Aww, Tanai. They probably weren't snickering at you. And even if they were, they were probably just being immature little gossips. How sad that they have nothing better to do with their lives, eh? Their prob, not yours.

But really now, you're the same gal who unnerves guys with your hotness. Why would anyone have cause to snicker? Just work it, hunnay. Walk by like you mean it!

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Sweetheart, at nearly 30 years of age, I should hope I would know the difference between hats and helmets.  
   When you show horses, you wear hats and yes, they are damaging to hair. They're a very snug fit and you have to bobby pin them into place. Judges will dock you if your hat flies off. You also may end up changing hats a few times depending on how many different classes that you enter in a single show. You'll also be getting ready in a hurry.

And yes, you have to use hairspray. Judges will dock you if you have any flyaways.

My family has kept and shown horses for 16 years, so I know of what I speak. And for someone who has never done so before, it might seem a bit overwhelming.

Not trying to dissuade you in any way. Just waving a few little red flags so you'll know what you'll be up against.  

Apples....mmm hmm. 

It's not the lining of the hat that damages your hair (although western and English hats do have bands on the inside that cause friction. It's all of the pins that you need to secure them, the act of taking them off and putting them on and the aforementioned friction. Not healthy.
    And I haven't tried natural hairspray, so I don't know how it would hold up in a horse show, but I do know that you need to use tons of it. My sister used giant cans of Aqua Net...talk about starchy! lol
    Judges aren't just looking at the performance of your horse, hon. They look at everything from your posture to your horse's posture to how you hold your feet in the stirrups to your appearance, your horse's appearance - everything. And it's a well-known joke that judges notice everything that you don't want them to and completely ignore you when you're doing well. It gets pretty corrupt sometimes...so be ready for that. An experienced trainer will be able to explain all of this to you in time.

How did I not get swept up in it? Easy! I looked at what the rest of my family was doing and said, "no thanks!" 
    Actually, it's kind of funny. I was the first person in my immediate family to take an interest in horses. I spent hours reading books about horses, drawing horses, writing stories about horses, you name it. Any opportunity I had to even get close to a horse, I'd take it. Even rode once in awhile when I was very small. I loved thoroughbreds especially and wanted to be a jockey when I was a kid. 
    But all the pleading to my parents to have a horse of my own fell upon deaf ears.

Years later, when my sister reached about the same age, she also took an interest. And when she expressed this to my parents, they bought her one. She began training immediately and, before long, started showing. Then, my parents bought her another horse. And then another. Each of them had their own unique talents and showed in different styles and different classes. English, Western, Equitation, Barrel Racing - my sis and her 3 horses did it all and I'm pretty sure that she made state champion in 2(?) states. She and my parents - and the other ladies from our ranch - travelled a lot.

These days, she no longer shows and we have only 2 of our 3 horses left (our first had to be put down in '06). The show ribbons that she won completely cover one wall of her bedroom and sit there...with her trophies...collecting dust, but serving as colorful reminders of what she used to get up to.
    She's now a nursing student with a bf and a part-time job, so you can guess that she doesn't have as much time for the horses as she used to. My parents have had to pick up the slack...but even that isn't enough. They have jobs too...

So where did all of this leave me? Distant, but not entirely removed from it. When my sister was doing local shows, I would come out and help get her and the horses ready. Doing makeup, banding manes, whatever. I also served as a good luck charm because my sister always took first in all of her classes when I was there.
    But I also showed up at the ranch on occasion to help out where needed...washing, riding, walking, braiding tails, doling out medicine, grooming, picking hooves...whatever needed done. And I still do, if asked. But having watched everything that my family went through with them...the dirt, the sun, the travelling, the hurry up & wait...oh, and the skin cancer (both of my parents have it now)...I can honestly say that it's not my thing. And for as much as I resented my parents for ignoring my wants, I'm actually grateful for it now.

So yeah...old wounds, whatever.