Arab Summershow 2025

 When people get horrified about me riding while pregnant, I tell them that I'm planning to homeschool, like I was. In terms of controversy, I'm just getting warmed up.

In all seriousness, this wasn't a decision we undertook lightly. It's pretty easy just to say that riding is a risk and no responsible mom would take it. It's also easy to spiral into a pit of depression and doom, which carries plenty of risk on its own. I pretty quickly realized that nothing in pregnancy, or presumably in childrearing, is black and white. It's all a scale of risk vs reward.

please appreciate his post-plaits unicorn hair

With a profound mental health (including PPD) history in my family, I've been utterly bent on not going down that particular rabbit hole. My kid deserves a mentally well mom. For whatever reason, the Lord saw fit to wire my brain in such a manner that it only functions when it has horsy time. I don't make the rules. To my mind, the risk of damaging my body or my baby while riding is puny compared with the risk of damaging my mind and my baby with not riding.

pictured: very good for mental health

So I've been riding.

In fact, I won my Third Level class at Penbritte on Thunder and First Level on Rosemary at four weeks, though I didn't know it yet. Then Chippy, our baby's nickname before we found out the gender and picked an actual name, went on to ride with me at Gauteng Champs. I wrangled my way through this in the trials of the first trimester---and then my second trimester brought glorious release.

The nausea never quite evaporated, but it certainly diminished. My energy bounced back. Everything quit hurting. I started to feel the little thing kick and play in there, we had our gender reveal, and pregnancy abruptly became really fun. So I did the one thing that made sense: entered another horse show.

I'm 35 weeks along now with really swollen feet and zero energy for a proper show recap, but suffice it to say, Lancey and I enjoyed yet another great Summershow and my beautiful little unicorn was perfect in every conceivable way.

the company was pretty perfect, too <3

I asked Erin to ride him in a few classes for me so that he could still go in all of his usual classes and also so that I had somebody to sub in if I felt that I wasn't coping. This worked excellently, because not only did Erin make him go better and better (and bring his turnout to a whole new level), but it also completely removed the pressure from me. I didn't feel like I had to ride every class to get my money's worth; if I felt like skipping it, I could. I didn't end up skipping any but it was great to have that option.

one of the moms made these adorable stall signs

We took a couple of kiddos along, too, and they brought in a significant element of chaos (through no fault of their own), but Lanceyboy remained the calm in the storm. Of course he was perfect for everything. He was perfect to travel, he was perfect in the stable, he was perfectly well-mannered for me to lead around and bath and hand graze even with a belly in the way.

It's the first time I've ever skipped doing arena familiarisation in the Afridome. It would have meant staying an extra night, and we already did four nights, which I thought was more than long enough for the horses. Besides... it's Lancey. I didn't think I needed to worry, and I was right. I rode him right into the Open Geldings class and he was forward, relaxed, focused, and perfectly, perfectly obedient, because of course he was.

Our performance wasn't perfect. Canter-to-walk transitions and big extensions are not exactly easy to do when you have essentially no more abs left and a certain little person kicking you in the kidneys all day. I basically had reschooled Lancey to do his downward transitions mostly off my hands instead of my (amazingly useless) seat, and he did them obediently but not with his usual panache.

I also could not have cared less. I was on my beautiful horse having the time of my life, all with my favourite little passenger riding alongside. It was a really precious horse show memory that we made as a little family---DH, Chippy, and me.

 He didn't place in the Open Geldings, and I immediately knew it was just going to be one of those shows for us. While we weren't as on our game as at Nationals, he still went absurdly well and presented a really nice picture. The judge just wasn't looking for a Lancey at this show. Such is showing. It's just the nature of the game. I immediately let go of expectations for any ribbons.

just a woman on a horse

suddenly a really pregnant woman on a horse

I rode him in the open geldings, the hunter pleasure (where I think we ribboned? fourth or something), and the adult riding horse (no ribbon for us). Erin rode him impeccably in the adult rider class, where they had to swap horses and the rider who got him absolutely could not make him move forward despite being one of the most beautifully stylish and effective riders I have ever seen, perhaps suggesting that most Arabs are just a smidgen hotter than Mr. Lancey.

