08/02/2026
Facebook is asking what's on my mind....
Cowboy Christmas was dreamed up 24 years ago, sitting in my kitchen with a good friend. I told her I wanted to rent MSU and put on a true "come as you are" horse show for us Michigan folks whose horses grew their winter coats and who didn't have many opportunities to show during the colder months. No show clothes, fake tails, you don't have to give baths! She thought I might be a little crazy...until the very first show sold out in one day! (Back then, we only accepted entries through snail mail!)
Over the years, I've watched that little idea grow into something so special, and I couldn't be more grateful. We knew from the beginning we had something wonderful, and all we ever wanted was to continue providing a show for people who love their horses, their friends, and the joy of showing.
Is Cowboy Christmas Open Horse show East Lansing Michigan , the highest level of competition? Absolutely not. That's by design. We purposely don't offer a lot of jackpot or "hands-free" classes because our focus has always been on welcoming riders of all levels. My favorite exhibitors have always been the entry-level riders who simply want to have fun, improve, and enjoy a successful ride with their horse.
Don't get me wrong—I love an exceptional pleasure horse. I've been fortunate enough to show some incredible horses, including AQHA World Champions.
But Cowboy Christmas wasn't created for those horses.
It was created for smiles, positivity, honesty, sportsmanship, and enjoying time with your horse.
We work very hard to keep our novice classes truly for novice riders and novice horses.
With that in mind, we're excited to introduce a new award for 2026: Our Favorite Cowboy Christmas Novice Horse!
This award is specifically for horses that are Cowboy Christmas novice. If your horse has novice status through AQHA, APHA, or another breed association, that's not the same as our Cowboy Christmas novice eligibility.
Please, for the love of our sport, don't enter yourself or your horse as "novice" if you've consistently placed above 6th at competitions outside of local, low-level open shows. Keeping these classes fair protects the experience for the riders and horses they were created for.
This award will go to the horse we feel best represents the spirit of our novice program. It isn't about earning the most points. Eligible horses may be any age and may compete in 2 & Under classes, In-Hand, Longe Line, or Novice Horse classes.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this and understand my sincere concern about keeping our novice classes honest. 😊
We're so excited for Cowboy Christmas 2026 and can't wait to see everyone. Best of luck to all of you—and thank you for helping us keep Cowboy Christmas exactly what it was always meant to be.❤️💚❤️💚
