DEVON HORSE SHOW, DOGGIES, FASHION AND HORSES – SO CUTE!!

The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair officially opened on Thursday. One of the nation’s premiere horse shows, Devon runs until June 5. Horses, riders, trainers and breeders come from all across the U.S. and Canada to compete. Eleven days of competitions will include jumping, carriages, dog show, fashion show, and more. A full schedule is available at the Horse Show’s official website. There are amusements, vendors of all sorts, food and drink, many interesting people, and, of course, horses in a variety. The stands were packed with folks in boxes that have been handed down through family lines for a hundred years. Mike and I were invited to sit in “The Hat Lady” Michelle Leonard’s box. Thanks.
Debbie Martin, HAD and Sandy Shinners. Debbie and Sandy are co-chairs of the Devon Horse Show this year.
But you don’t have to dress fancy to attend. The general public is invited to fill the bleachers, and enjoy the fair. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased here

There’s a Country Fair that features boutique shopping for all ages and tastes, as well as a great variety of foods and midway games and rides.a lot of people were walking around with stuffed snakes
fun for the kidsThere’s a wine and cheese garden for the folks
On Saturday there was a doggie show. Here the competition stares each other down.
The first category was dogs that looked like their owner
This girl was 2nd. The Uncle Sam dog came in first, and the curly dog with the two girls came in 3rd.
Then there was the “fashionable dogs”. On the far right Cynthia Sansone and her two terriers, classy as they may be the lady on the left placed in the competition as most fashionable doggies.
Elizabeth Bareis’ Jack Russell Terrier won in the best dressed category of the doggie contestadorable
#Winning
This dog was just walking around the grounds and looked like me.

One of the highlights of Memorial Day weekend is the Devon Pleasure Carriage Drive from St. David’s Church through the tree-lined neighborhoods along the 4-½ mile route to the Dixon Oval. The images of majestic animals pulling magnificently maintained coaches draw crowds of spectators and tailgaters alike, both at St. David’s and along the Pleasure Carriage Drive route to the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. (source)

The judging begins at St. David’s and along the Pleasure Carriage Drive route. The judges look to make the carriage has the proper appointments,if the right horses are hooked up to the right vehicle, and if people are dressed reasonably,
but not necessarily in period outfits (although most seemed to be.) Saturday it was 95F out, I felt sorry for the folks dressed to the nines on these carriages, but it’s a tradition that goes back 47 years that has to be maintained.

The winner: Tucker Johnson, Homestead, Fl. This was Johnson’s first return to Devon in 30 years. Above Society Photographer Susan Scovill poses with an award winning team as husband Dr Curtis Scovill gets a shot. She was a sponsor of this portion of the contest.
There are several carriage divisions. There are formal carriages, sporting carriages, and country carriages and they all have their own sets of appointments. There are two judges, one for the horses and one for the ponies and each of those is broken into Single, Pair and Four-In-Hand.

The boutiques offer the latest in fashion, sporting clothes, silver and gold jewelry and beautiful hats as well as classical pieces ranging from paintings, prints and sculptures to hand-painted furniture with horses and dogs, leather goods, antiques and more. The Art Gallery features paintings and prints by many local talented artists, and the Souvenir Shop offers Devon Horse Show apparel, collectibles and the cookbook, Appetizers at Devon.
Later in the day jockeys from around the world competing in the Horse Jumping competition.
more fashion as the fair
more horse jumping.
The horsey crowd, which I am not part of, but do appreciate the history and tradition.
Face painting.
Beautiful and clean.