Jumping is fun. Training fundamentals…less so. I know that makes me a “less fun” riding coach at times.
BUT… navigating a jumping course or a crowded horse show warm-up ring on a distracted horse without well installed fundamentals is about as fun as being on the 400 highway interchanges without power steering!
WHAT might you expect to go wrong in the show ring? I’ll put on my judge’s hat and share common mistakes. So common, in fact, that every score sheet has a menu of these mishaps and space to record their numerical deductions.
WHY do these things happen? Here, I’ll wear my hat as a specialist in horse behaviour (and generally curious person ). Uncover the source and the symptom begins to fade away. Here are the final 3 common show ring “suddenly moments “ and how to make the best of them!
When equestrians take their horses off-property, it’s not a matter of if, but when the unexpected and unplanned will happen. So let’s plan for when things go wrong in the horse show ring.!
If you plan to step into the horse show arena, expect the unexpected. Few sports have more variables than equestrian. This is the 1st of a 3 part article I wrote for Canadian Horse Journal. What might you expect to go wrong in the show ring? I’ll put on my horse show judge’s hat and share common equestrian mistakes. Additionally, I’ll wear my hat as a specialist in equine behaviour. Fixing WHAT happened depends on discovering WHY it happened.
I judged some well-practiced and planned showmanship exhibitors at this weekend’s horse show.
In “showmanship, each movement and detail must be polished to perfection for you and your horse to top the judges’ score cards.”
I’m cautiously following my post, In Praise of Horse Show moms – a tribute to my own horse mom and cheerleader)-with the OTHER kind of horse show mom. Sharing the same breed characteristics as the intense hockey dad, this mom advocates fiercely for (and rides vicariously through) her young equestrian.
How did western pleasure world get caught up in controversy? Slower lopes, lower heads, longer reins, stiller tails? Because of the specialization of the western pleasure horse and the process it takes to produce a winner, many of my amateur riders I coach have opted for the “all around” route. Classes offered at stock horse shows include western riding, trail, ranch riding and horsemanship. In pattern events, a horse which lacks the quality movement or compact stride of a pleasure horse can still be competitive.
The calmness and manners expected by competitors in the western horse show world is admired by other riding disciplines. This was one of the factors that attracted me years ago to the quarter horse horse show circuit. “Well-broke”, they stood still while mounted, ground tied and ALWAYS loaded. I’ve carried over the expectation of manners into the coaching and training I do with all horses and riders. So if calm and mannerly good…is MORE better?
I’m so pleased to see several horse show disciplines develop a more objective scoring systems in recent years….“The judge doesn’t like palominos” doesn’t really fly with an objective scoring method.
Icy, muddy season is the perfect time to perfect your showmanship set-up in the barn aisle. Showmanship set-ups are worth a lot on the showmanship judge’s score card. But setting your horse’s feet is just a nifty skill to have!