Ridden Showing advice please!

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Pinkatc

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Hi everyone, after years of happy hacking I've decided to have a crack at ridden showing. Nothing too fancy, just some local unaffiliated shows! The problem is, what will I be expected to do for my individual show? I was looking at the Riding Horse or Riding Club Horse classes. Thank you.....
 
Thats a big help, I had no idea what to expect! Ok, silly question time - just up and down like in-hand classes or something more fancy??
 
This is hard to describe in words rather than a diagram!!

In a ridden class you will enter the ring as a class, and will walk, trot then canter on one rein. The class will normally then come back to trot, change rein, and canter on as a class again. Then back to walk and either will be told to line up any order or pulled in in initial places.

For your individual show you should walk out of line and normally will face right, stand up in front of judge, (say good morning!) When judge is ready, walk awayI normally walk for a few paces, then into trot (as if on the long side) then continue (as if around a school) down the next long side, canter right in corner, half circle, trot across diagonal, then canter left half cirlce, extend along the back (or front) depending which way you are facing.

Halt, salute, back into line.

Make sense?? ;)

If you do riding club horse there may be a jump or two.
 
Another word of advice, don;t go round and round for ages, keep it to the point! Watch some other classes if you can before to get an idea. I used to have a link for a diagram but can't seem to find it now.....
 
I haven't done ridden showing but have watched it a lot an my in-hand shows and it usually goes a little like this...

Walk up to judge. Walk away from judge and pickup trot in the first corner. Cross the diagonal, and trot at the other end on the othe rein. Cross the diagonal again and pick up canter at the other end. Back round cross again and usually back to trot for a few strides and then back up to canter on the other rein at the other end. If you are happy to gallop, do so on the long side instead of crossing the diagonal again and then you come back to the judge, stand square and bow.

I expect there are others here that can describe it better though!!

Good luck and enjoy yourself :)
 
Jumping - eek! Might not go for that class then. Thanks for all your help, have just had a crack at doing the moves around the living room and I think I understand what I have to do...
 
Pinkatc said:
Jumping - eek! Might not go for that class then. Thanks for all your help, have just had a crack at doing the moves around the living room and I think I understand what I have to do...
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That just made me giggle!

Will also practice around living room as will be doing a little show in a couple of weeks so was reading your post with interest!

Good luck :)
 
Yup thats my reaction to jumping too!! There may not be a jump, but I have done a class where there were two rather small jumps - even I could do them!

Use the space too in the ring, don;t cramp your show up in the middle. And good luck!!
 
Take the flash off if you can. It looks as though you have a gobby horse. You can of course show in a snaffle though it is more traditional to ride in a double bridle or a pelham so you have 2 sets of reins. I wouldn't worry about this so much for local level and I most certainly wouldn't advise it until you had schooled your horse up to double reins and they were used to it.
 
Pinkatc said:
Thank you, thats very helpful! Looking at doing my first show in 3 weeks so I can do a bit of practice.

Another thing - can I just use my normal bridle? Is a flash allowed? I'm guessing a snaffle bit only as well.
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Yes you can use your normal bridle with snaffle. If its just a local show then a flash would be acceptable, but try and avoid it if you can. Have fun, and let us know how you get on!
 
Ok, turnout!

Depending on the type of your horse and the class you enter. You should not have a flash at all. If you are plaiting, and doing riding horse, you should have a plain nose band and can have coloured browband, if more of a hunter type you should have a plain leather browband.

Snaffle bit, or pelham. Snaffle for novice classes. Riding club horse may say any suitabel bridle.

If you have a fancy browband, wear a navy jacket with shirt and tie. Cream jods, black long boots. Gloves. Navy hat.

If you have plain browband, tweed jacket. andthe rest is the same. Nice to have a bit of colour in the tie with either jacket.
 
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