Show Time: A Sequel to Stake Night

Show Time is the sequel to Stake Night, and I recommend that you read Stake Night first to become familiar with the characters. Show Time begins immediately after the dramatic finale of the World Championship Saddlebred Show held in Louisville, KY, and describes a single year in the glamorous and competitive world of amateur riders and five-gaited show horses. In this story, the amateur riders and their families struggle to find high quality horses they can afford, possess the manners that make them suitable for the Amateur division, and that they have enough skill to ride. The trainers are challenged to prepare the horses and riders so they are a winning combination, walking the thin line between salving egos and providing instruction, while also guarding against other trainers stealing lucrative clients. The central character is Jennifer, a young trainer who broke her leg during the early sessions of the previous year’s World Championship after winning the Open qualifying class with Toreador, a difficult but talented five-gaited show horse. Her assistant then shocked the industry when he showed Toreador in the Championshipin an ill-fitting suit hurriedly purchased off the rack that morning. As Jennifer attempts to transition Toreador to the Amateur division, she must figure out how much to tame him to be successful with his demanding new rider.