Preparation for Competition
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!