In hand showing

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sherbet

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I am thinking of taking my dughters p[ony to a in hand show to see how he behaves before I throw her in at the deepend. He is a sec D so will do M&M Ihtink thats right class!

Can you please tell me what the indival (sp) show should inc and what I should expect

Also will I be ok wearing cream jods, show jacket, shirt tie and hat oh and brown long spart riding boots
 
The judge will tell you what he/she wants you to do. You will begin by walking around the ring all together. Ensure that you don't get too close to the horse in front - your horse needs as much space around it as possible so that it stands out and when the judge is looking at you it's only you he sees - not the one in front as well.

Keep an eye on the judge and his assistant so that you are aware when they call you into the middle of the ring to line up.

Normally when they ask you to step forward you will stand for the judge to look all round the pony, then he will ask you to walk away from him and trot back towards and past him.

Unless you are first in the line-up, watch some of the others to see what they do. Remember that when you have walked away from the judge and turn the horse round to trot back you should always turn the horse away from you so that you are not obstructing the judge's view of your horse. When you trot back, head straight for the judge - he WILL move out of the way - then carry on trotting past the judge round to the back of the other horses and back to your place in the line-up. Personally, I keep my horse in trot until I can see that the judge is no longer looking at me.

You will then be asked to all walk around the ring together once more, and again - keep that space in front of you. Keep watching the judge and assistant once again so that you know when and where you are called in for the final placings.

Cream joddies are fine, your jacket should be a tweed for M&M, worn with shirt and tie. Hat is fine (don't forget to keep your hair tidy), and your footwear should be something that you can run in. I also show a Section D, and personally i always wear short joddie boots (I can't run in long boots) with either cream jodhs or light brown jeans.

Always remember to wear gloves (brown ones) and to carry a show cane if you have one.

Above all, have fun and let us know how you get on.
 
Thanks thats great, not to much running thats a bouns!!

Can I be cheeky do you have any pics of your Sec d in show state so I can see what we are aiming for as ours has just come from a dealer and my daughter is calling him Hairy at the mo which I know he should be but I do feel he is a tad to hairy

many thanks
 
That's no problem, but I can't post them on here, as a: I can't use photobucket, and b: I'm on my new laptop because the desktop is facing fast, and I have no photo's on the laptop!

If you want to PM me your email address, I will go up to the desktop and send you some if that's any good?

People do say that Sec. D's are the most pulled and trimmed native in the show ring, and maybe they are at higher levels, but I only show at local level, and the occasional yearly agricultural show if they have in hand classes. I do pull her mane a teeny tiny bit if it looks a bit raggy, and I also cut her tail straight across at the bottom (which you're not actually supposed to do, but hey ho!), but apart from that, I don't touch her - she is natural in every other way.

She is also VERY hairy at the moment, but she always is in March, and certainly won't have lost her winter coat until the end of May at the earliest - for some reason she seems to hang on to it. Last year we won both of the in hand classes at the first show we went to in the middle of April, and she had that "patchy" coat - you know, when it's gone of their neck and shoulders, patchy bits in the middle, and still really thick on their bums and legs? I wouldn't worry about the hairiness for native in hand classes.
 
Individual show as above- but personally i would wear trousers not jods i have a Beige pair that i show in as it looks better.
The basic rule is if the horse has white front legs then dark trousers (but not black) if the horse has dark legs then light trousers, this way the judge can see the horses legs clearly.
I also show a Section D 4 yr old gelding at local and county level.
Hope this helps and good luck, let us all know how you get on
Teresa
 
Agree with most of the above - jods are ok but trousers are better - I have beige cords. Also, jod boots or some other form of easy to run in footwear. At even the highest levels you will see Welsh ponies being shown by handlers wearing trainers (don;t like this myself but they are easier to run in when trying to keep up with the welsh trot!)

Just a small addition, when you first go in the ring, you will all walk round together, then normally the steward will stop you in one corner and you will each trot round to the back of the 'ride' one at a time.

At some of the bigger shows, the welsh ponies enter the ring at flat out trot. Again, I don;t like this but it does happen!

Anyway, good luck and have fun.
 
Little things like make sure the pony is walking up & not dordelling, walk by their shoulder, practice standing square (walk them into a nice halt - the will usually stand square infront anyway - stand infront of the pony, hold ony the reins by the bit & whichever back leg needs to go back to make them square behind - poke them gently in the chest in the side of the relevant leg- until they move then release the pressure- hope that makes sense), When standing for the judge - stand infront of the pony so you dont block the view of the pony for the judge. When you trot the pony run as fast as you can, this will make the pony trot forwards & show off their gate!

We look forward to some pictures :)
 
Hi again,
I just thought i would post a pic of me and Denny (4yr old Welsh Section D) at his first show in May last year.
He had his mane trimmed slightly, his feathers were left alone as was his tail, his jaw line was clipped to show a better profile and the rest was pure elbow grease.
I have always found the people friendly and at his first few shows i asked the judges what they thought of him after the class and they always gave me advice and some great tips.
Good luck to you and dont forget to post some pics.
DennyAccyshowmay09001.jpg

regards Teresa
 
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