Showing youngsters?

[EllieBelle]

5 or 6 weeks ago I bought a new filly, she is currently 1 year old, but will be 2 in May...
I haven't don't much in hand showing before, so I have a few questions:
1. Will I be able to show her in the summer or is there an age limit for local shows?
2. I have bought her a bitless in am hand bridle (also known as a filly slip), will that be okay to show her in until she is bitted?
3. She is a tricolour Irish sports horse- does she need to be plaited, trimmed, or left natural?

 

[mrsh2010]

I showed my youngster as a 1 and 2 year old.

I showed her in a filly slip until she was bitted.

The age restriction on show is purely for ridden class.

My girl is Irish Sports horse x section D x TB and I showed her unplaited and natural
Go have fun and enjoy.

 

[EllieBelle]

Thank you!
I'm not necessarily going to win or be placed- just for experience.. But I don't want to look like I have no clue what to do

 

[be positive]

Many local shows will have youngstock classes which she can do, you need to read the schedules and see what they are running, don't forget she is technically a 2 year old this year even before her birthday.
You can use a filly slip but it would be a good idea to get her used to wearing a bit and have a 3 way coupling to ensure you are in full control.
She will be shown as a hunter or riding horse prospect probably if she is a sport horse so needs to be fully trimmed and shown plaited.

 

[EllieBelle]

We don't want to bit her too early incase it interferes with her teeth, she's very relaxed and well behaved so I don't think control will be an issue...
As for plaiting: her tail is very short at the top and has many layers of different lengths (she want looked after well throughout winter so it is very much a mess), will it be fine if just her mane is plaited or is a messy tail plait better then no plait?

 

[be positive]

As long as her mane is plaited and she is trimmed up that will be fine, if the tail is really untidy trim the bottom fairly short and it won't be so obvious, they tend to grow fairly quickly so by later on you may be able to plait or just dampen down and bandage so it looks neater, a messy tail plait looks dreadful so I wouldn't even try.

 

[Crackerz]

I'd be pulling a tail of a plaited youngster anyway, hate plaited tails with a passion.

It's mostly up to you if you bit, but you will probably find even yearling horses are bitted for inhand showing. It has never bothered or effected their teeth

 

[mrsh2010]

My attitude as a happy go lucky showing was I wanted my mare to have experience, I showed her very natural, all I did was bath her. We never once got pulled up on it, in fact she won most her classes. We did youngstock, best condition, coloured classes and a few fun classes across the shows we went too, the only reason for marking her down on the odd occasion was that she liked showing her belly and front feet in the line up when board.

If it's just fun local shows, see as that. Why trim her and plait her when your real goal is experience and hopefully fun?!

Go to the first show as you want, if the judges say something then do something, however why worry?!

 

[Crackerz]

My attitude as a happy go lucky showing was I wanted my mare to have experience, I showed her very natural, all I did was bath her. We never once got pulled up on it, in fact she won most her classes. We did youngstock, best condition, coloured classes and a few fun classes across the shows we went too, the only reason for marking her down on the odd occasion was that she liked showing her belly and front feet in the line up when board.

If it's just fun local shows, see as that. Why trim her and plait her when your real goal is experience and hopefully fun?!

Go to the first show as you want, if the judges say something then do something, however why worry?!

Showing has rules, that what it is, and they should be adhered to. I think it's a little disrespectful to present a horse who is not turned out to type to a judge, when it is so easy to do correctly. Half the fun in showing is preparing the horse or pony to the best & correct standard, then showing it off at it's very best amongst others who have also done the same.

Whether it's a grass roots show or above, the same rules to type should apply. I run a local show, we have very experienced judges from all over judge for us each year. I feel proud that our classes are full to the brim of correctly turned out novice and amateur horses/ponies/handlers/riders for our judges to watch and judge On the odd occasion that someone hasn't plaited, the judge has always made an effort to point them in the correct direction with turnout.

 

[happyappys]

Showing has rules, that what it is, and they should be adhered to. I think it's a little disrespectful to present a horse who is not turned out to type to a judge, when it is so easy to do correctly. Half the fun in showing is preparing the horse or pony to the best & correct standard, then showing it off at it's very best amongst others who have also done the same.

Whether it's a grass roots show or above, the same rules to type should apply. I run a local show, we have very experienced judges from all over judge for us each year. I feel proud that our classes are full to the brim of correctly turned out novice and amateur horses/ponies/handlers/riders for our judges to watch and judge On the odd occasion that someone hasn't plaited, the judge has always made an effort to point them in the correct direction with turnout.

Half agree/half disagree, after showing for years and years a lot of the fun was gaining experience and learning all the tips/tricks and showing rules. You can't know them all to start with, at local shows where I presume you are going to start, most judges won't put you down for any novice mistakes, but should just advise helpfully for next time. That doesn't mean you shouldn't make an effor of course, and as you've asked your mare sounds like she should be plaited, as a yearling I wouldn't bother doing anything with the tail, and a slip will be fine if she's not bitted. So long as she is clean and presentable, and just as importantly mannerly and knows how to 'trot up' you should be fine, just go and enjoy the experience Local shows often have 'youngster' classes which she would be eligible for and classes like 'In hand Mare' and 'In hand coloured' all of which she could enter. The coloured's are sometimes split into 'native' and 'non native' of which she would be the latter. Good Luck and have fun

 

[crystalclear]

don't forget she is technically a 2 year old this year even before her birthday.

I didn't know this, it's very interesting. So if a horse is two in May, if you went to a show in April you would be classed as a two year old?

 

[be positive]

I didn't know this, it's very interesting. So if a horse is two in May, if you went to a show in April you would be classed as a two year old?

Yes otherwise you would get too much discrepancy and not everyone knows the exact date of birth, the 1st Jan is usually taken as the new year when counting the age for all horses competing in age specific classes.

 

[crystalclear]

Yes otherwise you would get too much discrepancy and not everyone knows the exact date of birth, the 1st Jan is usually taken as the new year when counting the age for all horses competing in age specific classes.

That's fantastic to know thank you. I do remember doing a quick google on this once before but I didn't find a great deal.