How was your young horse at their first show/outing?

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I'm taking my 5 year old to our first outing next weekend - a sponsored ride.

I am fully expecting to get there and he'll be too unsettled for me to actually get on, so to just use it for experience.

Am I worrying too much? What were your youngsters like the first time you took them out? Did you ride if you were planning to? Any tips?
 
I took Bodey out to his first show when he was 4, probably about 4 months after I backed him. The first show I took him too was just a little local clear round evening, I didn’t even get on, but did the clear round (at bottom hole) in hand, I know, I got some odd looks. But he was really well behaved and just soaked up the atmosphere as it was really nice and quiet.

The second show was at the same venue not long after, and we did a walk/trot dressage test. He was a bit looky, which was to be expected but we still got placed, so I was well happy.

I think the more you worry about it, the more they will. I just kept it really low key and choose a quiet venue to start with.
 
We took my youngster to both his first in hand and first ridden outings. He went in hand showing as a three year old last year with my husband handling him as I was laid up with a broken leg (nothing to do with youngster!). He was a diamond, bit sprightly in first class but totally fine by second. Then he went to his first ridden 'party' last month, a walk trot dressage test, and was again fine really, slightly fidgety to get on, threw in a big bronc on way to warm up so a bit lively but fortunately at his age he tires quickly so five minutes trotting in the warmup and he was back to his sensible self!
I'd be wary of going to a sponsored ride tho as first outing I must admit as they are very 'hyper' atmospheres and I also find you often find less considerate other riders there than at say a low key dressage event. I would also aim to take the horse on several 'outings' in the lorry/trailer for example just to go for a hack or even just around the block before going to a show so you are confident of loading etc in a more exciting atmosphere! Oh and always a good idea to have a sensible 'escort' horse!
I am probably too paranoid though and many will say that a sponsored ride is fine for first outing and just to go on and enjoy it! Altho I figure better safe than sorry.... Having said that I am talking about my large 4 year old whereas yours is a bit older so may well be that bit more sensible!
 
JoBo my husband also did the clear round in hand with our boy last year! They dropped all the poles to the floor and he just walked/trotted round between all the wings!
 
ecrozier said:
JoBo my husband also did the clear round in hand with our boy last year! They dropped all the poles to the floor and he just walked/trotted round between all the wings!
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That’s exactly what I did, it was certainly better for my fitness then riding, I was knackered at the end, lol! I did get some strange looks, but I didn’t care, I was just over the moon he was being so well behaved. :D
 
I took my 3 year old to her first show yesterday apart from the initial excitment of being somewhere new and calling out to every horse there, she was well behaved and I was very pleased with her. I won't be showing my yearlings, I'm going to leave them until next year.
 
They are all so different.

My first youngster could not stand still and I spent a lot of time walking round in circles, she then proceeded to take off in the ring (not helped by the large woman on a large cob who had pointed her horse at my youngster's bum!)

My second one was excitable at first and then lost all energy.

My third one was a complete nightmare for the first hour and again lost energy.

Current one did not breathe and was enormously tense but apart from that not too bad.

A sponsored ride would not be my first choice for a first time out I must admit, so good luck!
 
Without sounding harsh I think a sponsored ride is a potentially disastrous outing for a young horse.

I would go to a couple of local shows in hand to get used to the sights and sounds. If he is sensible do a couple of ridden classes. I am taking mine to some RC lessons to get used to being ridden in public for the 1st time & crucially to get a bit bored & be very steady & sensible. After that he'll go & do dressage SJ & some XC schooling.

You really want iniial outings to allow you to stand & look at all the others, chill out, eat some hay, have a snooze & then do some calm ridden work for 20 minutes & not completely wear him out & blow his brains - which is what I suspect would happen to a baby on a sponsored ride.
 
Well, I'm not necessarily going to ride, so from that point of view, if I just take him and then walk him around it's the same isn't it?

He has also been exposed to a lot of horses, horseboxes etc on the yard we are on at the moment - there was a polocrosse tournament there this weekend, with many, many horses taking part. I walked him around all the bouncy castles, horses playing on the pitches etc in hand, and he was looky, but ok. i wouldn't have ridden him round though.
 
It depends a lot on the horse. Some I wouldn't dream of taking to a sponsored/fun ride as a first outing, but I took my current one out with a safe companion to a fun ride and he was brilliant. However, the second time we went to a fun ride at a different location he 'knew' what it was all about and was a little hyper, so I decided to concentrate on small low key shows instead for a while.

