The Costume Class immediately followed the disastrous foot race. Velvet and I came out of the arena in the 90 degree heat and humidity and went right to our pile of costume stuff including the saddle which was weighted down by little stuffed dogs bobbing on the ends of all strings or clasps. It was a long walk, done hurriedly, and Velvet’s owner was glistening in the afternoon humidity shower. Curtain time was about to be called. With Bob Howe’s help of the KC fox trotter club, Velvet got her saddle on complete with hanging doggies.
My own costume in my role as “Ozark Fox Hunter” was a wool red and black checkered blazer and a red and black checkered antique pair of wool hunting pants. I was making a parody of those fox hunter people that ride around with those weird wide legged skinny pant things and knee length black boots. In pictures, they always have red coats-well someone in the group who chases foxes wears a red coat. I tried to get the blazer on, but my soggy arms wouldn’t slide through the sleeve. I threw the blazer on the ground. Then I tried to get my wool hunting pants on and almost stepped into one leg. But the thought of all that overpowering heat that would be generating up to nuclear explosive level was enough to stop that. I did manage to get my husbands knee high bright green John Deere boots on. Mona had to shove my big booted feet into the stirrups after I got on. I did plan on wearing my new coon light, but it was too late to figure out where to put the battery.. Besides, I saw another woman was wearing a coon light in the same color, so it wouldn’t be cool to look like anyone else. That was my total costume…a pair of John Deere boots and normal clothing. I did carry a Wal-Mart special pop rifle that I duct-taped an American flag to the end. I became an under-dressed OZARK FOX HUNTER!
Velvet wore a real fox pelt draped over her cute rear end. I forgot her coon skin hat back at the trailer. I had cut out slits for her ears, and she was to look very “Davy Crockett“. sigh… The dog hunting pack was tied to the various straps and clips on the saddle. I even had one stuffed doggie tied underneath Velvet to the cinch where the back cinch is fastened. When we accelerated into the rhythm of the fox trot, all the tied-on little doggies bounced up and down and around the saddle (including the one going helter-skelter underneath Velvet). !
I was shooting my rifle up in the air and yelling, YA HOO! I carried a large bag of stuffed dogs and other animals (my game bag). I threw these stuffed animals to the crowd. I threw a cute stuffed horse to a little girl in the front row. When Velvet and I zoomed around again, we saw the little girl holding the horse very tight against her cheek. Velvet went “ahhhhhhh” in horse language.
When we lined up, I offered each judge a stuffed doggie/animal of their choice if they would place me. Some of the judges even smiled at me! Velvet had a good time in the arena. Even “The Princess of the Pasture” loves having a good time with a clapping cheering crowd!
The depth to which imagination can go was really well done by the other riders in the costume class. The costumes were unbelievable…with many of them being downright hilarious. What a great time it was to be a part of such a group of people with amazing imaginations. It’s worth a long drive to watch this class.