Preparing for a show - what's your routine?

[bex1984]

I'm interested in hearing about how you all get ready for a show?

I have only ever been to two shows, and am off to another on Saturday, and am in a flap about what I should be doing when

When do you give your horse a bath? If they're out 24/7 do you bring them in the night before a show? If not, how do you ensure the horse hasn't turned in to a mud monster overnight?!

What is your routine for the week leading up to, and the morning of, a show??

 

[fairhill]

Hmm, no shows for me this season, but last year my routine was:

Week before - ride as normal.
Day before - go for long hack, give tack a quick wipe over.
Night before - turf horse back out in the field.
Morning - go to stables, wake up horse and plait forelock if she's lying down in the field. Drag her in. Quick brush, and plait up (with rubber bands!) and either get booted for transport, or more frequently tack up and hack to show.
Get to show with a by now sweaty and bedraggled looking horse, minus a few plaits. Repair plaits. Go in class. Come last (unsurprisingly given our lack of effort getting prepared

).
Hack home, and stick now disgraced horse back in the field!

Others on my yard who show and compete properly spend all day preparing, bathing, plaiting etc and leave their ponies in, hooded and rugged to make sure they stay clean.

 

[jumpthemoon]

PMSL fairhill!!!!!

 

[ironhorse]

We bath the day before and would tend to keep the horse in the night before if she lived out.
Also use a hoody and various rugs as she's grey.
Most important is to have your show gear organised so that you know where it is.
Make sure you've got all the travelling gear together in one place etc
Start getting your own gear ready now (boots clean if you don't ride in them every day etc) so that's one less thing to worry about.
Do any trimming etc in the middle of the week so it looks a bit more natural by the weekend.
Some horses will rub out plaits if left in overnight so you might not save much time - could be better to have a horribly early start.
I find tack cleaning the night before quite relaxing - altho I have to admit as most of our shows are western ones, we don't go mad on tack cleaning. (I have been known to give OH's boots a wipe over in the dark!!!)
It does honestly get easier with practice altho I always manage to forget some vital item!

 

[emma_lg]

LOL....v funny!!!!!

 

[blackcob]

Mine is out 24/7 and has a very thorough bath the day before, lots of scrubbing with silly amounts of shampoo and conditioner slathered everywhere. Then in the morning all it takes is a hot damp cloth to remove any dirt, it tends not to stick too much anyway when you've used conditioner. If plaiting don't wash the mane the day before or use conditioner as it makes it too slippery.

She has white feathers on the back so they are chalked and bandaged and then boots on the top, the bandages stay on for as long as possible because they will inevitably poo down their sparkling socks right before your class!

Tail bandage stays on for the same reason, especially for mares as they wee the wrong way and get it in their tail

Tack is cleaned the night before and buffed up again when on the horse. Have a helper to do this final polish for you (don't forget the soles of your boots). Let someone else do the hoof oil as you will inevitably smear it all over yourself in a panic when you're late for your class

Take it easy on show shine spray type products, they can look greasy and if any gets under your saddle you'll be sliding all over the place.

My best advice is to make a list a few days before and check off everything as it goes in the car/box, if I don't do this I WILL forget something, usually vital things like hat or gloves (bridle on one memorable occasion)

 

[bex1984]

eeek last time I nearly forgot my tack, hat, gloves, travel boots...we were leaving early and I forgot the tack room will be locked

Luckily YO arrived to unlock the tack room and saved the day!!

The major thing I get in a flap about is his 2ft long, 3 inch thick mane...I worry it won't dry in time if I do it the night before?! Last time I did it a few days before, but if I do it tomorrow night do I really want to turn him out with a wet mane?! Argh!

Good idea about getting someone else to do hoof oil and final polish, am always in a turbo-flap just before a class...

 

[BlackBoris]

Mine is out 24/7 and we bath and plait him the day before and then he stays in a small yard overnight. I also write a list of everything I need to take and tick it off as I load it. I make sure all the travel stuff is together particularly if its a early start and I plait his tail to the end and put a tight over it and secure with a bandage just to stop it getting dirty in the trailer. Tack is always done the night before and I always take leather wipes with me to the show. I find it so much easier if I'm organised particulary when I've got myself, OH 3 kids and a pony to get ready!!

