No lesson this week. Instructor went on Sunday to set up the stalls for the horse show. Horses went up on Tuesday. I will be going on Saturday. This is one reason I don’t see myself committing to big-time saddleseat. [For a more ponderment on the subject, see Suiting Up.] Our menagerie is such that it would be hard to get away for a show that starts on Wednesday. English shows – eventing, hunter/jumper, dressage – tend to be one day, or at most Saturday/Sunday with Friday afternoon for travel. One has to go fairly high up the food chain for an English show that starts in the middle of the week. For example, Penn National starts today and continues through next week (livecast by the USEF Network). For that show, we would figure out a way.
Therefore, I am grateful to the Saddlebred powers-that-be who created Academy. Critics claim that riders get stuck and never leave the division. Possibly true, but I’m willing to bet far more riders use it to get sucked into begin an exciting career in saddleseat. To the point that I think other breeds and/or disciplines could benefit from having school horse/lesson rider division at their shows, even the big ones.
Would an Academy division be useful in your section of the horse show world?
Virtual Brush Box 
Good luck on the show! 🙂
Like your use of strike-through..
TOTALLY agree with the concept of an Academy division. A good friend and I tried very hard to get more Irish youngsters involved in dressage, and hoped to see some kids (or adults) on school ponies entering, but the handful that did were sneered at (shamefully) by some of the professionals and even one or two judges.
‘Tis no wonder they think dressage riders are a snooty bunch
It’s too bad when stereotypes get borne out. There are good people in every discipline. Unfortunately, there are also people who are the reason disciplines get certain reputations. Sigh.