Upperville's beauty lies in eye of beholder

Betsy Carter's Horse Scene

Date published: 6/9/2006

U PPERVILLE's ANNUAL show runs through Sunday. If you've never been or it's been awhile, you should reacquaint yourself with the show.

However, Upperville isn't just a show. It is a state of mind based on tradition, history and the imagination.

Several years ago a friend of mine went to Upperville for the first time to show her horse in the amateur classes and to have Olin Armstrong show the horse in the small working hunters. We were very excited; Upperville is a very prestigious show; some of the best riders and horses in the country show there.

After all, Upperville is Upperville. That's all there is to it.

My friend Jean, who was from New York City said, "I've heard of Upperville my whole life. When I was riding and showing in New York, it was everybody's dream to go to Upperville in Virginia. I can't believe I'm going to be showing at Upperville."

We packed up and loaded her horse that morning in the rain, but even that didn't squelch our excitement; since it almost always rains during the week of Upperville. After all, Upperville sparkles even in the rain.

When we arrived, we off-loaded in the rain and in the resulting mud. Standing water and mud was everywhere. The driveway, the stabling area, the schooling rings and the show rings--everything was wet and sloppy, but I was basking in Upperville's glow. However, Jean was horrified. "This place is a dump!" she said succinctly. "Upperville has such a great reputation. I thought it would be beautiful!"

I looked around like a stunned bunny. For the first time in my life I saw Upperville through Jean's eyes, through a New Yorker's eyes, through a "foreigner's" eyes.

There was mud everywhere. Everything was splashed with mud. Everyone wore raincoats and muck boots. The horses were wet; their white socks were dull with mud stains and their tails were all tied into mud tails.

Not only was everything a mess, I noticed for the first time that the fences and the grandstands were looking a little sagging and could have used a fresh coat of paint.

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Date published: 6/9/2006