Wow, I can’t believe it’s finally over.

No, I’m not talking about the semester, or my last Biochem test, or even my stint as a columnist. What I’m referring to is much bigger than that, and a heck of a lot more work.

This past weekend, the Iowa State Fairgrounds played host to over 300 horses, as the 55th annual Iowa State University Block and Bridle Horse Show rolled into town.

Entirely run and managed by ISU students, the three-day event has developed into the largest student-run event of its kind in the country, and one of the largest and most prestigious horse shows in the state, period.

Ever since last fall, the 20-plus-member committee has been putting in countless hours of work to pull off the show. Although the group has a faculty advisor (and Peggy, we love you dearly), all of the actual managing of the show, from hiring judges to drawing up patterns to being night barn watchmen, was handled exclusively by students.

And we did a darn good job, if I do say so myself.

If anyone ever shortchanges students, stereotyping them as lazy, inactive bums, one look at this past weekend definitely would erase any of those images. The dedication that these guys demonstrated is, to say the least, impressive.

For example, one girl drove all the way from Marshalltown every day for the last month, even on days she didn’t have classes, just so she could spend five straight hours in front of a computer typing entries into the registry. Five or six people sacrificed precious studying hours so they could stay until the end of the show on Sunday, even though they had chemistry or reproduction tests first thing Monday morning. Our office help and stabling people sacrificed their sanity, as they attempted to satisfy everyone and did it with a smile.

Just by looking at the numbers, it’s obvious that none of their work was in vain. This year’s show had over 500 entries, with over 300 horses competing in 142 classes. The show was accredited by five different organizations, and it utilized four different buildings on the fairgrounds. Obviously, the event was no small undertaking.

Most of the students on the committee are freshmen and sophomores, and the majority of them has little or no horse show experience, but we didn’t let youth or inexperience stop us. Instead, we used the event for what all student activities should be used, a learning experience.

By the end of the weekend, our previously beef-only entries secretary had become a whiz at interpreting horse registration papers and knowing which horses were eligible for which classes. The pavilion was the most popular place for committee members, as many of them saw classes such as trail and costume for the first time. And everyone, myself included, learned just how far a smile and “good morning” will go.

Many of the exhibitors were amazed that we were all students, as they commented on how well the show was going. Several exhibitors went out of their ways to thank us for holding the show, to compliment us, and a few even went so far as to offer us beer.

To me, the most amazing part of the exhibitors’ friendliness was that many of the people complimenting us usually had been crabby and snappy toward us in past years. I’m not sure what made them turn over their new leaves, but it sure made my day when people who had been showing since before I was born would come up to me and tell me how well things were going.

We may just be lowly students, but we were getting respect from some pretty influential people.

Despite the fact that, on average, committee members only slept about four hours each night (and that’s a pretty generous estimation), we managed to curtail our tempers — at least with the exhibitors — and smooth out any potential problems before they began. Through it all, we managed to keep smiles on our faces and kind words on our lips, as we survived huge classes, cranky exhibitors and unending hunger pangs that fair food just can’t satisfy.

So, the next time someone tries to write you off as “just a student,” tell them about the 1997 Block and Bridle Horse Show Committee. It represented your school well, and you have every right to be proud of them.

I know I am.

---

Holly Benton is a sophomore in animal science from Early.