Carter Can Drive, No Fair For Me

Well, it’s that time of year again, State Fair, with this being the youth horse show weekend. Although it is my daughter’s favorite weekend of the year I can honestly say it is my least. I really don’t love horses, the smell of horses, sitting in lawn chairs outside horse stalls, waiting, waiting, waiting for one of Carter’s few events, serving food out of crockpots inside a stall with you know what floating in the air, the abundance of fattening foods and nothing healthy, the randomness of the judging, the getting up at five am to drive Carter to the fair just to wait six hours before she shows and on and on.  
But this year is different. Carter now has her full on driver’s license and has driven herself to the fair! One of her barn mates sainted Mother has rented an RV so Carter is able to spend the whole weekend at the fair and not drive back and forth. Since Carter is sharing a horse she is only showing on Sunday so Russ and I don’t have to go and sit for tow and a half days, one will suffice. Carter did not volunteer me to make any food, let alone all of the food like she did one year.
I know I should be sad that youth horse shows will come to an end soon for Carter, but the state fair is really the only show she goes to. For her it is not the showing, but the love of the horses, taking care of them and improving her technique for the fun of it and not the ribbon. That love of riding is something she never has to quit. She can ride her whole life and always be learning and improving without ever going to another show.
I appreciate that this weekend is about fun with her barn friends with some riding thrown in, but I no longer care about the showing or competition part. I am glad that Carter can take herself and I can just show up as a spectator. Maybe this makes me a bad mother. I really appreciate those horse mothers who are there doing all the work. Thank you. I hope my child chips in as she has been taught to do and helps out.
I’ll show up on Sunday watch a few events and go home and eat my good for me dinner. Not spending fifteen waking hours a day at the state fair barns will certainly save me many bad for me calories. So good luck at the fair girls. I hope you have fun and stay safe. I’ll see you on Sunday.