_daisy_
Well-Known Member
How would you all expect a 4yo to behave at its first ever ridden show?
Expectations?
- Thread starter _daisy_
- Start date
L
lilym
Guest
depends on the horse, wether it is a sharp type or laid back......
jumpthemoon
Well-Known Member
My friend took her very excitable 4yo to her first show a couple of weeks ago - she was absolutely fine. I think its probably like taking them hunting - the first time they are good as gold because its all new, but the next time they get excited as they know whats coming!!!
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
Definintely not laid back, a stress head comes to mind. Also insecure
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
maybe its just mine then that doesnt do that
mickey
Well-Known Member
I guess horses are all different. Mine was great to take out as a youngster, I think he has got more excitable/stupid as he gets older now he knows it's a day out and lots of fun.
It is difficult to prepare if you have never taken the horse out before. I guess you will just have to see.....
It is difficult to prepare if you have never taken the horse out before. I guess you will just have to see.....
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
thats the thing. Shes been out all over the place since she was a yearling. I didnt overdo it when she was young. Just a handful of shows each year. I always kept her out of everyones way so she couldnt be got upset by people cantering around her.
Well how does everyone else get their HUGE youngsters out and about to start making them more comfortable in show atmospheres? Maybe put her on a clamer and see how she behaves?
Well how does everyone else get their HUGE youngsters out and about to start making them more comfortable in show atmospheres? Maybe put her on a clamer and see how she behaves?
mickey
Well-Known Member
Sorry - I am being thick here I think! Did you say you are actually having problems with her when she goes out?? Is this particularly when under saddle or just in the show environment? I know you said she has been out quite a bit in hand but how about ridden shows? Sorry if I have missed the point...
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
well I didnt really say cos I wanted to see how other people expect a 4yo to behave before I explained what went on today!! So no youre not being thick at all.
Shes been out to lots of in hand shows for the last 4yrs and been fine. This was her first ridden show today. She loaded fine, unloaded fine and wasnt stressed at all. Got on and wandered around (nice and quiet). Found a nice quiet place where she could stand and watch the world go by. Then took her in the first class - Novice Showing.
Would she stand still? No. I was asked to stand in the corner out of line as she was labelled "yours is the one that wont and cant stand still" I nearly wiped out all the spectators that were stood right on the side of the ring by the entrance. We bounced round the ring but something upset her, whilst still bouncing she kicked out (has never kicked out in her life at anyone or anything!) and caught the fencing, pulling it all down! Surprisingly all the spectators took a good stride back and never came back forwards!
Then the judge told me she was ill mannered and tha I needed to take her martingale off and give it a good gallop!
Shes been out to lots of in hand shows for the last 4yrs and been fine. This was her first ridden show today. She loaded fine, unloaded fine and wasnt stressed at all. Got on and wandered around (nice and quiet). Found a nice quiet place where she could stand and watch the world go by. Then took her in the first class - Novice Showing.
Would she stand still? No. I was asked to stand in the corner out of line as she was labelled "yours is the one that wont and cant stand still" I nearly wiped out all the spectators that were stood right on the side of the ring by the entrance. We bounced round the ring but something upset her, whilst still bouncing she kicked out (has never kicked out in her life at anyone or anything!) and caught the fencing, pulling it all down! Surprisingly all the spectators took a good stride back and never came back forwards!
Then the judge told me she was ill mannered and tha I needed to take her martingale off and give it a good gallop!
WeeBrown
Well-Known Member
Which show were you at and did the weather effect her?
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
Just local - Penistone riding club. No the weather was really nice for our class. It didnt start raining till I turned her back out in the field.
mickey
Well-Known Member
Sounds like something had definitely upset her....did you see anything specific that she might have been looking at?
Sounds like this is out of character as you said she had been fine before you went into the ring.....
I don't think it was ill manners, more like something was freaking her out. Did she settle when you left the ring?
