MSU Pavilion's horse show a family event

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Linda Blaszczyk and her daughter Audrey, 25, share a passion for showing horses.

Their love of horses is what got them up on Friday morning at 5 a.m. to travel to East Lansing from Milford, Mich., it to the ShoMe The Money Go Green Buckle Series horse event, which ran from Friday to Sunday at the Pavilion.

“We left at like 5 a.m. Saturday morning to get here in time for the show,” she said. “We stayed the night last night so we’d be ready here today. It’s a huge commitment for sure. You have to love it in order to do it and financially, it’s a huge commitment as well.”

Blaszczyk and her daughter, along with hundreds of other horse enthusiasts and competitors, showed off their skills in the competition.

Different classes and breeds of horses were judged based on various equestrian events, with age brackets for both children and adults.

For the Blaszczyks, horse shows are a common activity for the family, and something the family has participated in for years.

Hundreds came to show off their prize horses and compete against one another for the
coveted blue ribbons. Despite the competitive aspect, the event proved to be a great
family outing.

Many people can credit their families for finding their way to horse showing. Brooke Bearden, 14, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., became involved under the guidance of her mother.

“My mom rode when she was little,” Bearden said.
“But when I was like five, she started riding again and I joined her. Three years ago, we moved our horses to a showing barn and we thought it looked like fun so we started with them.”

It was a family affair for Joe Gill, who said his wife, two sons and mother-in-law all were showing this weekend at the Pavilion.

“I’ve showed horses like this since I was six or seven years old,” Gill said.

“My wife was about the same age when she got her first horses and we’ve done it every year. It’s a huge undertaking and it’s a huge responsibility, but you learn a lot.”

Gill said he and his wife were looking to pass horse showing on to their children and they seem to have taken a liking to it.

“That was definitely something that we talked about since we’ve met, before we even got married,” he said. “If God allows it, we’ll try to pass it along to our children and help them learn how to have that skill. Thank goodness my boys both love coming to horse shows.”

As her horse Rita circled around a light pole, horse management freshman Morgan Hathcox said she is hoping to parlay her love of horses into a career.

“I’ve been doing this since I could walk, pretty much,” Hathcox said.

“When the horse does it right, the reward is my favorite part. I hope to get a job in horses and showing helps me know what people want.”

And the reward was a big draw for many who competed throughout the weekend.

“Well the goal is always to win, like in any other competition,” Gill said.

“You’ll see all kinds of different horses here and we’ll show them in all different types of events. Some of the events judge primarily on the horse itself. Others judge on the skill of the rider and focus more heavily on how you’re able to communicate with your horse.”

But whatever the reason for competing, horse showing is a favorite pastime for many of the riders in the ShoMe The Money Go Green
Buckle Series.

“The more time you put in, the better off you are just like everything else,” Blaszczyk said.
“You see a lot of the same people at the same shows. You can pick shows all over the state. We’re just show people, you know?”

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