Preparation for Competition

Lesson Seven

THE WEEK OF THE SHOW

Training the Horse

This is not a horse-training course. We have one of those—see Training Performance Horses. Only you know what your horse needs now to best prepare him for the show.

The best advice I can give: review your basic foundation training, and practice the maneuvers required in the show performance.

Having provided your horse a solid training foundation will often save you when unforeseen events happen; these can be anything from weather changes to being asked to perform a maneuver your horse does not yet know.

Review the patterns and polish your horse’s performance. Ride with your show bit, and ride with one hand if using a curb in a western class.

Double check your checklist. Do I have control over the horse’s body? Does my horse understand my communication? Is my horse being compliant? Is he relaxed and comfortable doing his job?

Fatiguing your horse and drilling him endlessly is not recommended. Over work and over practice do two things--physically prevent your horse from moving his best on show day and make him irritated by repeating something he is doing it correctly. These two mistakes may, however reveal something about yourself. Are you drilling your horse because you are nervous and lack confidence?

Instead of over working your horse, try one or a few of these suggestions. Read the rulebook to be sure you know the requirements of each class. Find comfort in the fact you know what is required. Walk through the pattern - without your horse.

Slow down! Take a deep breath. Tie your horse or put him in his stall and come back later when you feel calmer.

Take a lesson from a professional to brush up on your showing skills. Have someone video you and your horse, so you can watch your performance. Many times it looks much different than it feels.

Read a book on relaxation techniques. Being tense as the rider causes many problems for the horse. Horses are not accustomed to the rider feeling tense and nervous. So being calm really does make a difference.

Clipping and Bathing

A few days before the show, clip the horse’s legs. The day before the show clip the head. Use the guidelines found in lesson two for clipping. If you are going to clip the ears, use a size 40 blade. Do not tie your horse, unless you know he is comfortable having his ears clipped.

Stand to the side of the horse and grasp his ear from the back with your thumb on the inside of the ear. By cupping the ear you can apply pressure by squeezing the ear if the horse resists. This also prevents cut hairs from falling into the ear and irritating the horse.

Use your thumb to open the ear and scoop the hair out from the ear. Also trim the edges, by running the clippers down the edge against the hair. Close the ear with your hand to smooth the hair at the base of the ear.

Bathe the horse the day before the show.

There are many different shampoos’s to choose from. Some highlight your horse’s color. Some promise to whiten and brighten. Whatever you choose is fine. (Human shampoo is perfectly alright. Horses and humans have the same hair ph.) Some shampoo’s need to be diluted with water and others are applied directly to the horse.

Use a sponge and a stiff brush when bathing. First rinse the horse completely so he is already wet when you start to shampoo. Use the sponge for most of the body parts. Use the stiff brush to scrub the legs.

I like to sponge the head last and then rinse it first.

To wash the tail, either dunk the tail into the sudsy bucket or apply shampoo directly. Fold the tail and rub. Work the shampoo thru the tail hair thoroughly.

It is very important to rinse the horse well and remove all the soap. Soap left on the horse can irritate the skin especially under the saddle and girth area.

Condition the tail with a conditioner to make combing easier and provide a fuller look when dry.

There are some products to apply to the hair after shampooing to maintain the clean shiny look. Some of these will make the hair very slippery, so do not apply under the saddle area.

Time for the Big Event

The show is finally here.

All the months of work and preparation are about to pay off. The fact you are ready allows you to focus on the last minute details that are designed to make your performance the best it can be.

It is important to be realistic about yourself and your horse. You have done what you can do and you are where you are. This is nothing more to be done at this time.

While you may not yet be a championship team, you must maintain a positive frame of mind. Having doubts about your ability will only result in making your doubts your reality. It is human nature to compare our horse and ourselves to other horses and riders seen at the show.

If you are like most amateurs, you will ride to the warm-up area and be checking out the competition. You may notice training equipment that is different than yours. Don’t let this create doubts and cause you to question your equipment. Instead, ask the person how the equipment works and why they use it? It may be something you may want to try back at home. For this show, stick with the equipment that your horse knows, and refocus on what you have to do today.

