Showing in hand

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Lucy_Nottingham

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Can someone who does a bit of it, esp with cobs, help me out a bit?

I posted a pic of the lad I show, Basil, and I was going to take him into an inhand show next friday as well as doing our ridden classes.
Ridden, he shows himself off no end and looks fabulous. In hand however he sometimes shows off, sometimes goes round like a total plod! lol Confo etc wise he is very good so I just need him to spark up for him to catch a judges eye...

Any tips on how to get that bit of spark in his step? (please remember he is a riding school horse so I cant oat him up or anything like that....)

:) Just incase you missed the picture:

MeandBasilshow.jpg
 
You can get suppliments like X boost that will only act for a couple of hours while your away at a show. (don't use at affiliated level lol) Check with the yard it is ok to give him. Plus it is an attitude from you if you are buzzy so will he be.

He is lovely. Two things if mega critical change your slip head and cheek piece to a billet not a buckle and rugby pelhams are a no no to judges. Use a normal pelham if you prefer one mouthpiece as they look more professional.
 
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Very smart. When you go round in hand, remember that you are on the outside of the horse so the judge in the middle cannot see you. It is always possible to give them a (gentle) slap with your showing cane to make them walk on or trot on though suggest practising that at home in case he shoots off or doesn't like it. Similarly when you run them up individually you can generally give them a prod to get them moving.
 
he he he one of my old heavyweights used to go to sleep in the line up so we used to leave on wisker long so could tweak it to wake him up when the judge was looking at him....
 
Chancer is doing very well under saddle - better than in hand as he is naturally a calm type and does not go round looking on the edge. If I want a bit of omph, I can get this with a little extra speedibeet and grass nuts the night before and in his breakfast. I also use a welsh show cane so can flick the rope end to get him to liven up before I go into the ring, but never touch him or he will not go straight.

I have found that as he is getting older and more established, his in hand walk is far more forward and showy, his trot was never that bad. You can work on this at home, I have and Stinky is better than he was and now more often goes in, strutting his stuff and looking like a champ. Unfortunately he often has his ears back - he does this when concentrating which does not help but sometimes having a treat in the pocket helps with this.
 
RushyJ - Bum, didnt realise that about rugby pelhams, we currently only do local level so I don't think we get marked down for the rugby, but when I start trying to go up levels (which will only be when I have my own horse) I will remember that fact, and prob try to opt for a double (as I think they look smarter, personally) But also I do have a proper show bridle now that I use on him (havanna, broad flat noseband and browband etc etc, and the sliphead isnt buckled!)

I hope to get some pictures from the show on friday so will show you his nice new bridle we use!

I contemplated asking to borrow my friends welsh showing in hand cane to see if that will help him just liven up a bit! In the line up he is fab he stands tall proud and square (without me doing anyhting, he naturally stands square! god i love showing him!:) ) but its on the walk (not too bad) and the trot more than anything in hand when he just doesn't always show off as well as I know he can.

I will look up the supplements and see if i can find some, generally my YO/YM is happy for me to do what I like (obv within reason) as obv I wud never doing anything that would harm him or risk anything to him! :)

shame u cant have an assistant, id have OH running behind us with a lunge whip! hehe
 
A quick tip, if you can change the bridle to something like this, I think this would really look better on him.

HeadShot.jpg


This is 3/4" brow band, 2" noseband and 5/8" leather work and really neatens the head and breaks up the blaze. It has really helped to improve Stinky's looks by going for the heavier bridle and your chap has the head to take the heavier leatherwork.

I would also use either a plain pelham or a double. I used a pelham last year as he was rising 5, but this year he is going very nicely and now prefers the double so once I can get out again, we will be using a double bridle.

Lovely looking chap and should do well.
 
theresa - yes I have a new bridle (i got it for my 22nd from my OH) for him as he doesnt look half as nice in that old riding school one with my little additions to it!

The one I have isnt quite as chunky (I agree he would suit it with heavier leather) but I think mine is about 3/4 the size of yours.... I got it that size as I wasnt sure if it would look right, plus when I graduate and get my own horse I wanted to ensure it would look suitable on what I got (which will be a show hunter or a show maxi cob) and so I went for safe than sorry but he does look 200x better in this new one, even tho it isnt quite as big (I will post next weekend and show you! :) )

THank you for the nice comments on him, I am rather fond! :)

I don't know about the welsh show whip.......... I might nick it just to use in the warm up ring! :) lol

Or if he is going so well ridden, I might let him off the inhand and just focus on ridden........ hmm......... gah I just wanna show him off so much as I love how well he looks (as he is Riding schools "novice cob" so its nice for him to get the chance to play!)
 
It is a Flyde. Stinky has a broad but short head, so I bought parts - full size headpiece but with cob cheek pieces to get the right length.

I have plain snaffle reins and the beautiful plaited reins for the curb and they are simply the best.