What I would say about sponsored rides is that there is a lot going on, even if you don't plan to ride and I would choose which one you go to and what time you go very carefully. Some are better than others for taking youngsters out. Others are really really busy and the lorry park is often the worst area so much so that I would think just having a horse mooch around probably isn't a good idea. Also if you do go out on the tracks then do beware of the other riders, in my experience most people are quite rude, quite happy to push you out of the way, or canter up behind you. It does seem to me they can be a bit of an excuse for riders to behave really badly. Having said that I've met some lovely ones too.
 
I don't think you can tell until you get there. I took my youngster to his first show last year just before he was 3. He is the most laid back youngster I have ever known and he went completely nuts. Luckily my friend came with me who is much taller and stronger than me but even she struggled and he's only 13.2hh!!! The next show we went to he was a bit better but still excited. Strange thing is as soon as he gets in the ring he turns into a little angel so my friend has him while I get ready and I can hear her bellowing at him outside and then hands him to me as I walk in the ring and we get lovely comments about how beautifully behaved he is. Bless him.
 
Fudge went to his first show and did an in-hand class where he followed round his babysitter, we stuck to a quiet area and went straight home after our class.

Lady went to a quiet clear round evening with a friend.

Winnie went and did dressage at a large pro-yard for her first outing, then went to a large, busy local show were he went in the very large M&M in-hand and ridden classes and coped with everything including mass overtaking in her ridden class (she also qualified for C&T).

Faye hasn't been anywhere yet, she'd die of fright.

I think you have to assess what will be in your horses comfort zone based on how chilled out and confident they are and whether they have any ridden quirks then chose your first outing accordingly.

I wouldn't recommend a sponsored ride though, they're quite exciting :eek:
 
Excited, geldings and the stallions but its to me expected, just stay calm and focused,.
 
My horses first 2 outings were at 2yrs and were in-hand shows. He was absolutely fine, just a little impatient standing in the line up.

My first ridden outing on him was in the autumn of his 4yo year, ironically it was at a Sponsored ride! We asked for very early times and were the first to set off while it was still quiet. However he was horizontal, had I been worried about getting on in public then a sponsored ride would not have been on the agenda.
 
The Spooky Pony was a youngster in experience, if not age...his first outing was to a Christmas show, where he did two early-morning classes: equitation (where he was the only horse) and "best mane and tail" (where he was one of two horses). He was skittish, and dashed sideways across the arena away from the judges, but otherwise ok. There weren't many people or horses around, though; they all arrived as we left, for the jumping!

His second outing was going hunting. He was an angel. Didn't want to stand still, but otherwise very well behaved!

His third outing was the very next day, to RC dressage. To me, he felt really tired and slow, if still spooky. His test sheet said, "pony a little sharp today". That would probably be referring to his efforts to leave at high speed sideways at E.

He's calmed down a lot since then. :o
 
always allow plenty of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a bit more! i take the just backed out cubbing! or to a ridden hunter local class! and i do expect them to behave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i just keep the same controls/ commands in place!but i wouldnt take an unknown quantity out. depends on the quality of your basic work!
 
shantihs first outing was a local show i think
i got there really early when there were only about 3 other horses. she spent the next 2 hours foaming and getting herself in a right state. then calmed down (i went for the day as i knew she maybe a little wound up)

Kaya fell asleep the first show i took her to- but she did a lot of inhand showing as a baby with the previous owner

Bey had her first show aged 4 months- behaved perfectly- only one leapie!
 
I took mine today! He stood in the carpark and neighed, refused to go onto the showground (which is usually his gallop or schooling field)... once I'd convinced him it was safe to enter he was ok but played foghorn pony the whole time he was there!
 
My yearling did her first show at 6 months in an indoor venue and took it all in her stride, then a few weeks ago she had her first show outdoors and again took it in her stride.

Genie did her first show as a 4 year old, and again was absolutely brilliant! We just got on with it.
 
The normally relaxed and quiet Welsh Cob dragged 3 people round a show ground at his first show. We walked down to a local show to do some in hand classes, as we go to the gate he just steam rolled everything in his path!! But once he'd walked around he settled very quickly and was his usual chilled out self.

At his first ridden outing I was a nervous wreck but he took everything in his stride and did a foot perfect individual show at his first ever indoor venue :D
 
My first outing with my 4yo 6 weeks ago was a pleasure ride.
I like you went with the thoughts of, well we'll go for the experience just to show him the sights, walk him around a bit and take it from there.
Well he was so laid back, just stood tied to te trailer resting a back leg and dozing that we did the ride and he was a star.
Last weekend we went to our first show and he was really good and a bonus, we came home with two 5th rosettes and one 3rd, i was over the moon with him :D
Kate x
 
He was very calm and well behaved because he didn't really know what to expect. However, now (5 years later) he gets quite excited because he thinks he's going hunting! :p
 
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