When you are watching someone else you are not doing your horse justice; you are now ignoring him. How can you expect your horse to stay focused on task if you can’t?

A good competitor asks her horse for what the horse knows. If a pattern calls for a change of lead and your horse cannot yet do a flying lead change - don’t panic and quickly try to teach the horse to do a flying lead change. Perform an outstanding simple lead change instead.

Go home and teach the flying lead change in a better training environment.

One of the most helpful things to remember when showing: ride your horse at the show the same as you ride your horse at home—and ride you horse a home the same as you ride at a show.

Horses are simple animals. They like a routine. Warming them up a certain way and then riding in a show should always be the same for them.

The One-day Show

The day before the show, load the trailer with your equipment. Take along your training equipment as well as your horse’s show equipment.

All grooming trays, first aid kit, toolboxes, tack cleaning trays, hatboxes and clothes bags need to go in the trailer.

Fill the manger with feed so the horse can eat on the way to the show. Have an extra hay bag so he can eat while tied at the trailer.

Upon arriving at the show, either open up your trailer doors or leave your horse inside to finish his breakfast, or tie to the trailer with a hay bag. Give your horse a chance to take a look at his surroundings and get familiar with the noises and smells. Use this time to sign up for classes and ready your grooming supplies, fill the water buckets, etc.

You know your horse the best – you know his condition and personality. The routine you follow should be tailor-made for your horse. Be open to making adjustments to your routine. You may feel your horse is very calm and lazy, but then when getting on to warm up for a class he exhibits more energy than usual. Routine change--next time make an adjustment by giving him a lunge before saddling up; let him use up a little energy on the lunge line. He will be ready to focus better when it’s time to ride.

It is important to be making mental notes as to your horse’s behavior. Your observations will be useful when planning a strategy for the next show. You may even determine the horse’s feeding program needs to be changed, based on his behavior.

After the horse finishes breakfast and has a drink, give him a groom and prepare for lunging or riding.

It is a good idea to get the horse into the arena in which he will be shown. Giving your horse the opportunity to see the arena will help eliminate distractions later.

During the warm-up, make sure all the parts are working. Stopping, transitions, turning, etc. Your horse may still need to get his focus on his job. Working in small circles is a good way to get the horse’s attention. Slow down the exercises if the horse is not focused.

Doing slow work will settle the horse’s mind. Many times people want to work harder and faster when they are distracted. This often works in reverse, actually making the horse more upset.

When the horse is quiet and comfortable and is being compliant, take him back to the trailer.

Now it is time to get dressed in your show clothes, water the horse and add finishing touches to the grooming.

Be on time for your class. Rushing to make the gate or your turn to work in an individual working class is not a good start. You will feel tense, the horse will feel tense and nervous and the judge will undoubtedly develop a less than desirable impression of you.

Take a grooming tray to the arena for last minute touch ups before entering the class. Brush the dust off your horse. Fly spray the horse and apply fly wipe to the ears and face with a towel. Clean the nose and mouth with a clean towel. There are products available to highlight the horse’s eyes and muzzle or you can use the old stand-by--baby oil.

Apply hoof oil to the outside of the horse’s hoofs to make them darker and shiny. Dust off the saddle and clean the bit if necessary. Brush the tail, mane and forelock for the finished look.

Remember this is a horse SHOW. SHOW your horse.

If the class you have entered requires working a pattern, you should have studied it earlier in the day, and know it by heart.

Enter the arena with confidence, knowing you are prepared and enjoy the ride you are about to have.

Try to take the emotion out of your ride.

The judge’s opinion today is just one person’s opinion. Think constructively about your performance. Did you and horse do everything required? Did you stay on course? Did your horse have a happy and willing attitude? Did you have fun? What part of your ride did you like the most? And lastly what part of the ride would you want to improve on next time?

This is the part to take home to the training pen. Notice, I did not say take it to the warm up arena at the show. There is nothing more discouraging and damaging to a horse, than to have an angry rider leave the show pen, and then discipline the horse in the warm-up area. At that point the horse has no idea what he did wrong. Don’t get me wrong. There are always appropriate times for a horse to be disciplined – just never from anger and not after a period of time from when the mistake was made. Immediacy if the key word with both praise and discipline. A horse has to be shown immediately when he’s made a mistake. To correct a horse for a mistake he made 20 minutes earlier is an action of ego, not intelligence.

