Washington International Horse Show: Through The Decades With Betty Oare
Submitted by: Jenny Underwood for Phelps Media Group, Inc.
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Date Added: 10/13/2008
Betty Oare of Warrenton, VA, has been competing and winning at the Washington International Horse Show since it began in 1958. When the Washington International Horse Show was first held at the Old Armory, she won the Virginia Horse Shows Association State Medal Final at the show debut, fifty years ago.
Since her 1958 victory, Betty has gone on to success with championships in the Junior Hunters and Green Conformation Hunter, Regular Working Hunters, and Amateur Owner Hunters. Horses she has won on include Green Conformation Hunters Gabriel, Forty Winks; Regular Working Hunters Navy Commander; and Amateur Owner Hunters Spirit of Song, Freedom Ring, Fiddler’s Bridge, and many more.
Betty has competed at all three of the Washington International Horse Show venues: Old Armory, Capital Center, and Verizon Center. The show had many differences, depending on where it was held.
“At the old Armory, the ring was pretty large, but limited in schooling space. Stabling was in the basement, underneath the building. You could only work in the morning, actually right behind the end of the ring behind the bleachers. You could sit in the bleachers and watch people compete and watch people school. The prison was across the street, so sometimes there were jail breaks. It was really rather exciting,” remembered Betty. “The show, it was a city event in Washington. People dressed up in their finery and came to the horse show. When the President's Cup was there, there were Presidents, politicians, diplomats and military that came. I have great memories there in that old building.”
Betty distinctly remembers one year where she was Green Working Hunter Champion on Forty Winks at the Armory. During the evening, the show held a Parade of Champions. All tri-color ribbon earners put the ribbons in the horses’ manes and had a great time tooling around the ring. For her, it brought memories of a fair parade.
When the show was moved from the Armory to the Capital Center, more than the venue changed. Stabling went from basement to outdoors in the parking area, an outdoor schooling area was available, and the location moved across the river on the beltway.
“Some of my first memories of the Capital Center was the start of the Hunt Night. People could bring their Fox Hunters in and show at the Washington show and go home the next day and go fox hunting,” said Betty. “It had a lot of exhibitions; I think they were able to grow the shows a little bit there, but the crowd was smaller because of the location. I think it is now becoming a more glamorous event down in the city of Washington, D.C.”
More than competing, Betty has also judged several of the Washington International Horse Shows. 1977 was her first year judging. For Betty, it was a big-time honor and changed her perspective of the show world.
“It certainly makes you appreciate both sides of the coin. Sometimes I go home after judging a show and I really think that was a good riding lesson in itself. It makes you think a little sharper about what looks good and what doesn’t look so good,” said Betty. “When I am in the judge’s box, I am trying as hard as I know how to pin the class in the correct order. I have to live with my own conscience. You don’t think, ‘Oh that’s my friend over there.’ You are looking from a totally different picture. You are concentrating on what rider rises to the top.”
From the move from the Capital Center to Verizon, Betty commented on the downsizing of amount of horses allowed to show and the difficulties of having a show in downtown D.C. She recognized that with the location, in order for the show to work, it has to be entertaining for the whole family. The Board is faced with the challenge to create an event, not just a show. Logistics is another challenge that faces competitors. Horses must be at the staging area, be trailered in, show, and immediately get out so the next person can take the stall. Luckily, WIHS has a great crew who makes everything run smoothly.
“If you have a horse that needs an extra amount of work, you really have to plan. You can’t expect the city of Washington to give up all their city streets. On the other side of the coin, once you get inside, it’s very glamorous. I think it fell to the wayside a little bit with the move to the Capital Center, and now I think that is coming back,” commented Betty. “When we had the fall circuit back then, you went to Harrisburg and Washington and Madison Square Garden. That was always kind of the feeling. It was in a big city. You got yourself dressed up and off you went. I think that is being recreated.”
Besides making it to Washington and showing, Betty really enjoys just getting to sit and watch. The classes are smaller and comprised of the top horses and riders in the country. Even after years of showing and judging at Washington, the excitement and pressure is still there.
“It’s very glamorous; there are no two ways about it. When I step into the judge’s box, I have a real sense of responsibility. It’s glamorous, but I know a lot of people have spent a lot of time, money and effort to get there,” said Betty. “For riding, it’s a different ballgame. People ask me if I still get nervous. I say if you don’t have the butterflies in your stomach, I don’t think you are going to rise to the occasion. You have to have a little adrenaline pumping. But boy, when the big gate opens and the lights hit you and you step in, it’s really exciting.”
One of Betty’s favorite memories happened after she won the VHSA State Medal Final during the first year of the WIHS. She was coming home from school when her mother yelled that Sports Illustrated was on the phone. A journalist interviewed her for the Sports Illustrated Pat on the Back column. They featured her in the magazine for her win at the WIHS. That was the first time her success made major media headlines.
Betty plans on competing at many more shows at Washington and across the country. There is no end in sight for Betty’s career. Her stories are memorable, her riding mesmerizing, and her spirit inspirational.
For more information on this year’s Washington International Horse Show, held on October 21-26, please visit www.wihs.org.
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