fun attending the show with no responsibilities. Instead, I simply enjoyed getting acquainted and visiting with new faces on staff who more than likely had connections with those from the past who kept the local shows going for the enjoyment of horse lovers.

Thanks to these people and their newfound dedication, the shows will go on.

And, that's pretty neat.