Preparation
for Competition
By
Cathy Hanson
Copyright©2014
Lesson Five
One
Month/One Week Prior
The show is one month away. It’s time to take care of last minute
details.
You have probably received an entry form by
this time. If you are stabling at the
show, you will need to send in for your stall and tack room reservations as
soon as possible. The entry form will
have due dates listed, and submitting entries promptly will be helpful to the
show secretary.
Most breed shows require horse registration
papers and copies of membership cards.
Keep several copies in your office so they are available when mailing in
entries.
Of course you will have registration paper
copies in your horse trailer at all times.
This will save a lot of time the morning of the show. All you will need to do is pick up your numbers.
If stabling at the show, check the horse show
premium for information about bedding and feed.
Many times a form is included and you can order early; if you order
ahead, bedding and feed should be waiting for you when you arrive. That’s one less thing to worry about on
move-in day.
The
First Aid Kit
A
first aid kit is a must at any show.
Most of the time you won’t need it; but when you do, you do!
Plastic
toolboxes work well for first aid kits, and they can be locked as well.
The
first aid kit should include the following:
1. Thermometer
2. Ace Promozine
3. Banamine
4. Betadine
scrub
5. Cotton
Roll
6. 7%
iodine
7. Epsom salts
8. Note
book with vet phone numbers
9. Over the
counter antacid – Maalox
10.
SMZ tablets
11.
Roll of gauze
12.
Antiseptic topical dressing
13.
Horse liniment
14.
Butazolidin Paste or tablets
15.
Syringes and needles
16.
Sterile cleaning pads
If you will be traveling a lot, keeping a
vet phone book is handy. As I have
traveled around the country, I jot down the vets we have had to occasionally
call over the years, as well as horse hotels and vet clinics. Copy the pages of your rulebook stating the
use of drugs. Keep it in the first aid
kit. Many drugs cannot be used when a
horse is showing. Some can be used, but
in low quantities. Some have
restrictions as to when they can be administered. Read and know these rules.
Organizing
Your Own Closet
Buy a few garment bags to keep your
clothes protected.
A wooden hanger is great for chaps, since
their weight causes the wire hangers to bend.
A plastic hatbox is worth the cost.
Hats, especially felt hats are expensive. If protected in a hat box and carefully
handled, your hat will last a long time.
Label the outside of the hatbox with name and color of the hat.
The horse show world has designed a bag for
almost everything. If it is in your
budget – go for it. With equipment
living in a trailer and tack rooms and in all kinds of weather outside –
protect all that you can. It will last longer and stay cleaner.
If you have many bags, start labeling. Not having to look inside each bag will save
a lot of time and trouble. Example –
Put together a cosmetic case for all the
little things needed. Even the men will
find this useful. It should include
items such as: safety pins, bobby pins, aspirin, thread and needle, lipstick,
makeup, sun screen, lip balm, the rule book for your association, money,
scissors, hair brush, comb, hair spray, hair nets, hair ribbons, hat cover, hat
brush, (a different hat brush is needed for each color felt hat. Brushing a tan or white had with a brush
previously used on a black hat is a big “no, no.”)
Tack
Cleaning Tray
A tote-tray for cleaning supplies will be
needed.
Leather cleaner and silver polish, a
toothbrush and clean towels will be a few required items for the cleaning tote.
There are many different products on the
market today. Check the cleaning
products on your leather by cleaning a small hidden piece first. Some leather cleaners will darken light
leather.
Grooming
Tote Tray
If possible, having a couple of grooming
totes is useful.
One grooming box is kept at the tack room or
horse trailer, and one is carried to the arena.
Recommended items for the grooming tray:
Stiff brush, soft brush, medium brush, hoof pick,
towels, mane and tail brush, scissors, fly spray, coat spray, chalk, hoof oil,
baby oil, disposable razor, and a copy of the class list.
Tack Room Hardware
When attending a show away from home,
several days in length, you need to be prepared to “build your tack room.”
You already have a toolbox, which has many
needed items in it, but there is going to be a lot more “necessities.”
There are a number of catalog stores which
offer portable tack room hardware. Here
is what you will need:
Saddle and bridle racks. Freestanding saddle racks are nice, but they
are bulky and use up a lot of storage space. Depending on how many horses you
have and the length of stay will determine the tack room supplies you will want
to take with you.
“S” hooks can be used for bridles and halters,
hanging saddle racks, blankets, jackets, etc.
“S” hooks come in different lengths and I recommend having several
different sizes.
Everything from blanket racks to hat racks to
clothing racks are available. It is up to you how much is required in your
tack room. Of course, good old nails
will work for hanging many items. However, there are many new facilities being
built which don’t allow nails in the walls.
It is nice to have some sort of matting on
the floor. Rice mats are popular, as is
indoor-outdoor carpeting.
I always take a few card tables to set up for
odds and ends – like food, numbers etc.
Folding chairs are great to have, for those
few moments of relaxing.
If your horse is under lights at home, keep
lights, electrical cords, bulbs, timers and spare plugs in a trunk. They will be needed at the show. If you do not keep the horse under the lights
at the show, it is possible he’ll start to grow that winter coat you’ve worked
so hard to eliminate.
Be
sure to take along buckets for the horse’s water. I like to hang two buckets in each
stall. The buckets provide my horse with
plenty of water, and I can easily monitor how much water the horse is
drinking. Some people give the horse a
large tub. This is nice because you
don’t have to fill it often, however they can get dirty quite easily from the
horse rolling and kicking shavings and manure into the bucket. Rubber trash cans work well also.
Be
sure to put the water hoses in the trailer; a long hose to water the horses,
and a short hose for bathing at the wash rack.
You must have a wash bucket with sponge,
scraper, shampoo and conditioner.
Stall cleaning tools will be needed. Apple picker, wheelbarrow are a must. It’s nice to have a broom and a leaf
rake. Keeping your barn area neat and
clean is the sign of a professional.
Keep some extra plastic in the
trailer. It will come in handy for
covering hay or even draping along a stall wall to protect it if the weather
turns bad.
Training the Horse
Your horse’s training should by this time feel like it is all coming
together. The foundation is solid. All of the maneuvers required in the horse’s
class have been taught.
Determine the weak areas and continue to teach
and build your horse’s confidence.
During this time training equipment may still be used, but be sure to
start adding the show equipment to the work sessions.
Your horse is in good condition. He has the
stamina to make it through a full day at the show. He is in good health. His feet are in good condition and up to date
on trimming or shoeing. The horse’s hair
coat is healthy and shiny. You both are
communicating and understand each other.
The big day is coming and you are READY!