On this date in 1985, I spent my day working at a Halloween themed schooling show at Eaton Canyon Riding Club in Pasadena, California. I was sixteen years old and "employed" as a working student for Roxanne Tallman Training Stables which was based at ECRC. On most days my duties included feeding, blanketing, lunging and teaching beginner lessons. At the show, I held horses, set jumps and helped the younger students get ready for the ring. In this picture I'm adjusting Breanna's stirrups. It's hard to be certain from this angle, but I think the horse is Brandy.
The two riders in this photo were twin sisters and some of Roxanne's most accomplished students.
Amy's horse was named Coming Home, but around the barn he was known simply as Red. This pair had a lot of success in the 12-14 Junior Hunter classes on the Los Angeles Horse Show Association's B Circuit.
Beth's horse Splash was just as fancy. You can't tell from this picture, but he was a minimally marked Appaloosa.
This is Simone on Night Cap, who was better known as Scotty. It's not obvious from the photo, but this was another one of the stable's top show horses.
Like the children of most trainers, Roxanne's daughters started riding early. This is Amanda on Jet, who was one of the school horses.
This picture shows two more of the regulars--Nicole (princess) on Patrick and Amy (Indian) on Fancy.
Last but not least, it's Allison on Benson. They are dressed as a salad, with Benson going as the lettuce and Allison as the tomato! This was my favorite costume of the day.
Isn't it funny how horse people always remember horses? Even after twenty six years, the names and biographies of these horses remain crystal clear in my memory. If only I was as good at remembering people!