Hangovers are not pleasant. How do you get a regular old hangover? A fun night out with friends? Horse show hangovers are quite different. They come after long days a competing with little sleep in between.

Long horse show weekends consist of many hours of travel, class after class, and very little sleep. Taking horses to another state to compete takes a lot of prep. They need health certificates from the vet, they need pre-baths, and daily riding to be at the top of their game. Preparing for one show can take weeks and even other smaller shows to get ready. When travel day rolls around, you most likely need to get up well before the crack of dawn, while getting the last minute of packing done the night before. This results in about 2 or 3 hours of sleep to start the show off. Long truck rides can be entertaining, but they are far from comfortable or resting.

So, eventually you get to the show, and its a whirlwind of getting stalls ready, settling in the horses, unpacking, and setting up. As the days continue, there are emotions all around and highs and lows. You win some classes and lose some others, hopefully no tears. As the show wraps up, everything goes back into the trailer where it came from (maybe). The horses are tired and so is everyone else. The truck ride home is about the same as it was earlier, if not, a little more painful.

The aftermath is rough. Usually you get home at some absurd hour, like 4 a.m. Once you get home at that unfortunate hour, you need to unload horses and make sure everyone is doing well. You also need to unpack the food because you can't let all of it go to waste. The next day is when everything really hits you. The endless days, the lack of sleep, and the long drive home pack a punch. The whole day after returning home should be spent unpacking, but its actually spent sleeping in and recovering. Horse show hangovers are meant for napping, staying in your PJs and cuddling with the animals you had to leave at home.