The yearly event brought out the best in fashion on the Main Line as well as celebrities such as celebrity style expert Carson Kressley

Article by Thomas Zaffalon (Sports Writer, AKSM Sports)

DEVON, PA - As always, Ladies Day at the Horse Show was an absolute blast. Ladies who wore ornate hats were granted free admission to the show grounds until 1 pm, not to mention access to the raffle for prizes such as designer handbags and jewelry, live music, and the annual Hat Contest. The Hat contest was held in the morning and brought with it this year's theme of an Enchanted Garden, with hundreds of contestants showing their creative and artistic prowess in the elegance of their hats.

The judges panel was headlined by celebrity style expert Carson Kressley, the former style expert for Queer Eye, and 6ABC weatherman Adam Joseph. Prizes for the contest include everything from gift cards to an Hermes scarf worth a few hundred dollars north of $1000. While there was a hiccup in the process of naming the winning contestants, they were called out by their number and many had forgotten what number they were given, everyone had a good laugh and eventually the winners were found and given their designated prizes.

In competition, the day was marked by a number of side saddle events, all for prize money. The headliner for these was the $200 ladies hunter side saddle O/F, where Melissa Gartland of Cochranville PA and her horse Felton took home first place and $75 in prize money.

Once again, Villanova University's own Lindsay Langan and Darian Smith showed up and showed out, taking home 2nd place in the $750 5 year old young jumper event with her horse Just Special. This is the second time Smith has won prize money during this year's Horse Show. Smith has finished all of her events for the week, and will now go back to Exton to train for upcoming competitions this year.

As the day draws to a close, we are all looking forward to a now sold out Grand Prix of Devon, where the best riders in the world will come and compete for $250,000 in prize money.

Click here to purchase tickets to the 2019 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

Thomas Zaffalon joined the AKSM Photography team in the spring of 2018 as an intern sports writer. Thomas covers Villanova Athletics and excels in writing about basketball, football and baseball. Click Here to Contact Thomas Zaffalon.