First Show with your horse - What were they like?

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Javabb94

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I have made a thread before to do with this, but I cant get it out of my head thinking about what java will be like when I first take him somewhere.

He is a very nosy character and can be quite vocal when he meets other horses.

Having said that when I first brought him home, he was led out of the trailer and was absolutely fine, he could see our other but wasnt bothered and just stuck his head down to eat the grass. Even when my grumpy old welsh mountain was squealing at him he wasnt bothered although -

he was at a livery yard to be sold and when he was there for the 6 weeks, they took him to a show every weekend including some pony club stuff and they said when he first got there he whinnied to others but didnt do anything - these are the only shows he has been to.

Im just worried he will play up or do something silly and in all honesty Im quite a nervous rider. One of my past ponies made me lose my confidence a little bit :(

its the not knowing what he will be like that bugging me, he is a star at home.
He is on NAF Magic which helps him focus rather than nosing at eveything,

He has also never been in an indoor school - he is 12! And my local shows are all in indoor schools!

Anyone else have any advice or experience with a horse that can be vocal?

thanks
 
i used to have a very vocal mare - we were in near exactly same circumstances as you. - Mind you she was not so nosey - and very 'quiet' in every other way!

1st show indoors - a CRACKING whinnie - which resulted in a brilliant echo too!
Resulted in some unusal judges coments sometimes!

I would say how about a quick lesson in the indoor 1st if possible?
go for it! - you would be surprised about how little they care usually!!! :D
 
Im also a little worried about taking Seo to his first show, esp being a stallion. My confidence is getting better, but to make things easier my trainer will ride the first time. We also plan to take him to a couple of different places to hire the school, just so we can get a handle on how nosey and tense he maybe.
 
When I took my highland to her first show (In-hand so I could see how she reacted without added stress of riding etc), she was very good and perfectly behaved.

My young 'un has only ever been to one show (because it was held on our yard) and she was whinnying and shouting but I generally ignored her as her behaviour was really good. - she didn't have a lot of handling at this point and although she wasa a little tense and fidgety, I was happy with her.

you have the added advantage that your boy has been to shows so they're not totally foreign to him. would you be able to hire an indoor so you can gage his reactions without pressure of competing?
 
Mine have always been total stars - I find that when I take them somewhere and they arent sure they really listen and are much easier to ride - dressage tests are always nicer at the venue than Ive practiced at home too - they are just alot sharper and more attentive.
My mares 1st ever outing she neighed quite a few times through the test which was a bit of a pain!
 
I had Larry a week and took him to a show!! He was very well behaved and he went on his own!!

I did the same with Thomas but he was only a baby bless him!! He was as good as gold!!
 
thanks for the replies!

as i have only just in september got back into horses to compete, i had sold my transport as i didnt go anywhere with my two ponies so today we bought an Ifor 506 and I can hopefully pick it up next saturday, there is a show i wanted to go to on the sunday, but my mum wants to make sure he loads ok, as he tends to stand on the ramp and not go in!

Im planning on having a lesson at my local indoor school too
I hope he will be fine

I plan on getting him unloaded tie him up with his haynet, tack him up and walk him round in the collecting ring for a while and see how he is.
My instructor said he has no nastiness in him whatsoever and never bucks, bolts. rears or kicks which is brill.

The fizziest he has ever been is wanting to trot instead of walk and i suppose if thats the worst he is there is nothing to worry about!

Its also the fact I havent competed in 5 years!
 
well i was chucked in well and truly at the deep end, but we managed :) He had done loads of shows before but i hadnt and it was our first one together

was at a county show (great yorkshire) in a class with 30 odd (if not more i cant remember!) cobs thundering round, and Hal had only been gelded 7 weeks earlier.

he was super duper, hes a pillock most of the time but he really pulled it out of the bag for me. made more special cos my dad was there aswell, he didnt see us the year after :(

(obligatory pic)
 
Mine was fine and pretty chilled he was a bit nosey but I found that worked to my advantage as he stood and watched another class in-between our classes. The only thing was he became tired very quickly but that was not helped by him being unfit. He had never been ridden at a show as far as I know and I had only had him 5 weeks aswell the only thing was he didn't want to go home. I went with no expectations and to just enjoy the day with him so go for it :D
 
reading your replies has definately made me feel better!

he is not in any way a naughty horse just nosy!

as soon as i show him his hay he will be too interested in that to look at anything else (touch wood)

i just have to get on with it :) and hopefully come out alive!
 
My young gelding bit the judge at his first show (in hand, just for the outing). Other than that he took everything in his stride! The only thing that excites him generally is fast horses, so mostly he's practically horizontal unless we're unloading near the SJ or hunters.
 
Ebony:

First show: well we had just started jumping 2 weeks previous, she was 7yrs and I took her to a show, my intention was to just walk her around and let her 'see the sights' she thought that she was there to jump, since it was her 'new thing' she kept jogging and boumcing me towards the practice jump, whist I tried in vain to keep her calm and look 'in control' LOL, in the end I gave in and took her over the practice jump, god she was like the cat that had got the cream, in the end they actually opened up the clear round ring for her and my friend manned it for them so that ebony could feel like she was doing her job! LOL

Later that year we tried our hand at working hunter, we did the jumps first, and she got so excited that by the time it came to do our show, the extended canter became more like an out of control-handbrake-round-the-corner gallop with me grinning from ear to ear and and the judge quoted as saying:

Is that controlled..? I don't think it is!' :D:D:D

Annie: first show, ridden cob.

Behaved fantastic if a little strong, my friend rode her after I had warmed her up. She was fab till it came to the judge mounting her, she hated the mounting block and ran away from it repeatedly! LOL! but ended up being pulled up higher than she had been originally after he rode her, 3rd out of 8. Well chuffed with her :)

Just take it as it comes, but I would say that if all your shows are indoors then contact a local place with an indoor school and hire it for an hour or see if you can have a lesson there to get your neddie used to the sounds :)
 
I showed my lad in hand to start with and he was a nightmare. Very vocal. Projectile ****ting in the line up, whilst spinning, so it went all over the other competitors! Decided he loved the horse he travelled with and couldn't be parted, despite usually not giving a toss. Wouldn't let the judge put the rosettes on him - yet despite all that, he won all three classes!

Good luck and enjoy it!
 
I hope he doesn't get too excited!

I suppose he has been to 6 shows before and normally he is a lazy sod!

He doesn't get ridden for two weeks from the snow so I get on expecting an excitable fizzy horse and I get a horse who can't be bothered to work :/

It's only a small show unaff jumping just going to do 75 85

I was meant to be going to a show on 30th December but person who was taking me horse got laminitis and had to stay at home for the vet
 
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