 

[Gorgeous George]

Ohh what show are you going to? Firstly good luck!

I've not been to many show, so I haven't really got a routine, but it does generally involve calmer for George and rescue remedy for me!

I bath him a few days before if warm, if not I don't bother and just give a really good groom. I wouldn't wash his mane and tail the day before as plaits tend to slide out. If it was an early start he wouldn't go out in the morning (he stays i at night), otherwise he would go out , but with a light rug on if wet.

I would then bring him in, get him ready, have some more rescue remedy, get changed and load up, I will then whitter nervously in the lorry, arrive at the show and have some more rescue remedy and so on!

 

[Theresa_F]

This is my routine for Stinky, I show in hand, and am about to start under the saddle.

Work him as normal - though this week we have started practicing our walk and trot dressage test which we plan to do as well as show shortly. Day before quickly practice a stand and trot up to make sure all is ok.

Day before - bath him, clean up legs, feather and mane. Carefully brush them out. Tail is very loosely plaited and put in tailbag. I also put on a tailguard as he likes to rub his tail sometimes. Legs have clean stable wraps applied - no bandages as I don't want to crush the feather. Apply hoof polish/varnish.

He is sprayed with alva and his coat brushed firmly to get a rugged look. Then on with this dress circle lycra body suit. This keeps coat flat and clean and also helps lay his mane and forelock.

If field is wet, he stays in overnight and I put on his summer or medium weight t/o depending on how warm so no pee and poo gets through onto his body.

If it is dry, though they say not designed for t/o and I don't recommend this, I do turn out with this body suit on and a t/o rug. His has never moved and he is not a daft sort to panic if his eye did get covered.

On the morning, if warm, remove the top rug and as he has his tailguard and leg wraps already on - just chuck him on the trailer.

Deal with any dirt on hocks and knees at the show, so always try to get there in plenty of time. You can guarantee if I spend ages cleaning them before he goes on the trailer, he will get them dirty again.

I make sure his bridle is immaculate a day or two before, ditto my showing clothes.

 

[Kenzo]

You'll find the more shows you do the more you will find your own routine and what works best for you, I've gone from bathing the day before, then the night before to the same mornings....all depends on if you've got a grey!

I'd get the trailer or the lorry sorted out with water, feed, hay, first aid box and some towels and shampoo the day before.
Clean my tack the day before along with sorting out what I'd be wearing, so you need to make sure everything is washed/dry cleaned in advance including your saddle cloth, bandages, travel sheet etc
Bath, that evening, rug up and keep in for the night, if its a grey them up with as much as poss, bandage legs, stretchy hood etc
Plait up in the morning because usually your plaits are full of hay seeds or they have rubbed a few out, while there having there morning haynet, plait the tail at the show because usually they have rubbed it from the tail guard on the way to the show.
Stick my showing gear on under my other cloths, well jods/shirt etc so I literally just have to strip off and throw my jacket and boots on.

Sometimes I'm super organised, other times I'm way to laid back and leave it to the last minute and I just don't care!, sometimes I've literally got up really early and done everything on the morning of the show which sometimes is actually a whole lot easier!

All depends on what sort of horse/pony you have and what classes you are going in I suppose, its so much easier if your stopping at the show and have over night stabling.

No matter how you do it, its still very knackering!

 

[L00bey]

I always have travelling stuf in one bag in the trailer ready- saves alot of time looking for that bloody tail bandage or whatever.


Day before long chillaxing hack turn out, bring back in and bath, trip plait. Cover head to toe which includes:
- Tights on tail
- bandages
- spiderman thingy
- rug

Clean both sets of tack. Find pelham and snaffle
Check on her about 11:00 take out any last poos, take her lick away.

get up about 8.30 9.00 trundle over chuck her somehay load car get lunch & some cash off dad

Chuck pony in trailer stand about for 2hours because classes are running late , pony gets pissed off and wont move go home wanting a new horse give her lots of cuddles and kisses cos i feel bad that i swore at her cos at least she looked beautiful go tobed for thenext two days.