He even helped out both the kiddos who came along. They each had a bit of a confidence wobble on their own horses, for various reasons, and we all know that the cure for wobbly confidence is just a little bit of unicorn magic. This included getting dressed up as the Grinch for one kiddo,

and going into the best walk class, which he won, for another.

When the General Breed classes rolled around, Erin and I were both excited. She was riding him in the best pleasure horse class, and I had him in the open show hack, my first go at an open hack class on him. Erin had him looking absolutely amazing. She put his mane into the most stunning running plait and we decided to leave his tail as it is, since he is an Arabian, after all. Also, can you believe that not one whisker is clipped on this horse? The darkness around his eyes and muzzle is makeup, courtesy of Erin. She somehow made him look even prettier than the traditionally shaved Arabs without having to disturb a single whisker. We didn't have one single negative comment on his turnout for the entire show.

shout-out to the lesson mom who bought me this stunning browband and matching brooch for Christmas <3 such a bucket list item for me

Erin's classes were first that Saturday, and we were all fairly astonished when she didn't place in the top two in the best three-gaited. Lanceycorn went like a perfect angel, and the judge gave her a test that included two 20m circles; she was the only one who rode actual 20m circles. Everybody else rode them the width of the Dome, which is at least 40m. According to the judge, Erin made them too small. Look, I respect what showing judges do, and dressage judges get their fair share of hate, but at least they know how big a meter is.

We sent them straight into the next class since we had a scratching for it, and in the best pleasure horse, Erin and Lancey absolutely owned. Lancey was picture perfect in every possible way, but Erin also showed him off with the kind of ringcraft that my nervous butt can only ever dream of, and they were such obvious winners that absolutely no one was surprised when they came out with his first big red ribbon of the show.

There was some silly snafu with the championship and they wouldn't let her go into it, which was a bummer, because I believe they would have absolutely kicked butt. Lancey is a stellar little gentleman for me, but under Erin, he looks like an absolute professional.

There wasn't much time to be annoyed about it, because it was time for us to ride our show hack class.

I had told myself that I didn't want to ride to win at this show, just to enjoy - and I had been enjoying every moment in the saddle. He couldn't possibly have been any more perfect. When we went into the show hack class, though, with a fresh judge and different competition, I was suddenly determined to ride the best individual test we possibly could and show this judge exactly what my Lanceycorn is made of.

We pulled out all the stops. Erin had somehow fixed his connection to the point where he was absolutely perfect even in one hand. I did his extended canter one-handed and part of his trot work, too, and Lancey floated around like the most magnificent little white unicorn who ever lived, which he is. The few other horses in our class also went well and were beautiful, tall, typey bays, which always counts in their favour, but this time, Lancey was unbeatable. He placed first.

I offered for Erin to ride in the championship, since she'd had such a disappointing time earlier, but she more or less shoved me through the gates and wouldn't hear of it. In hindsight, I appreciate this more than words can say. It felt pretty incredible to float around the big, beautiful Dome and hear Lanceycorn called out as the reserve champion.

My baby gave the biggest kick in the lineup while we were waiting for our ribbon, reminding me that this memory has my beautiful horse, my adorable husband, my incredible best friend, and my perfect little baby in it. It honestly doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

Not many horses out there can do four days of showing without one single spook, buck, or moment of irritability, much less crown that achievement by winning a reserve championship while toting around a six-months-pregnant rider, but Lancey can. Because he's amazing.

Chippy is due soon, so that was my last show for a hot minute. At 35 weeks I still hop on for the occasional five-minute walk, mildly impeded by the bump catching on the pommel, and I can't wait to get back on once they're safely here.

God is good.