Sit Awhile and Chat a Spell

My husband, Bob, and I travel a lot to shows all around the Midwest. When we go we bring a ton of gear with us to set up a 'tack' stall complete with complimentary coffee and such tables. Our trailers dressing room is crammed full of supplies that get unloaded and loaded with every stop. It's a lot of fun though. Decorating the stalls with our banners, and drapes that I made myself, and setting up a professional looking tack room with displays of pictures all around of previous wins. The most talked about feature of any set up though, ours or anyone else's at the shows is the break tables where farms offer coffee and such. It's not even so much what is offered. We usually have coffee in a big 50 cup percolator, and some sort of treat like doughnuts, or cookies. We also have a hot plate and gridle for cooking breakfast that we are happy to share with anyone up when we make our breakfast. The folding tables that contain the various farm's offerings are the stuff post-show chatter is all about. Not what was on them, but the fun had around them. Sitting there in the morning with a cup of coffee gabbing about the chores to be done to get ready for the show that day. Sitting there during the show when you don't have a class with a horse's lead rope in one hand, a can of soda in the other, and friends around to comment on the goings on in the ring. Relaxing after the days classes with a nice cold soda or beer, and laughing and talking.

Shows are about more than just competing, and who wins and loses... they're about friendship and fun and it all happens around those little tables.