The bridle came to £70 as I bought parts, and the reins were another £85 - the plaited ones are £55. Their double hunter bridle with plain reins is £120.

I bought the bridle parts first and the reins later, so it was not too painful.

http://www.fyldesaddlery.co.uk/

Their leather work is excellent and if you sell later, it holds it value very well. Apart from my actual saddle which is a Silhouette WH, all my show tack is Flyde, and I am saving for one of their saddles once he has finished growing in the next year or so.
 
I often have two whips, the welsh and my wembly whip which is a show cane with a little tag on it. I have been known the liven him up with the welsh and swap at the last minute but have also shown with the welsh whip. What is annoying is that some days he really stands out and others, he just is bored and can't be bothered with inhand.

You could maybe just buy a second noseband for the bridle in a thicker size. I bought Stinky's noseband first to go with his previous bridle and then bought the rest later. Putting on a 2" is a bit of a gulp, but he looks like he had the head to justify the width.

I still do the odd in hand class, and this is all I can do at the moment until I am over my operation, but ridden he really stands out as he far more enjoys himself and can really move.

How about some working cob - I did my first one on Stinky in January and he loved it. Most working cobs are for your type, but sometimes they allow us hairy chaps in to have fun as well. Touch wood, I will be ok to ride in the Trailblazers finals and do working cob as well as the hairy coloureds.

Good luck with him and have fun.
 
Hmmm 2nd hand one............ **runs off to look**

Also Yes I would love to do working hunter cob classes as he does jump (at the moment he is a little lazy with it as he normally only jumps for little kid classes as safety cob!) but he used to hunt properly, so obviously the ability is in there somewhere! :) But unfortuantly not many of the local shows do this class......... and I have to fit it in along with his work in the riding school but if I can I will definetly be trying! (if he was mine there wouldnt be a choice we'd be in them as he really enjoys jumping!)

Good luck with ur op, I would be just the same as you and pining to get back in the ring! :) (and with horses like yours I can see why!)
I have never heard of flyde tack before so I will have a look on their website too! :)
 
Beware - you can end up spending a fortune. their girths are lovely - very very soft, ditto their stirrup leathers, in fact everything I have bought from there I have really been pleased with.

Are there any Trailblazers shows nearby - you could do well with him in these classes.

Another tip - are you able to shorten the tail a bit more and is it pulled and not plaited. Nice pulled and short - level with hocks tail would finish off the picture, says she with a horse with a huge tail to the floor:)
 
top of the tail is pulled. I think his tail is shorter than that now, but yes I agree it needs to be shorter than in the above picture, so if it is longer I will ask YM if he will trim it with me (to ensure I dont get carried away :D or get told off! lol)

I just wanna take him home so much!! as a horse to do everything I want on, do it well, and be safe on, I dont think I could ask for a more perfect horse. I want to learn to do Sidesaddle too........ and I don't think hed have an issue with that either!!

Would you buy a horse like him from a Riding school at 12yo?? (just asking opinions now as I think i would always consider him when i graduate next year as an option)
 
you adore this horse I would say go for it he is lovely... And do the working cob at Windsor (2'9'' ish) he wouldn't be out of place... we are going will give you a hand..
 
Yes I would, he is just my type - fun but very safe. However, I would have him vetted and depending on his value, his joints xrayed. I adore these types, we have/had clydesdale and gypsy cobs, but the heavy ones can get joint problems and you could end up with heartbreak and large vet bills later.

That said, Cairo Clydesdale did everything until he was 19 and still was ridden and enjoying himself until he died from liver failure at 22.

Trailblazers working cob is only 2'3, hence Stinky and I doing this but the BSPA traditional cob is 2'9 - 3'. He can fly it, but the muppet onboard has to work hard to stay with him.

I would be very tempted to buy him if I could and his joints were not going to cause problems for a few years.

Sidesaddle. I put one on Jemima the first gypsy cob I rode on Friday and got married riding on it on the Sunday - was cantering her within 30 minutes of first putting it on. You can't beat a good sensible heavy type.
 
Yey thanks guys, its nice to know that I wouldn't be being stupid for considering buying a 12 (well he will be 13 when i graduate) horse.... :) Don't get me wrong I would love it if he was like 8 or something but hey! if they are the right horse they are the right horse....right?! lol

Luckily when I graduate I will be a vet so hopefully x-raying joints will not cost me a small fortune! :D He has never been lame acutally since being at the riding school (he came when he was 8) which I think would bode well..... he has had some sniffles (he had a bacterial infection which was sort of like a horsey cold) but got over that in a week...... so i guess tis also good as I know a bit more of a history on him that I would if I was going to view a horse off the internet etc....

Ahhh Id love to do working cob classes! Right...... going to do some more jumping lessons with him and hopefully have a happy jumpy coblet in a years time! :D
 
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