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Writer's pictureKathy Troxler

Blue Ridge Arabian Classic Thursday Morning


67 degrees and foggy is just a perfect way to start the day. Everyone is enjoying it because they know that by the afternoon it will be hot and steamy and possibly stormy!

It should come as no surprise that the tenor of a show depends entirely upon the attitude of the show staff.

Most times that will be the show secretary and in this case it's Lindsey Hager. We met Lindsey the first year we showed at the 2012 Silver Spur Show in Hamburg NY. It was the first show Lindsey managed and she was also the show secretary. When she personally met us at our stalls, at 10:30pm, with our shavings I knew it would be the beginning of a wonderful show. Dealing with late checkins isn't usually handled that personally. And indeed, the entire show was super fun. Of course there were the usual show scheduling challenges but they were always dealt with in a positive way! A friendly show staff that knows how to take care of exhibitors is key. While Lindsey is the first person exhibitors make contact with prior to the show, once arriving at the grounds, it's likely that the Stable Manager would be the first person you're looking for. Or at least their barn chart. Filling this roll for the Blue Ridge, and also acting as Assistant Show Manager, is Virginia girl Kim Dickinson!

Another very important player is the paddock master. This is a role that requires a lot of tact, diplomacy and a firm hand. The paddock master is the unseen "engine" of the show. A good paddock master keeps the upcoming classes aware of how quickly the gate will be opening for their class. They also make sure that gate doesn't go open too soon or closes too quickly.

Either of these things happening can result in an exibitor missing a class. They have to keep a happy group of exhibitors steadily making their way into the ring. Paddock master for the classes in the Anderson Coliseum is Lisa Robinson and she does a terrific job!

One of the people responsible for overseeing the entire site of any USEF show is the USEF steward, Cricket Gates.

One of the steward's MANY duties is to be a liason between the exhibitors and the show officials and to be on hand to answer any questions regarding the rules. So if you have questions about whether a piece of equipment is legal or not, don't be afraid to ask a USEF Steward!

Lunch Break! Competiton returning to both arenas at 1pm!

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