in hand showing questions

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bheb2186

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I'm looking to show my yearling in hand this summer and am curious what we're expected to do in the ring. Iv never shown in hand before. Am going to try and go along to some shows to watch some classes before entering us but am looking for pointers from yourselves too please )
 
I showed my 3yr old cob in hand at local level, just for fun, I taught him to walk out nicely, trot on command and stand, he enjoyed showing off and was placed every time, we walked, then trotted round the ring, lined up, then walked and trotted in front of the judge, if you enter the ring after others but not last, you can just copy what others do, but bear in mind I did it for fun
 
Thank you flirtygerty. I'm doing it for fun and to get him used to the show environment before we jump when he's older
 
Without seeing pics of your boy I would suggest you plait him and he wears a filly slip / bit less bridle if he's not worn a bridle before. You should wear, Tweed jacket shirt tie, trousers opposite colour to your boys colour eg bay/ blacklegs you wear beige trousers grey / chestnut darker trousers. Hard hat , gloves and carry a show cane . You will most probably be asked to walk around as a group while the judge takes an initial look at the class , then the steward will stop the class and one at a time the entries will trot round to the back of the line. After that judge will call you in sometimes in order of his/her initial thoughts or just in order the class trotted round in . Each entry will then be called forward in front of the judge (be sure to say good morning/ afternoon)who will look all round at confirmation , turnout etc try to stand your boy up square not testing a leg standing skew. You will then be asked to walk away from the judge turn then trot back in a straight line towards the judge and on to the back of the line , the judge should thank you for your show. After all the class had completed there individual show all will again walk around for the judge to have a final look the steward will then call you in I order of the judges preference . So keep an eye on the steward. It is a very good idea to go and view classes first so you can get a feel for how things are done . In your first class let others enter the ring first so you can observe what they do . I show m& m so this is what is expected in the classes I enter up to county level good luck and have fun it's good learning experience for your youngster .
 
Do go and watch some shows as it will really help. to know what to advise regarding your's and the pony's turnout We'd need to know what classes you plan to enter but in general unless the pony is pure M&M, a coloured native type, a cob or a hairy traditional the pony needs to be trimmed and plaited

For most classes you'll need a tweed jacket or waistcoat, a hat (with a youngster a riding hat is prudent) tied back hair, shirt, tie, brown shoes/boots, brown gloves and a show cane. trousers should be contrasting to the pony's legs so if they have black legs then wear cream, fawn or another light colour on your bottom half, if they have white legs then wear a dark colour. try not to wear riding gear as its not correct but obviously if its all you have then its all you have!

In a nutshell most in hand showing goes like this:

Enter at walk and walk round, don't get close to the person and pony in front of you. always walk on the outside between the ring edges and the pony so the judge (in the middle of the ring) has a clear view

When all entrants have entered and walked round for a while a steward will halt the line at a corner

The person at the front runs with their pony trotting round to the back of the line, run at the pony's shoulder (practice at home) and don't pull the pony's head outwards

Once everyone has trotted round to the back the line will all walk forward again

The judge will now either:

a) pull you in according to their preference - so a preliminary line up
or
b) pull you in as the order you were walking around

You all stand across one side of the ring all next to each other

Teach your pony to stand quietly (practice at home) as the line up could be stood for some time

The first person in line will bring their pony out in front of the judge, the steward stands by each pony in turn sending them out in front of the judge. pony must stand quietly with the handler stood in front of it

the judge will look at both sides and the rear of the pony, when they come round to look at the front end you need to stand aside

the judge will ask the age of the pony usually. if they say 'good morning/good afternoon' or even 'hello'' its ALWAYS 'good morning/good afternoon' in reply, not 'hiya' 'hello' 'allright' etc

Once they have looked they will ask you you walk away and trot back

Walk away from them a reasonable distance then guide the pony round in a semicircle till you are facing the judge, walk a few paces then trot the pony straight at the judge, they WILL move aside as you come towards them

Stay on the outside as you guide the pony round before trotting, the shape of the walk/trot path should be a q shape so you walk away from the judge, turn then trot back the same path that you walked up if that makes sense. Always walk those few stride before asking the pony for trot, too many people ask for trot as they are turning and this makes the pony look unbalanced or worse, lame!

Once the judge has moved aside you can trot past them, keep trotting and arc round towards the line up. halt and meet the Judges eye before nodding acknowledgement (they should too) and return to your place in line at a walk. Sometimes the judge will have the next pony out in front of them and wont be able to meet your eye but its good manners on your part to at least try and acknowledge them at that point, if they have already looked away don't worry just return to line

Once all ponies have been trotted out you will all be asked to lead off and walk round again

The steward will then call you in to place, keep your eye on the steward not the judge as the judge will give them the order and they will call you in

take your rosette (which you will win obviously) from the judge and say thank you, if you are near the bottom of the line ask for any feedback they may have about how you can improve your chances next time

Those with rosettes will then do a lap of honour, if you don't have a rosette (impossible I know!) then wait to be given the ok to leave the ring before the lap of honour, do not leave the ring without being given the nod by the judge or steward

Edited to add - I took so long to type this that Magicmadge managed to put it all far more eloquently in the meantime!
 
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Thank you very much for magicmadge and welshd, that was very helpful and now I know what to work on with my youngster. I have tried to add a photo but can't seem to manage it, my boy is buckskin so we qualify for part bred m&m and two tone classes. He has a mixture of black and creamy colours on legs but predominantly lighter shades, am I correct in saying black show trousers? X
 
I wear brown, fine cords goes better with my tweed jacket. I am imagining your boy as quite fine and handsome almost larger riding pony type so definitely plait him up. Have fun and let us know how you get on .
 
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