For competitors, the day might begin when the trailer pulls into the parking field and end when the last ribbon is awarded. But for the secretary and organizer, the day starts hours before the first horse enters the dressage ring—and doesn't end when the last trailer heads home.

In Episode 3 of First In, Last Out: Horse Show Edition, hosts Liz Johnson and Laurie Hudson walk through a typical one-day horse trial from three very different perspectives: the competitor, the show secretary, and the organizer.

But first, a little horse-show debrief!

Liz and Laurie kick things off with highlights from the GMHA Festival of Eventing in beautiful Woodstock, Vermont. From enjoying a rare weekend without organizing responsibilities to coaching, volunteering, watching FEI competition, and participating in an educational show jumping course walk with Chris Barnard, it's a reminder of why we all love spending our weekends at horse shows.

Then it's time to set the alarm clocks.

Liz takes us behind the scenes of the secretary's office, where the day begins well before sunrise with last-minute scratches, incomplete entries, volunteer assignments, parking logistics, and the constant challenge of keeping everyone on schedule.

Laurie shares the competitor's perspective, from getting horses ready at the barn to navigating arrival, warm-up, ride times, and the inevitable challenges of managing multiple horses and riders.

And together, they put on their organizer hats to explain how all those moving pieces come together—and what happens when they don't.

Because when you're running a horse trials, even something as seemingly simple as parking the first trailer in the wrong spot can have consequences for the rest of the day.

In this episode:

• A GMHA Festival of Eventing recap and the joy of attending a show without being in charge
• What time the secretary and organizer actually arrive on competition day
• Why parking is one of the most important—and surprisingly complicated—jobs at a horse trial
• The competitor's morning: horses, trailers, paperwork, warm-up, and ride times
• What happens behind the scenes in the secretary's office
• Keeping dressage, show jumping, and cross-country running on schedule
• Why communication between competitors, volunteers, officials, and organizers is so important
• Managing scratches, withdrawals, ride-time changes, and multiple horses
• The organizer's balancing act: staffing, safety, logistics, and keeping everyone happy
• What happens after the last horse finishes, from collecting flags to packing up the show office
• Why the day isn't over when the ribbons are handed out
• Weather delays, emergencies, and the contingency plans that organizers hope they'll never need

Ever wondered why organizers are so particular about arrival times? Or why a seemingly simple request to change your show jumping time might require several people to coordinate?

Liz and Laurie explain how decisions that seem small from the competitor's perspective can ripple through the entire competition.

They also talk about the importance of respecting volunteers, communicating changes directly to the appropriate people, and remembering that the person helping you at the dressage ring may have been up just as early as you were—and is giving up their weekend to help make your competition possible.

And when the last rider crosses the finish line? There's still plenty of work to do.

From collecting cross-country flags and dismantling show jumps to finalizing scores, submitting results, and returning the facility to its normal state, the final hours of a horse trial are often some of the busiest for the people behind the scenes.

First In, Last Out: Horse Show Edition takes you behind the scenes of eventing and horse shows with the organizers, officials, volunteers, competitors, and horse people who make it all happen.

Whether you're first in, last out, or somewhere in the middle—you're in the right place.

3…2…1…Have a great ride!

What does it take to preserve the history of one of Area One’s longtime eventing venues while building it for the future?

In Episode 2 of First In, Last Out: Horse Show Edition, Liz Johnson and Laurie Hudson head to Vermont for the first installment of our Area One Spotlight series, spotlighting the events, venues, and organizers that make Area One special.

Our guest is Skylar Clemens, owner and operator of Huntington Farm, who shares the story of how she unexpectedly found her way into eventing—and eventually became the steward of a property with more than half a century of sanctioned competition behind it.

We talk about the enormous amount of work that has gone into Huntington over the past five years: clearing and rebuilding cross-country tracks, replacing fences, adding new levels, investing in new show jumps, improving infrastructure, and creating an all-weather arena large enough to accommodate both dressage and show jumping.

And this year, there’s an even bigger item on the to-do list: hosting the Area One Championships.

Skylar takes us behind the scenes of preparing Huntington for the championships, including new cross-country obstacles, championship tracks, the move to a two-day format, upgraded footing, prizes, vendors, stabling, and all the less-glamorous infrastructure that competitors may never realize goes into producing an event.

