Show Report: Big Orange Bash 2026

🧡 Big Orange Bash 2026🧡

So, this ended up being a bit of an unusual show for me (and this is also why this blog post is coming out a day later than usual). When I volunteered to judge, I had every intention of showing - BOB is a two-day show, with OF Halter and CM/AR Performance on Saturday and CM/AR Halter and OF Performance on Sunday. It's nice because I can concentrate fully on showing one day and fully judging the other, since I only collect and show OF halter horses. I had plans of bringing a full string of both OF Breyer and OF Mini, trying some new ponies out before BreyerFest, and replacing some of the NAN cards I used for my NAN entry. 

The thing is late May and early June is a time of the year where I have a little bit of a mental struggle - mostly depression and anxiety flare ups. Combine that with attending seven other shows this spring, several projects due at work, and an off-site work training the day before I was scheduled to leave for Knoxville, and you have the recipe for one burnt out meltdown (which is what happened). I felt stressed and overwhelmed every time I started show prep, and I finalized my show string the Wednesday before the show - which left me with a single day to put together everything. My brain said no, and I listened to it. 

Having a cat in the AirBnb made the whole trip so much more relaxing

I had still volunteered to judge, and I had plans to carpool to Knoxville with Sarah, so at 4am on Friday I threw clothes into a bag and drove south. My anxiety wasn't being triggered by going to the show, just actually showing, and I'm not one to flake out on a commitment last minute - it's not fair to the showers, and it's especially not fair to the host who would have to scramble to find a replacement. 

The drive down was lovely, although we left Ohio stupid early - we had plans to meet up with our friends Angela and Cindy in Kentucky for lunch, since we would cross paths with them. We met at Angela's favorite chain restaurant, Slim Chickens, known for their jar desserts. We had a wonderful lunch, and then continued on down to Tennessee. 

We had a large group in the AirBnb - in addition to me, Sarah, Angela, and Cindy, we also had our friends Jordan, Kelly and Ken. It was a full house, but a fun one! Jordan also had her cat Marshmallow with her, which made the AirBnb feel a little more like home. I always miss my cats something fierce when I'm traveling. We ate at Olive Garden once the whole crew was safely in town, and then chatted at the AirBnb until it was time to get some rest before the show. 

A dream judging team
Photo courtesy SelectArcane

Even though I didn't bring anything for myself to show, I still ended up with models to run. Kelly was judging Saturday, so I ran her mini string for her. It was honestly the most relaxed I've been at a show for a while. I even had time to snack between classes, and drink enough water! Not only that, but I had so much time to catch up with my friends at the show in between classes. It was nice to get to talk to my southern Region 7 friends, since I usually only get to see them at a handful of shows a year. After the show, we went to the fabulous Mexican place we went to last year, and I got the vegetable quesadilla I got the last time (it was as good as I remembered!). 

We interviewed as a group for SelectArcane's Globe Trotter video
Photo courtesy Sheila B.

Sunday was judging day. I was judging Custom Traditional with Jordan (I was on Workmanship, she was on Breed). It's always nice to judge with a friend, because you're often on the same wavelength with when to call classes and how quickly you're moving. It made for some fun memories too - our ring was slightly out of the eyeline of the announcers, so we were often waiting a little extra for our class calls - cue us waving and dancing to get attention! On one occasion, I made it through a full rotation of the Macarena before we were noticed. 

Like at Are You Kitten Me, the YouTuber SelectArcane was at the show filming for her Globe Trotter series. This time, with the extra time I had from not showing, I gave an interview with my friends. It may have been slightly chaotic with the four of us in a single interview, but I think we gave Andrea some good footage to work with. A group of us went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, and we introduced Andrea (a Canadian) to the concept of a Midwest goodbye as we chatted in the parking lot after dinner. I think that fourth goodbye without actually trying to leave may have broken her brain a little! 🤣

A trip south is incomplete without a stop at Buc-ee's
Photo courtesy Sarah P.

With an eight-plus hour drive back home, it would be madness to attempt to leave Sunday night, so on Monday morning (at a slightly more reasonable time than we did Friday!). We stopped at Buc-ee's on our way home to load up on snacks, and made it back to Ohio at a reasonable 5:30pm. 

Overall, the trip was a much-needed mental reset, and a reminder to listen to the limits your body needs - physically as well as mentally! I could have pushed myself to pack a few models to bring, but it would have caused additional stress. With the exception of this blog post and a small project for the NAMHSA booth at BreyerFest, I'm taking a mental break from plastic ponies this week (tomorrow's post was pre-written and scheduled in advance). I have lots to do before July, but I need to make sure my brain is back to normal before diving back into NAN and BreyerFest prep.