My horse has had a fit in the past at a showing show with white arabians prancing around in the ring next door. He does often get excited if there is galloping / jumping and stuff going on next to him.
The other thing with mine is he HATES standing around in the showing ring, starts trying to chew his reins in impatience. I don't think he can see the point.
Dunno what to suggest other than taking her to seome events where you can ride around and soak up the atmosphere without actually competing to start with?
I am sure you have checked her diet but would recommend a regular calmer such as the topspec one (my boy is on that). It may be that something unusual caught her eye. And unfortunately as you were having to stand still (!) you could not really work her through that.
Sorry to hear about it....I know how it feels when you are in a ring and your horse is freaking ! If you knew what was upsetting her you could try to reinact it at home....
Sounds like this is out of character as you said she had been fine before you went into the ring.....
I don't think it was ill manners, more like something was freaking her out. Did she settle when you left the ring?
My horse has had a fit in the past at a showing show with white arabians prancing around in the ring next door. He does often get excited if there is galloping / jumping and stuff going on next to him.
The other thing with mine is he HATES standing around in the showing ring, starts trying to chew his reins in impatience. I don't think he can see the point.
Dunno what to suggest other than taking her to seome events where you can ride around and soak up the atmosphere without actually competing to start with?
I am sure you have checked her diet but would recommend a regular calmer such as the topspec one (my boy is on that). It may be that something unusual caught her eye. And unfortunately as you were having to stand still (!) you could not really work her through that.
Sorry to hear about it....I know how it feels when you are in a ring and your horse is freaking ! If you knew what was upsetting her you could try to reinact it at home....
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
Well there were the natives next door - a chestnut caught her eye. Her friend is a chestnut Welsh D so dont know if she thought it was her.
She got upset and started flinging her head around and caught her riens in her mouth so she got really upset with herself about that.
Luckily the jumping was well away from our ring so she couldnt see that.
She is very impatient so when they left me till the very end to do our show I dont think that helped her at all. Also I wouldntve gone in if I had known there was 20 in the class. However when she was moving around in our show she was as good as gold. No messing, no taking off just a lovely ride.
Re diet. She isnt fed now. Shes on a huge field which is strip grazed so she doesnt get too fat but also so she can eat the grass off before her lammi friend can get change to eat it! Someone has recommended Blue Chip Karma to us today. Shes been using it since Tuesday and her horse (late gelded) was perfect (she says shes been banned from some shows and ordered off others!)
Maybe shes just going to have to go out visiting local shows, walk around, go into the warm up rings for a trot round, then come home. Maybe trying to get her to stand quietly for a little while before she starts to mess around.
Shes going to a Natural Horsemanship clinic for 5 days in July so im hoping that there we may be able to find some answers to our problems. Im not saying that we will be able to sort her out but if they can give me some clues so I can complete the puzzle it would be great.
She got upset and started flinging her head around and caught her riens in her mouth so she got really upset with herself about that.
Luckily the jumping was well away from our ring so she couldnt see that.
She is very impatient so when they left me till the very end to do our show I dont think that helped her at all. Also I wouldntve gone in if I had known there was 20 in the class. However when she was moving around in our show she was as good as gold. No messing, no taking off just a lovely ride.
Re diet. She isnt fed now. Shes on a huge field which is strip grazed so she doesnt get too fat but also so she can eat the grass off before her lammi friend can get change to eat it! Someone has recommended Blue Chip Karma to us today. Shes been using it since Tuesday and her horse (late gelded) was perfect (she says shes been banned from some shows and ordered off others!)
Maybe shes just going to have to go out visiting local shows, walk around, go into the warm up rings for a trot round, then come home. Maybe trying to get her to stand quietly for a little while before she starts to mess around.
Shes going to a Natural Horsemanship clinic for 5 days in July so im hoping that there we may be able to find some answers to our problems. Im not saying that we will be able to sort her out but if they can give me some clues so I can complete the puzzle it would be great.
mickey
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe shes just going to have to go out visiting local shows, walk around, go into the warm up rings for a trot round, then come home. Maybe trying to get her to stand quietly for a little while before she starts to mess around.