 

[bex1984]

thanks for all the info folks, I feel a bit calmer already having read through how all you experienced people do it

It is a local show and we will be doing in hand Most Appealing, M&M and Best Condition and Ridden Neatest and Cleanest.

Tack is pretty much all cleaned (I am cheating - half of it is brand new..)

So here is my plan for the next few days:

Today: practice trotting (and stopping) in hand, then ride - attempt to get a calm, controlled pony

Tomorrow: riding with friend out in fields (no chance of calm, controlled pony...) then wash mane and tail, towel dry and put conditioner on, then turn out

Thurs: I don't see him on Thurs

my OH looks after him so no progress will be made on Thursday

Friday: quick ride round the fields then wash body and legs, try to get white feathers white, leave in overnight. Take tack home, clean saddle.

Saturday: will need to leave at 8am at the latest, so arrive early, brush over, and get ready for travelling. Go to show, humiliate self, come home and post lots of boring pics on HHO

what do you think?

oh and at some point I've got to buy a shirt, as I don't ahve one

 

[conniegirl]

Mine are out normaly but they come in the night before a show

1 week before show: buy shampoo, plaiting thread etc, wash rugs and bandages make sure everything in the lorry is there and that anything we have run out of is replaced.
Trim feathers and beard off ponies who need it and pull tail (this can take all week)

Day before the show:
Pull down beds, put hay and water in the stables
clean 1 set of tack (1 saddle and 1 bridle)
Wash the M&M pony, allowing him to dry on the yard well rugged up.
Wash the show pony, spray him with coat shine.
rug show pony all except his neck,
Plait show pony useing thread.
Put hood on show pony, tail bandage and stocking on the bottom of his tail.
Put SP in his stable
Take rugs Off M&M, comb through his mane, tidy it up and give him a spray with coat shine.
Put lycra all in one on M&M and anouther rug ontop.
Put M&M in his stable.
Clean the other set of tack (1 saddle 2 bridles).
Clean my boots,
Load all tack and other stuff into the lorry along with emergancy washing kit and plaiting kit.
Put a tail bandage on the M&M.
Do a late night skip out to keep them clean.

Day of the show:
skip out stables.
Wash any pooey bits again (very few as they go to bed with too many rugs on)
check SP's plaits.
bandage up for traveling,
load ponies, double check i have everything
Set up the stables for when i get home (water and hay)
go to show
Arrive at show at least 1 and a half hours before my class (haveing gotten lost several times on the way to the show).
do entries/pick up number.
unload ponies and allow them 15 mins to graze inhand as this seems to settle them.

Get ponies sparkled up and the first pony to go in the ring completely tacked up 2nd pony in has his saddle put on.

Mum holds 1st pony whilst i get changed, 2nd pony is tied to side of lorry with a haynet.
warm up pony 1 (mum will warm up pony 2 by sticking them on the lunge if i cant)
1st pony does his class or classes (if it is the M&M then normaly up the correct end of the line, if show pony it depends on show ponies mood)
2nd pony does his classes (mum will bridle him if im in anouther class)
Some where between the classes we make a bacon butty for lunch.

After classes whe unplait SP (if no show the next day), and let both ponies graze for 15 mins.
Tie both ponies to side of lorry, pop rugs on them
Reload the lorry with anything taken out of it (deck chairs, table, grooming kit etc)
Rebandage/boot ponies
Load ponies,
put ramp up
do quick check to make sure nothing has been tampered with, all lockers locked etc.
go home.
Ponies either go out in the field that night if we dont have anouther show in which case i will muck out the next day
or ponies go back in the stables ready for the show the next day and the whole session repeats itself.

 

[ILoveFoxy]

i have been to two shows too and have another on monday.i usually clean all my tack a day or two before.i also write down a list of everything i need. the night before the show my mum plaits up and we do feathers,beard etc.. and if its forecast to rainb we keep her in if not she stays out--- trying to keep usual routine ( you can buy these lycra hoods that keep plaits in)

Have fun ... hope you do good