IDHS Breed Show & Major Confidence Crisis......help!!!!

[FabulousFlynn'sMum]

Hi folks,

Oh god i'm sure you'll all just agree with me that i'm being a woos and pathetic but am having a major confidence crisis about this weekend!!

I'm taking my 4 year old pure bred ID to their Breed Show at Arena UK this weekend. We went last year and got a 4th in the in hand youngstock class so I was chuffed to bits with him. I backed him last autumn then turned him away for the winter and brought him back into work this spring. He is a lovely laid back boy who has been a dream to back etc so whilst having a moment of madness a few weeks ago thought as well as doing the in hand ID on Saturday, I would enter the 4-6 year old ridden on Sunday!!!!!! This seemed like a really good idea at the time!!

Now, he's currently hacking out with me at home no probs at all but still has a long way to go with his schooling work. I would only class myself as a novice (have owned horses for the last 20 odd years but am by no means an expert), so i am worried now he's gonna be miles behind in his education compared to the other 4-6 year olds in his class? He has a nice walk and trot and is nice and responsive but he really struggles with canter in a school, (he is a very big gangly boy still), which we are still working on, although I can get a canter out of him if he's following my husband's horse in the big field!, so I cant guarantee i'll be able to get a canter out of him in the class, never mind the judge being able to!!!

I stupidly entered the class before ringing the IDHS to find out what the class involved which is walk, trot and canter on both reins and a gallop!!!!!!!!!, the judge will then do the same!

So, can I ask all you lovely folks honest opinions, which I really do value, would you give the class a go if you were me just for the experience for us both, or would you just pull out this year?

Part of me would like to still give it a go (the part that isnt sh***ing myself) but I also dont want to spoil the class for the others if it all goes t*ts up!!!).

Many thanks in advance. Luv Jayne xx

 

[irish_only]

Hi Jayne,

Don't worry!! We draught lot are really quite friendly, and I can hardly imagine anyone talking up their sleeves because you have taken a baby who is a bit green.

Go and do the class, enjoy it for the experience it is, and make some new friends too. Tell the ride judge he is very green, but genuine.

See you at the weekend on a gangly draught baby?

 

[lindsayH]

Agree with above. Go along and just explain the situation. He is a fairly newly backed 4yo competing against 6yos who probably have 2-3 years schooling under their belt and no one would expect him to be at the same level of education. He sounds like a lovely boy who is doing extremely well for the time he's been backed. It will be a great experience for you and him and you'll be able to go back next year knowing what to expect. Go, have fun, and take loads of pictures to show us!

 

[FabulousFlynn'sMum]

Hi Irish_only & lindsayH, thanks for your lovely encouraging replies. I really would like to do the class with him, like I say, I just dont want to cause any of the other competitors any problems if he decides to be a bit silly!

Good idea Irish, i'll explain to the ride judge that he is very green and hopefully he/she will understand. I certainly dont expect to get anywhere with him, just for us to try our best with it being his first ever ridden class.

Ooh so you're going too Irish, thats brill, well let me know if you want to meet up for a drink and a hello, if so, drop me a PM and i'll send you my mobile number.

Thanks guys, luv Jayne xx

 

[JanetGeorge]

So, can I ask all you lovely folks honest opinions, which I really do value, would you give the class a go if you were me just for the experience for us both, or would you just pull out this year?

Hi Jayne

Give it a go for the experience! IDs go one of two ways when thrown in at the deep end. The odd few go to pieces and throw everything out of the pram! The rest take a deep breath and rise to the occasion! I sold a 3 year old RID gelding a few weeks go - he'd been backed 6 weeks - and at the vetting, the vet asked for a canter figure of eight - on 10 metre centres!! Blow me down but he did it - and very respectably too - having NEVER been asked to do anything like that in his short working life!

If your boy throws a TOTAL wobbly, excuse yourself and take him to one of the warm-up areas and work him quietly. If he goes well, just warn the ride judge that he is only 4 and still very green - and she'll give him an easy time.

As irish_only says, we're a friendly lot (and should anyone prove me wrong, they'll be chucked off the show as I happen to be Show Director this year!)

We'll see you there. Ask for me at the Secretary's tent - and if I'm there - and not running around in a mad flap somewhere - I'd like to say Hi and wish you luck. I bet you'll find that he DOES rise to the occasion - and behaves beautifully!

 

[JenHunt]

I bet you'll find that he DOES rise to the occasion - and behaves beautifully!

ditto this - most of them do!

a friend of mine bought a 4yo from someone who bought him to SJ but then was too scared of him to ride He'd been kept fit by someone at this persons yard who lunged him and did a bit of flatwork with him, no hacking, no jumping, very little turnout.

Friend had him 3 days and took him as a guide on a pleasure ride... horse was an absolute star, and continues to be. Not an ideal start to their relationship, but just shows how surprising they can be!

go and have fun and don't forget to take lots of pics and tell us how well you get on!

