Tuesday - if you aren't interested in horse pictures, skip this post!

Rainy, windy weather is on its way, so today we spent the day outdoors at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.  A highlight of the Phoenix area for me.   This show has been around for a long time, first held here in 1955 with only 50 horses.   Today it gathers over 2400 Arabians and half/Arabs from around the world.

The Scottsdale Arabian Horse show is a showcase for this flashy, versatile and totally over the top breed.  Owner's are every bit as over the top and flashy as their horses, but they are not just rhinestones and silver.   They are fiercely proud of their magnificent horses and all they can do.

I'm unhappy with the photographs I was able to take.  I don't seem to be able to capture movement in the ring, and movement is one of the insanely beautiful things about these desert horses.   So, what follows are the best of the lot.

Arabians are shown in conformation classes where they are judged on their beauty alone.

beautiful bay gelding

this fractious yearling was as high as a kite as he entered the ring

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a glossed up yearling colt exhibiting the "flehmen" response
is a lady near?

beautiful yearling colt head

They are shown in a variety of under saddle classes using different types of English saddles as well as Western saddles.

a stallion entering the ring in a Park Saddle class

this grey is showing off his sliding stop in a Western reining class.  These classes test the skills needed on the ranch, handling cattle
(more on this rider, later)

western pleasure turn out.  note the silver saddle and rhinestone outfit...

Hunt seat pleasure class

a nice collected walk

a grateful pat for a job well done in the  Women's Side Saddle class

Arabians are also shown in different types of harness classes, from roadsters (racing) to fine harness (below)

And one of the big crowd pleasers, the Arab Costume Under Saddle class.  The riders in this class owned the horses they showed and many of them hand made the spectacular costumes they both wore.

We spent the entire day moving from the indoor arena, the outdoor conformation ring, the reining arena, the food court, the spectacular barns and then back again.    I'll finish this post tomorrow with a few pictures from the show that were NOT of horses and tell you about a scary moment at the reining arena that resulted in a tear in my brand new jeans.....