50th Anniversary: Changed But Still the Same

At last! I had my models and tack with me and could finally afford to photo show again. But I soon discovered that my old show photos and tack simply were no longer competitive in the 1990s photo show world.

There was an exception or two, like this photo of Midwest Tumbleweed which continued to do well, but it was clear that I badly needed to retake my photos.

My old address labels on the back of some of my original photos brought a smile to my face - that Appaloosa western horse on this 1970s photo represented Amy and me. The new address labels I had made in the 1990s reflected where I was in the horse world, too. 

I had been doing training level dressage with Indy before I sold him, so naturally I had a stamp with a dressage icon.

Indy was a half Arab, and I ordered a set like this. (Those numbers on the strip of tape were the classes the photo was to be entered in. When your photos were returned, you erased those and changed them to new class numbers for the next show.)

I even ordered some address labels for Craig and me to use for non-hobby correspondence!

Sometimes I bought little notepads - I still have a few sheets of this left.

As time and finances permitted, I began upgrading not only my photos, but I also ventured to a few live shows.  

At my first one, I met fellow Hoosier Susan Taylor. She was a tack maker and after I saw her work, I began budgeting my hobby money so that I could buy some pieces from her and begin showing performance. 

The 1990s live shows were different and yet still the same as the live shows Bobbie Sue, Carol, and I used to have - they were a chance to make or renew friendships as well as an opportunity to see beautiful models. (And maybe do a  little horse trading, too!)

The hobby had changed and yet was still the same, - it still gathered folks who loved horses together.  It was bigger and growing, but that common thread still ran true.

I'll post the winner of the third giveaway later today, so stay 'tooned!