First showing show- help please?!!

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el_Snowflakes

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Hi peeps,

I have my first showing show next weekend :D we are doing ridden horse and ridden veteran. (Im not sure what ridden horse is - im guessing its similar to riding horse) there is no jump in either class. Can anyone tell me what i should do for my 'show'??? please and thankyou..:D:D
 
I have always done the inhand class, but last year was pushed to do the ridden show class, so I do not have that much experience, the object is to show your horse off to the Judge. I do a little show which consists of walk,trot and canter and I do this in the form of a figure of eight, so again they can see how the horse moves around the ring. When you have finished then you go up to the judge and salute them. When it is at a local level you will not be expected to do too much, and I have found the judges to be very helpfull to point you in the right direction, remember to have fun and smile. Enjoy your day I hope all goes well for you x
 
I've been searching today for information on showing, cos I'm new too...

I seem to have the gear for dressage (black jacket, black hat, white jods, black boots), the gear for cross country (almost), BUT now I see I need ANOTHER set of gear for showing (tweed jacket, blue hat, yellow/beige jods and not a white shirt). Oh and he should be in BROWN tack not black :mad:

I have been ebaying for ages, but this is just so much to take on board when you are just doing local fun shows/comps; add on the fuel, the entry fee, even borrowing a lot of bits, it's a complete financial nightmare,lol.


So sorry to rant, I just want to have a go and not be penalised for wearing the wrong hat pin or something, lol xx
 
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Thanks EA :) Im looking forward to it....& thats SM, I know how u feel- such an expensive hobby and everything always needs doing at once! Ps. I wouldnt worry about tack colours etc. as my instructor says, (she is also a judge) in the lower level shows she would rather see a horse and rider going correctly and wearing the correct gear b4 u start matching up colours! :D
 
I work on a sort of figure of 8 showing walk, trot and canter on each rein then extended canter up the long side, and finish by going and halting and saluting in front of the judge. Sometimes you don't need to show extended canter in veterans classes though.
 
You need to show off all paces. Slightly different in the veteran as you are not allowed to gallop.

We always do set off in walk, dont go into trot too quickly so they can see your walk. Trot on both reins, figure of eight is fine. Then canter a figure of eight. When you have changed rein in canter come off the figure of eight on the long side and gallop. Slow down into canter, trot and walk heading back to the judge. Stop before going back into the line up and salute.

Veteran, as above but dont gallop.

Judges appreciate you keeping your show short and the above is about right.
 
thats great thanks for that guys, just what i was looking for- i will remember not to gallop (on purpose!:D) in the veteran class!! :D
 
As Ebonyallen says really. The judge wants to see a short show that shows all three paces on both reins so a couple of figures of eight are ideal. Sometimes the judge will tell you what they want you to do, especially at local shows where there might be lots of first timers. Don't go on for ages as the judge will loose interest and also use as much of the ring as you need so you can do a nice flowing show but don't go so far away the judge needs binoculars to see you! When you have finished your show, halt (square!) and do your salute to indicate you have finished.

You might then be asked to take your saddle off and trot up in hand. (Often local shows don't bother.) If you do, walk away from the judge in a straight line, turn and trot straight back towards the judge. Don't worry about running him/her over, they want to see the horse coming straight towards them and they will get out of the way!

Remember to breathe, smile and enjoy it.


Oh, and we want pictures and a show report!
 
As others have said - work on a figure of 8! Walk, trot and canter on each rein (if you can't do flying changes in canter, go back to trot along the diagonal and strike off on the correct leg again for the second half of canter). Definitely salute to the judge (and smile!) at the end.
If it's local level, don't be afraid to ask the judges if you get stuck or don't know what to do - they will sometimes tell you exactly what they want to see before you do your routine, which is really helpful. They usually ask you a bit about you and your horse before you do your individual show, so you can explain that it's your first one and you're just seeing how it goes!

Also, don't worry too much about the outfit. I've done quite a bit of showing at local level now, but still don't have "the right" outfit. I have a black jacket & black riding hat, beige jods and it's never mattered - at the smaller shows the judges are more interested in how you ride and how your horse goes than how you look, and a lot of people aren't dressed "correctly" at that level. As long as you're both smart then you should be fine :)

Good luck - let us know how it goes!!
 
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