Showing

benson21

benson21

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I am playing with the idea of going into in hand showing.
After the accident, I am just not sure I will be able to ride again, so I figure this could be the next step. Is there a particular type of horse I should be looking for?
I know absolutely nothing about showing, any tips, ideas, experiences would be gratefully received. xx
 
Hi benson21 have u thought about driving? Its great fun and if you cant ride its the next best thing - its not that had to learn and u can pick up a ride/drive horse/pony for not too much money - have a few lessons and youll be away.
My mum is hugely into arab showing and i just cant get into it - i love competing but in hand showing is really a particular interest and its so dependant on the judges preference that the same horse can come 1st and last on the same day depending if the judge likes them.
It depends i suppose what level you are looking at doing but if you are only not riding due to injury driving will be right up your street.
 
Not so keen on driving as it means I would still be out on the roads, and not keen on doing that!
 
Ditto everything above. I personally find inhand showing very boring plus the fact I can't run that far round the ring before being out of breath!! However some people love it. Regarding type of horses, you need to decide what classes you would like to do. For maximum classes I would look at getting a coloured of hunter type or coloured cob, either traditional or hogged and trimmed if cob. Or look at getting a welsh of some sort either little a,b or if your strong and can run fast then welsh d's have lots of classes. Best bet would be to get yourself to a county show or similar to watch some classes and see what type of horses interests you most and you think you would also be most suited to.
 
There are in hand classes for most types of horses. Make sure they have faultless conformation, a good mover and no lumps or bumps. I would have a look around your local shows and see what classes there are. Around me there are always hunter breeding classes, shetlands and clyesdales and fells, and a growing number of coloured classes (and how good the standard is).
 
I've got 2 Dales youngsters and show them both in hand. I'm no spring chicken, wrong side of 50, but can leg it round the ring when it's my turn. Somewhat red in the face when back to the judge but getting better! I'm not good with lively youngsters but the Dales have a calmness about them which makes them easy to deal with. No plaiting but plenty of water needed for thick, long manes and tails. Should you decide that you would like to venture on board, you'll have a sensible pony to ride too.
 
If you are sure you only want to do in hand, rather than ride, I would go for something small, just for ease and practicality! I would also go native, for the same reasons!

If you can run, then welsh A, C or D are fantastic fun, but you do need to be able to run if they move properly!! I produced a section A mare and really struggled to keep up with her super powered welsh trot even though she was 11.2hh!!

If you can't/won't run then maybe something like a section b (less of the ridiculous trot) or dartmoor or exmoor. They have a more reasonable trot and the dartmoors and exmoors are also fairly easy to produce for the show ring as they are generally (always in Exmoor case) brown! With very limited trimming allowed and NO PLAITING!!

There are in hand classes for all shapes and sizes but thre is almost always M & M classes at whatever show you go to!

Something else to think of if you do get a little un you can;t ride is Horse Agility - look at their website - I think its horseagility.gb (or uk...) Good fun.
 
This mare.. 16.2 5yr tbx wb reg sports horse
tri2.jpg


she can do (affliated level)

competiton horse
coloured classes
riding horse (although a little heavy has won an inhand class and been 3rd ridden)
hunter
coloured classes
and sports horse classes.

she can be registered with most associations opening up our showing options further.

what im saying is a good classy youngster will grow up and your still have lots of classes open to you. (no reason why you couldnt send to a producer for breaking hten find a rider either)
 
I am well aware that you dont consider mme as a friend, but never mind here goes. Have you thought of a welsh section B, they are quality, well mannered, elegent and you dont have to run like the devil is after you to show them off. Just a thought.
 
pasie2....just read your post. My little 9yr old b was a little s*** at devon county on friday. Proper little welsh mare,not easy at all!! AND she should know better. Have got Bath and West next week.....deep joy!!

ps. I show her in hand :)
 
Cazza525 said:
pasie2....just read your post. My little 9yr old b was a little s*** at devon county on friday. Proper little welsh mare,not easy at all!! AND she should know better. Have got Bath and West next week.....deep joy!!

ps. I show her in hand :)
Click to expand...

There is ALWAYS an exeption to the rule. LOL Good luck at Bath and West, a big early show!
 
I did a lot of in hand showing with my old hourse - he was a 16.2 non registered thoroughbred gelding - bit like JM Howard's horse he could do in hand riding horse, hunter, competition horse, sports horse, light horse, best condition, best turned out and veteran. Might be an idea for you to have a look at some schedules for shows local to see what you can do. There used to be quite a little collection fo us doing in hand classes, another lady in particular with a around 15.2 mare who used to do the above classes plus she could do part M & M (plaited) and another lady who bred M & Ms and used to do the turn out, condition, M & M, youngstock etc. We even won the best handler (old people as opposed to best young handler) at one of his last shows because one of the things the judge wanted was for the horse to stand up square rather than stand up how you normally stand a show horse up and he was about the only one who did that straight off. Good luck with finding something else.
 
This is just a suggestion, but have you considered taking on an older horse. You've been through a horrendous experience and are a bit unsure about riding at the moment. With an older boy or girl you could do veteran in hand clases (as well as in hand classes for his/her breed/type) and if you start to feel like riding again you'll hopefully have a nice sensible animal who has seen and done it all and is now looking for a quieter life. The down side might be higher maintenance and more vets bills for an oldie. I suppose it depends whether you want to do serious showing or just have a bit of fun at local level. Another possibility is to get a nice pony(some good suggestions in other posts above)and you could show it in hand and you could look for a child to ride and compete it for you if you really think you don't want something you could ride yourself in future.
hope this helps.
 
Most types of horses and ponies can be shown in-hand at bigger shows. You really need to focus on finding the epitome of their type.

I'm not sure what level you're looking to do, but if it's not necessarily big county I'd probably suggest going for one of the m&m breeds. At local shows you can almost always garuntee there will be an in-hand m&m class, but that's not the case for hunters in-hand, riding ponies etc.
 
Total biased, but I love showing my gypsy cob inhand and he is very sensible and calm and has been from when I started showing him at 18 months. You do need to have a reasonably fast run, but not as fast as the welshies.

If you get a coloured, there are more classes available, but there are now solid traditional classes out there.

Again the advantage is that if you get one that will make a decent size, 14.2 plus, they are also good weight carriers and sensible rides and are the king of all rounders, as they can jump, do dressage, hack and show sucessfully.

Downside, hell of a lot of work to get clean and ready for a show with all that hair to get through, but it is very satisfying when they are done.
 
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