[/ QUOTE ]
I agree this is a good idea. Give her some time to be exposed to the situations and to settle. Do you get her to stand still for periods of time when schooling and when hacking? I practice this with my boy esp out hacking, when he was 4/5yrs old he used to get very impatient.
[ QUOTE ]
Shes going to a Natural Horsemanship clinic for 5 days in July so im hoping that there we may be able to find some answers to our problems. Im not saying that we will be able to sort her out but if they can give me some clues so I can complete the puzzle it would be great.
[/ QUOTE ]
I've done a lot of natural horsemanship work on the ground, It will be great for your partnership and I am sure will be really helpful and interesting.
Maybe try the Blue chip calmer? It's worth a go.....
I hope things improve....I am sure they will given exposure to show situations....
Maybe shes just going to have to go out visiting local shows, walk around, go into the warm up rings for a trot round, then come home. Maybe trying to get her to stand quietly for a little while before she starts to mess around.
[/ QUOTE ]
I agree this is a good idea. Give her some time to be exposed to the situations and to settle. Do you get her to stand still for periods of time when schooling and when hacking? I practice this with my boy esp out hacking, when he was 4/5yrs old he used to get very impatient.
[ QUOTE ]
Shes going to a Natural Horsemanship clinic for 5 days in July so im hoping that there we may be able to find some answers to our problems. Im not saying that we will be able to sort her out but if they can give me some clues so I can complete the puzzle it would be great.
[/ QUOTE ]
I've done a lot of natural horsemanship work on the ground, It will be great for your partnership and I am sure will be really helpful and interesting.
Maybe try the Blue chip calmer? It's worth a go.....
I hope things improve....I am sure they will given exposure to show situations....
_daisy_
Well-Known Member
no I dont really get her to stand for that long when out hacking. She does have to wait a little for mum and little pony to catch us up, and she is very good. maybe its just that shes not used to the huge numbers of horses? Maybe that upsets her?
Shes come on loads with the NH training. I dont know much about the trainers who are at the clinic - its Steve and Irena Halfpenny (Silversand Clinic) so im hoping that they will be able to give me some pointers to try and help her.
Shes come on loads with the NH training. I dont know much about the trainers who are at the clinic - its Steve and Irena Halfpenny (Silversand Clinic) so im hoping that they will be able to give me some pointers to try and help her.
mickey
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
maybe its just that shes not used to the huge numbers of horses? Maybe that upsets her?
[/ QUOTE ]
Could well be the large number of horses....and esp if they are around her moving at speed.....Can you go in a school with others? Maybe attend a clinic or something?
An exercise I used to use when my horse was young when hacking was....Let the other horse overtake at trot for a few paces....then after waiting for a few seconds (when other horse is back at walk) overtake it at trot in the same manner. You can carry this on for as long as you like. It gets them to learn about staying controlled when others are overtaking and then catching up in a controlled manner. Maybe you have tried this already.
I am sure the NH will really help. They are bound to have ideas to fix this. I am sure it is easily rectifiable. Just green excitement I think
maybe its just that shes not used to the huge numbers of horses? Maybe that upsets her?
[/ QUOTE ]
Could well be the large number of horses....and esp if they are around her moving at speed.....Can you go in a school with others? Maybe attend a clinic or something?
An exercise I used to use when my horse was young when hacking was....Let the other horse overtake at trot for a few paces....then after waiting for a few seconds (when other horse is back at walk) overtake it at trot in the same manner. You can carry this on for as long as you like. It gets them to learn about staying controlled when others are overtaking and then catching up in a controlled manner. Maybe you have tried this already.
I am sure the NH will really help. They are bound to have ideas to fix this. I am sure it is easily rectifiable. Just green excitement I think