The Multiple-day Show

The fun part about a multiple-day show is you get to perform multiple times all of the skills you have learned at home.

The routine is about the same as far as showing. You will have a few more things to load in the trailer, and a few more clothes to pack in your suitcase.

If possible take feed with you. The best scenario is to feed your horse the same food he has been fed at home. Take along the horse’s supplements too. Keep his program the same.

Take your horse’s blankets, depending on the weather. We really like to take the full body Slinky’s so that after the horse’s bath he stays clean. The body Slinky’s are fairly cool, so the horse can wear them in hot weather too. Of course your trailer will be loaded with all of the equipment and supplies we have discussed in the earlier lessons.

The nice thing about a multiple-day show is you can arrive early and let your horse get comfortable.

After arriving at the show grounds, prepare the stall first. Check the wall for nails or other dangers left from previous shows. These of course need to be removed. Use a broom and sweep the cobwebs off the walls.

Cut any strings left from previous shows. Some times people use strings to make ties for their horse. I prefer using an eyebolt or hang a chain from the wall. Horses will often chew string—not a good idea.

Check for loose boards and make sure the door latches well. Once the stall is bedded it will be a pain to move stalls. Bed the stall, hang the water bucket and then let your equine friend settle in and make himself at home.

Now it is time to set up your tack room. Because you are prepared you have all the goodies for the tack room. Carpets go down and hardware goes up. The table is set up and has the registration book on it along with show numbers etc.

The barn aisle is raked and tidy. Now take your horse for some exercise.

If you have traveled a very long distance, as in days, you may only hand walk your horse or give him a light lunge to stretch his legs. Long trips are stressful and the horse needs to time to recuperate. Check your horse’s legs at this time. Make sure there is no swelling. Check his eyes and nose; make sure he looks his normal health self.

Your horse is well prepared and knows his job. Don’t feel the need to drill him; he’s confident—you be too. There will be time the next day for harder work.

On the second day, feed and water the horse at his normal time. Clean his stall, clean some tack and ready yourself for the show.

If needed, give the horse a lunge or just ride him. Work on the basics, your foundation. Remember to keep the routine the same. The way you ride at home is the way to ride at the show.

After a nice workout, give the horse a chance to walk around the show grounds to cool out.

The next chore will be bathing and than banding or braiding. Let the horse have some quiet time in his stall. The horse needs to have some time to relax and snooze.

You may feel your horse needs some additional work in the afternoon. Remember to stay productive in your training. Having your horse mentally well prepared is the best thing you can do and will give you both the winning edge.

Feed and put the horse to bed. Feed yourself and get to bed. Being rested is good for both of you.

The next day is show day. If you are in an early class, your horse will need to be fed early. Give him ample time to eat and give yourself time to prepare him to show. Follow the guide suggested for the one-day show.

Now give yourself and your horse a pat on the back for all you have accomplished. You are a team, a partnership. You are well prepared.

It’s show time…have a wonderful time!

Click here to take Quiz 7

Assignment

Attend a show (with or without your horse). Send me an essay –

1. What type of show did you attend?

2. What did you notice about the activity in the warm-up pen?

3. Your observations about the stalls and tack rooms. Were the stalls safe? Were electrical outlets available for fans? How was water provided? Did you get any good ideas for your own tack room? Could the tack room be locked and secured?

4. Watch the activity around the registration table or counter. Get a copy of the show bill and entry form. Report on the fees for the classes, ground fees, stall fees, bedding charges.

5. How were the exhibitors dressed?

6. What type of tack was used on the horses?

7. How were the horses groomed?

8. Did some of the exhibitors show from their trailers?

9. Was a wash rack available?

10. How was the atmosphere? Did exhibitors appear to be having fun, or were they stressed?

11. If you showed your horse – what do you need to improve upon? Did you have everything you needed? How did you do? Did you have fun?

Please send essay to: cathy@horsecoursesonline.com

Please send pictures if you would like. I would love to see them! Cathy