We also talk about what makes Huntington distinctly Huntington: big galloping fields, shady tracks through the woods, cool Vermont nights, beautiful scenery, a welcoming atmosphere for young horses and first-time competitors—and a lot of eventing history underfoot.

In this episode:

• How Skylar found Huntington Farm—and eventing
• Preserving the legacy of a historic Area One venue
• Five years of cross-country improvements and rebuilding
• Preparing to host the Area One Championships
• The new all-weather arena and upgraded show jumping
• New championship cross-country fences
• Why infrastructure improvements like Wi-Fi, water, electric, and jump storage matter
• The realities of maintaining an eventing facility in Vermont
• Keeping courses challenging, safe, and up to the standard of the sport
• Why this might be Huntington’s best year yet

Before we wrap up, in this week’s Loose Bite, Liz and Laurie make a pitch for one of their favorite subjects: volunteering.

Horse trials simply don’t happen without volunteers—and you don’t need years of eventing experience to help. Volunteer opportunities can range from traditional competition-day jobs to coming out on a Tuesday to help paint jumps.

We talk about EventingVolunteers.com, the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program, tracking your volunteer hours, and why those hours matter for Area One year-end awards.

And consider this a preview: we have a full volunteer episode in the works, because there are plenty of jobs, stories, and unsung horse-show heroes still to talk about.

First In, Last Out: Horse Show Edition takes you behind the scenes of eventing and horse shows with the organizers, officials, volunteers, competitors, and horse people who make it all happen.

Whether you’re first in, last out, or somewhere in the middle—you’re in the right place.

3…2…1…Have a great ride!

Can you enter a schooling division and a recognized division at the same event? What’s actually different between the two? And why are more organizers offering both on the same day?

Welcome to the very first episode of First In, Last Out: Horse Show Edition, where hosts Liz Johnson and Laurie Hudson take you behind the scenes of eventing and horse shows to talk about what it really takes to keep our sport running.

In this episode, Liz and Laurie dig into the growing trend of running recognized and schooling divisions side-by-side - and why that flexibility may be increasingly important to the future of eventing.

From the rider’s perspective, they break down what you need to know before entering: the differences between recognized and schooling divisions, cross-entry restrictions, memberships, rules, combined tests versus three-phases, and why reading the fine print on an entry really does matter.

Then they put on their organizer hats.

What does it actually cost to put on a recognized horse trial? Why can adding schooling divisions help an event get from 40 entries to 80? And how can organizers create more accessible opportunities for riders while still providing the officials, courses, safety personnel, infrastructure - and yes, porta potties - needed to run a great competition?

Liz and Laurie also look ahead at the evolving introductory levels of eventing and discuss how lower, more welcoming divisions could provide a pathway into the sport for riders coming from dressage, hunter/jumper, and other equestrian backgrounds.

In this episode:

• Recognized vs. schooling divisions: what’s actually different?
• Can a rider or horse compete in both?
• When do USEA and USEF memberships come into play?
• Why organizers are combining recognized and schooling competitions
• The economics behind getting enough entries to make an event sustainable
• Safety standards and the benefits schooling competitors can get from competing alongside a recognized event
• Combined tests, three-phases, Starter, Intro—and knowing exactly what you entered
• What the proposed Intro level could look like
• Why organizers and secretaries really do want you to ask questions
• How these changes could help create a stronger pipeline into eventing

Stick around after the main conversation for our first Loose Bits segment, What Does a Technical Delegate Actually Do?

Laurie puts on yet another one of her hats—this time as a Technical Delegate—to explain what a TD actually does before and during a recognized horse trial.

We talk about measuring jumps, checking courses, navigating an ever-changing rulebook, working with organizers and competitors, and why your TD should be someone you feel comfortable approaching with a question.

And Laurie shares one particularly memorable cross-country incident involving a water jump, a nearly unseated rider, some impressive self-preservation…and a very difficult call.

First In, Last Out: Horse Show Edition goes behind the scenes with the organizers, officials, volunteers, competitors, and horse people who make our sport happen.

Whether you’re first in, last out, or somewhere in the middle—you’re in the right place.

3…2…1…Have a great ride!