In a covered arena, the competitors for the Arabian Rider competition were warming up. I am sure they practiced for many hours prior to coming here but going through a walk-through will settle both the rider and the horse.

Here the same competitor seemed deep in contemplation of the the upcoming event. And we can get a closer look at the intricacy of the costume she wore.

In the main arena, it was pure horsemanship as they put the horses through their paces going at different gaits and eventually reversing direction — which I presume is so the judges have the opportunity to see both sides of the horse and rider.

This young rider was so focused that she did not look like she is enjoying herself — but I'll bet she was.

And do check out the fancy tack on this horse. Every piece appears to be a custom design and coordinates with the rider's equally fancy attire.

Here you can get a closer view of that fancy horse tack — small beads everywhere.

I also noticed that several of the horses had really long tails. If they had not been walking or running, their tails would have touched the ground.

This rider's costume actually seemed coordinated with the color of her horse — black horse with black bands in the cloak.

This horse stood out because of its coloration — somewhat different than most of the Arabians that are predominately one color perhaps with small patches of white.

When the competition concluded, all the horses stood at the edges of the arena to await the announcement of the winner. To be honest, I do not recall which competitor won — but they were all so good to my eye, they were all winners.

Thus ended the day at my first horse show. It was great — I really enjoyed it. If you have never been to one, do take the opportunity if it presents itself.