Showmanship in Hand
By Cathy Hanson
Copyright
© 2014
LESSON THREE
By this time your horse is leading at
the walk and trot. He is stopping and squaring.
It is now time to learn to step around the horse in order to present the
horse to the judge.
When moving from one side of
the horse to the other side, the maneuver is called a “crossover”. The purpose of the crossover is to create a
safe position for the judge while reviewing your horse. You must allow the judge the best opportunity
to see your horse, and you must always be able to have eye contact with the
judge.
The “crossover”: showing the lead is loose and not turning
the horse's head.
The lead is not touching the horse.
The horse is divided into four
sections. Imagine a line drawn down the
center of the horse from his nose to his tail.
Then imagine another line drawn across the horse just behind his
withers, or through the heart girth.
Those lines divide the horse into four parts.
As the judge is walking around the horse and stepping into these four
imaginary sections, it is important the handler is in the correct position at
all times to maintain eye contact, give the judge a full view of the horse and
judge from a safe position.
When the judge is in a front section,
the handler will be on the opposite side of the horse. If the judge is in the left front section,
the handler will be in the right front section.
When the handler is on the opposite side, the judge has an unobstructed
view of the horse. When the judge is in
a front section it is still easy to maintain eye contact with the judge.
When the judge is in a hind section, the
handler must be on the same side of the horse as the judge. In this position the handler will never lose
eye contact and can protect the judge in case the horse misbehaves. If the horse were to kick out toward a judge,
the handler can easily see the potential problem and pull the horse toward
herself, thereby moving the horse’s hindquarters away from the judge.
The handler begins in
presentation position.
Presentation position places the handler
on the horse’s left side, standing angled between the horse’s eye and muzzle
with the handler’s legs and feet together and toes pointed toward the horse’s
left front foot. The handler will be
standing to the side of the horse’s head and slightly ahead of the horse.
To move to the right side of the horse
there are two different foot patterns you may use—a three step or a four step.
The three step
will begin with the right leg crossing in front of the left, followed by the
left foot stepping left with a turn of the toe pointing to the horse’s right
toe, and then the right foot stepping into presentation position next to the
left foot. The handler will now be on
the right side of the horse in presentation position.
To move back to the left side of the
horse, cross the left foot in front of the right. The right foot then steps into presentation
position with the toe turning the horse’s left front foot. The left foot then follows stepping next to
the right.
The three step move requires a big step
in order to crossover far enough to the other side of the horse. This step works for handlers with long
legs. The four step,
of course, does not require as large a step, so it is easier for small
children, youth or people with shorter legs.
Begin in the same presentation
position. The first step of the four
steps will be the left leg moving to the left, and then the right leg crossing
over and turning the foot toward the horse.
The left leg now makes the third step, moving behind the right leg. The final (fourth) step is the right leg
being placed next to the left. To cross
back the right leg leads, the left crosses in front turning the toe toward the
horse, the right foot steps behind and the left is placed next to the right.
The second step of the 4 step crossover
...notice the right foot starting to turn.
The last step must be a definite
step. Sliding the foot into position
next to the other foot is not acceptable.
While executing the crossover,
the steps must look smooth and comfortable.
Practice both types of cross-overs and then
choose the number of steps you can make smoothly and easily. Once you have chosen, practice, practice and
practice until it becomes second nature.
You do not want to have to think about which foot you need to move. It is desirable to have a confident look, and
knowing where to place your feet will allow you to concentrate on other areas
of the performance.
Now
it is time to enlist the help of a friend who can play the part of a
judge. The judge or friend will walk
around the horse, and the handler must crossover at the correct moment.
The handler has just walked up to the
judge, halted, squared and is now presenting the horse from the left side. The judge steps to the right side of the
horse (right and left is known by the direction in which the horse is standing)
and is now located in the front right quadrant.
The handler stays on the left side.
The judge then walks toward the hindquarters of the horse, crossing the
line at the horse’s heart girth, so the handler must now cross over to the
right side of the horse. As the judge
steps directly behind the horse, the handler will stay in position, since the
judge has not crossed the division line yet.
Once the judge has stepped to the left side of the horse, the handler
may then step to the left side of the horse as well. As the judge crosses the heart girth area,
the handler steps back to the right side of the horse. The judge will now be in front of the horse
once again. The handler will stay in
position until asked to perform the next maneuver, and then at that time the
handler may step back to the left side of the horse.
DO’S
Do – keep your eyes and chin up when
crossing over.
Do – lead with your hip when stepping
across.
Do – Spread your collar bones,
keeping the shoulders back and down.
Do – hold your stomach in and stand
tall.
Do – lengthen the lead slightly when
crossing over, so you do not
accidentally
pull the horse’s head.
Do – check your horse periodically to
make sure he is still set up and
squared
correctly.
Do – practice with a western show hat
to become comfortable moving
around
the horse while you are wearing a wide hat with a wide
brim.
Do not – twist the feet in the dirt
when crossing over.
Do not – alter your steps. Always do the same number of steps.
Symmetry is important in
showmanship.
Do not – touch your horse when
crossing over.
Do not – cross over until the judge
has crossed into a different quadrant.
Do not – get ahead of the judge in
the crossover. Wait until the judge
cross
over into the next quadrant.
Do not - become overly animated in
your steps. Take natural
steps.
Troubleshooting
The horse is moving with
the handler when crossing over.
Make sure the chain is lengthened
enough to hang under the chin and not pull the horse’s head with you as you are
crossing.
Bumping
into the horse during the crossover.
You are standing to close. Step back one more step for the presentation
position.
Having
to adjust the last step to be correctly facing the horse’s toe.
The turning or twisting of the second
step is fairly significant. Turn your
toe more, so the last step places you in just the right spot.
Simple
Showmanship Patterns
With the maneuvers you have learned so
far, you are capable of performing some simple patterns. It is fun and will help you be more comfortable
putting the maneuvers together. When
performing a pattern, be sure to complete each maneuver before moving to the
next maneuver. The pattern should flow. Smoothness is key to
performing a winning pattern.
Good presentation
position...
ready to begin
pattern.
Pattern One
Set up three
cones in a straight line. The distance
between the cones should be 30 feet. To increase the difficulty, move the cones
closer together.
Begin with
the horse set up at the first cone which is on the handler’s left. Walk to the second cone. Trot to the third
cone. Stop and set up.
The horse
should step forward with the handler without pressure from the lead. The horse must stay straight. The trot transition
needs to take place exactly at the second cone, and it must be smooth and
straight. The handler will stop
precisely at the third cone. Set the
horse and present. Have your helper
walk around the horse so you can practice the crossover.
Pattern
Two
Use the same
three cones. Begin by being ready to
move forward from the first cone. Trot
to the second cone and stop. Walk to the
third cone and set up. Practice the
crossovers.
Pattern
Three
Use the same
cones. Begin at the first cone. Walk to second cone. Stop and set up. Practice crossovers. Trot to the third cone and stop and set up.
Assignment:
Send videos of you performing the "showing/cue" techniques and the three patterns described in this lesson.
You may post the videos to a video hosting web site; for example - PhotoBucket or YouTube.
Please send the links to cathyhansonqh@gmail.com