The “Horse Show Hangover”

Anyone that shows the American Saddlebred knows what I mean when I say we all suffer from the horse show hangover. This hangover exhibits signs of being tired, crabby and often times wishing you were still at the horse show. There are very few ways to deal with this hangover as horse lovers can’t help but want to be at a show with their horses and friends.

Exhaustion. This usually sets in on the car ride as you are heading home from the show. Once the show is over, and you have packed away bins, saddle racks, curtains, tack and more, you get an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion. Sometimes this feeling goes away the next day, but mostly likely you will be feeling exhausted for at least a couple of days. The longer the show, the more exhausted one will be.

Sadness. A feeling of sadness will kick in at different times depending on the show. Sometimes it is directly after your class for that show. Other times it is on the way home, and other times it won’t kick in until the day after the show. This feeling of sadness comes from knowing that you might not get to show your horse for either weeks or sometimes months. Sadness also surrounds you as you constantly look at the pictures from the show, and when you watch your class on replay at night instead of Netflix.

Missing your friends. For many Saddlebred lovers, they live hours or even plane rides away from both their horses and some of their best friends. Often times you might not be able to see one of your friends for months at a time depending on how your schedules line up, this often times is hard as we spend countless hours together at a time, then have to say goodbye. The only plus to this is the fact that when you do get to see your friends that you truly get to cherish the time spent with them.