 

[humblepie]

Good luck and enjoy yourself. Just a quick thought - have other people ridden your horse as if he is only used to you riding him and someone very different in height/size gets on him, he may be a little surprised so may be worth having someone else ride him between now and the show. Apologies if he is well used to other people. And also (hopefully not teaching you to suck eggs as the saying goes) but if the judge is male, check your stirrups are big enough for man sized feet and also that your stirrup leathers have enough holes to either go short for a short judge or long for a tall judge.

Have fun.

 

[Simsar]

I watched the class last year and a lot of them were very green so I wouldn't worry, you will be fine and the judge should know what to expect with younger horses.

 

[JanetGeorge]

Good advice from Humblepie - make sure he's used to a different rider - AND hvinga rider legged up. Ditto stirrups but your ride judge IS a lady!

 

[FabulousFlynn'sMum]

Hi JanetGeorge,

Aww thanks for the lovely reply, you know you ID people are really lovely. We are hoping to get to Arena UK about 5pm ish on the Friday, I think it'll be about a 3 to 4 hour drive in the wagon from the north east so i'll definately come and see you and say hi!

Humblepie, thanks for your reply too hun, yes, he's had my hubby, another bloke and two small ladies ride him in anticipation of this, he didnt bat an eyelid bless him, he's such a sweetie! My stirrups should be ok too.

Thanks Simsar, are you going to be there too?

Hi Jen, they are such stars arent they. I'll take plenty of photos and let you know on Monday how we get on.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, it means alot and good luck to everyone else who is competing at the IDHS Breed Show this year too!!

Luv Jayne xx

 

[CeeBee]

Please can you tell me where Arena UK is as I would love to come and watch.

 

[irish_only]

http://www.arenauk.org/

There is a link for directions

 

[CeeBee]

Thank you, about 80 miles from me, I think. Is there a schedule online anywhere I could look at so that I can see which day I might prefer to go? If not, good luck to anyone who's going

 

[CeeBee]

Don't worry, found one!

 

[JanetGeorge]

Thank you, about 80 miles from me, I think. Is there a schedule online anywhere I could look at so that I can see which day I might prefer to go? If not, good luck to anyone who's going

You'll find the schedule online - http://www.idhsgb.com/web/filemgmt_data/files/idhsgb_breedshow_2010-v2.pdf

 

[irish_only]

Come on Jayne, tell us how it went..........................

 

[Capriole]

we went along to watch (without horses) and had a great time. such a good atmosphere
hope to be along with our colt next year, and m,aybe a mare

i took loaaaadds, of photos, until my camera battery died, sadly theyre mosty rubbish

 

[JenHunt]

oh yes, was wondering how it all went!!

do tell!

 

[FabulousFlynn'sMum]

Hi folks,

aww thanks for your interest but nothing much to tell other than it was a disaster!!

Our first class was on the saturday, the ID gelding in hand and we came 7th out of 7! I'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong but I believe it was the same judge that did our class at the Northern ID Show who placed us last then, even two places below a horse that was so appallingly behaved it broke away from its handler, snapped its reins and rampaged around the ring for 5 mins before finally being caught, this judge just laughed it off and let her continue then awarded her 2nd place!!! Anyway, I was really disappointed and gutted for our Flynn who was a star.

We were due to do the ridden on the Sunday as you know but ended up just packing up early and coming home. It absolutely poured down all night and was still raining when we got up at 6.30 to get him ready and with the horses being of such a high caliber compared to him, I thought we'd just call it a day and come back next year.

I asked one of the well known Breeders (lovely lady) to come and give her honest opinion on him as to why we were coming last in the in hand classes (came 4th last year in the 3yr old in hand class which I was chuffed to bits with) and she couldnt really find anything majorly wrong with him, she actually said in her honest opinion if he was a mare she would be happy to grade him. After talking to her it would appear that he is a very immature 4 year old who still has to grow into himself and she thinks thats why he didnt get anywhere cos we were competing in adult classes now if you see what I mean.

I totally understand what she meant but I cant help but think then, why was the ID in hand gelding class open to horses from 4 years old if the judges are not willing to take into account that some 4 year olds are still going to be late maturers and a bit babyish.

Anyway, thats me moan over, haha, I did enjoy the show and it was very well run and organised so hopefully we'll be back next year when he's 5 and show them how he's come on!

Thanks again for asking, luv Jayne xx

 

[PrettyPiaffe]

Go ahead and do it, its all experience for him and will help with his education. Like others have said, just tell the judge he is very green. My friend has a lovely ID, she took him to an ID show here last month and although his canter is a bit all over the place and not that great (like yours, he is a green baby), she still got some lovely comments from the judge and had a few people come up to her and tell her how nice he will be when he has matured a bit. Dont worry, i dont think anyone will be calling you names for taking a green horse in a ridden class!

ETA- oops, seen youve already been!

 

[FabulousFlynn'sMum]

He he thanks PrettyPiaffe dont worry! To be honest with you it was way out of our league this year, i'm afraid he's my baby and we are just out for a bit of fun together and i'm neither experienced or confident enough to compete alongside some of the pros that were there this year who obviously do it for a living.

I'm going to get him out over the winter with plenty of hacking and hunting and hopefully by next year he'll have developed more into himself and we will stand more of a chance.

Thanks for your post tho xx