Use your corners. Advice from an Olympic dressage rider and useful tip for hunter riders and western show competitors. But come to think of it, it’s good daily life advice… For me, inspiration tends to happen in the corners of life.
Seems there’s a link between higher scores on the horse show judge’s card with higher scores on the Equine Body Condition Scale (the horse equivalent of the bathroom scale).
Though it may make me wince to re-live it, every mistake is a learning opportunity! When things go wrong at a horse show, how do you manage in the moment, minimizing the incident’s impact to your score, to your fellow horse show competitors and to your confidence? A snag in the show ring need not unravel your horse training progress. In fact, a snag reveals a weak area – an opportunity to “build back better”.
If you plan to step into the competition arena, expect the unexpected. Few sports have more variables than riding. What might you expect to go wrong in the horse show ring? In this issue, I’ll put on my judge’s hat and share common mistakes. So common, in fact, that every horse show score sheet has a menu of mishaps and a box to record their numerical deductions.