It's Not About the Ribbons

Juliette might not have the fanciest pony, but she discovers something to be proud of during a day at the show.

- BY JAMIE SINDELL

It was a beautiful day for a horse show.

Juliette woke before her alarm to see the sun peeking through the dark. Most days Juliette slept as long as she could, huddled in her blankets, but today was different. It was horse show day!

She'd been practicing for months with her POA, Angel. She couldn't wait to shovel in some cereal and arrive at the show grounds. She pulled on her show jods and crisp show shirt, then threw sweats over them. “Mommmmmm!! Let’s go!” She urged her mom to move faster so she’d have plenty of time for longe-ing and schooling. Plus, she couldn’t wait to see her bestie, Jemma, who’d be showing her pony, Wish.

Her mom wiped the sleep from her eyes, grabbed a cup of coffee, then they hopped in the car.

“Remember, it’s not about the ribbons. It’s about how hard you try.” Juliette rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, mom.” Her mom always said sappy stuff. It got annoying.

A HARD ROAD

They rolled into the show grounds, and Juliette could see her friend sipping a hot chocolate. Her trainer was scurrying around, unloading horses and unpacking.

“See ya, mom!” Juliette got out of the car and headed over to her trainer.

“Hey, Juliette!” Her trainer had been up since 4:00 a.m. prepping the ponies.

“Let me help,” Juliette said, jumping into action. She lugged heavy hay bales off the trailer and filled water buckets to keep the ponies hydrated.

Juliette’s mom always expected her to help, which was annoying. If her mom saw her at a show sitting on her phone and eating greasy French fries from the food truck, she was totally busted.