If you love watching beautiful, athletic horses, a horse show is a fun place to be. If you enjoy competition, it can be fun to enter a horse show, at whatever level you feel comfortable. All shows are great learning experiences, and can be both rewarding and humbling: if you and your horse have worked hard and exhibit great teamwork, you can win ribbons, trophies & other great prizes, while if you have over-estimated your abilities, you will certainly have a chance to see how much improvement is needed. Sometimes you can get helpful hints from the judge, and some shows allow exhibitors to audit classes, or practice trail obstacles or jumps.
If you live in northeast Texas, I encourage you to attend the Piney Woods Horse Show Association shows, held at the City Arena in Marshall, Texas. Many classes are offered -- something for everyone, at all skill levels -- and the people are friendly. Annual membership is just $10, and class entry fees are just $8. There is a show almost every month, and annual high point awards are given at the end of the year. Here is a link to their website: http://www.pineywoodshorseshow.com/show_bill