We all know show moms are deserving of our thanks. They are the holders of ponies, the wipers of tears, and the payers of bills—the defenders of our walk-trot honor. But how do you know when a formerly beloved horse show mom has turned into a horse show momager instead?
Here are 18 signs she must be stopped.
1. She’s developed a complex thumb-sign language for rating class performance.
2. She maintains an intense love-hate relationship with the trainer.
3. She’s converted the spare bedroom into a trophy room.
(flickr.com/Daniel)
4. Her ringside theatrics can get out of hand.
5. Like the time her kid lost the hunter classic by one point.
6. She routinely eavesdrops on other trainers with their students.
7. And keeps a weird little notebook filled with details about the competition.
8. She refuses to see how her behavior appears to others.
9. She’s assembled an aspirational scrapbook for her kid’s future life.
Nina grew up riding hunters and young horses in Upstate New York and dreamed of a career in the horse industry. The day she graduated college, she hopped a horse van and ran away to groom in Spruce Meadows. Now she’s happy to have the best of both worlds: a place to ride and show her jumper, Dagano, and when she’s not riding, a place to write about horses every day. Don’t let the dirty muck boots fool you. Nina holds a master’s degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of journalism at Syracuse University. Previously she worked for Travel + Leisure magazine and has written for Smithsonian, This Old House and more. Nina currently lives in Indianapolis with her husband. This is one of Nina’s favorite stories. And, be sure to Read Carley’s Nina story.
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