Well b****r me and thank you! Now whats next showing peeps?

H

Hovis_and_SidsMum

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 January 2007
Messages
2,711
Location
Lincolnshire
Visit site
Thanks to all who came up with suggestions on how to get molasses off the destroyer. Warm water and fairy liquid were indeed the answer and b****r me his feathers are whiter than after any expensive shampoo i've used!
He had his feathers and tail done last night and his mane tidied up. He actually looked quite good for all of about 5 minutes! He will get bath number 2 on saturday.

So what do i need to do for sunday for this horrific ridden heavy horse show i have got myself into?
Ok in order
What will I need to wear?
What will we have to do?
What happens in the ring?
What is ring etiquette i.e. on passing / not passing etc?
What will the judges looks for?

HELP! I am absolutely clueless!!!
blush.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
What will I need to wear?
What will we have to do?
What happens in the ring?
What is ring etiquette i.e. on passing / not passing etc?
What will the judges looks for?


[/ QUOTE ]

What class are you doing - is it 'ridden heavy horse'? If so, I'm not quite sure what the dress code is, but when I watched a 'ridden heavy horse' class there was a mix of turn-out - some in navy jackets and some in tweed. Personally, I think tweed looks best with heavies and hairies, but I don't know if there is some 'dress code' laid down in stone somewhere!

With that you will need shirt and tie, beige breeches, long black boots, velvet hat (preferably navy), brown gloves, hair in a hairnet if long.

Usual format in ridden show class is all enter the ring and walk round on one rein - let someone who looks like they know what they are doing go first! Then steward will call out trot on and you commence trotting, then canter on and you all canter, then back to trot and they will direct you all to change rein and repeat procedure on other rein. If you get stuck behind a slow horse, it is best to circle away and find your own space. If really necessary you can overtake, but never whilst passing in front of the judge as this will block the judge's view of the other horse and is thought to be extremely bad manners.

Then you will all be called in to line up - sometimes this is in any order, and sometimes the judge pulls them in in order of his/her preference. You will then be asked to do an individual show - sometimes the judge will give a set show, sometimes you can choose your own. It needs to be short and sweet, and show walk, trot and canter on both reins and perhaps extended canter/gallop (depending on class type). Most people tend to walk out and then do a figure of eight in trot and then in canter, then go large and extend the canter/gallop, then back to trot, walk, halt and salute the judge.

Then you will all be sent out to walk round again whilst judge makes up mind, then you are called back to line up in placing order and receive your rossettes!

I'm not up on ridden heavy classes particularly, but in most ridden horse classes they are looking for trueness to type, conformation, manners and way of going.

Hope that helps a little - good luck!
 
Have a look HERE its a very helpful site and althought they dont have a section for heavy horses in particular most showing classes are very simular.
smile.gif


Good luck and ohhhh where are you going to be showing?
 
Thanks for that - very useful. I am now papping myself more than ever but i have more of a clue as to what i'm going to make an arse of myself doing.
The show is at laughton manor in lincolnshire.
I'm just praying the judge is a sucker for gorgeous eyes and so spends his time staring at hovis and not the muppet on his back!
 
WARM UP Ring ettiquette - pass left to left, don't go too close, if the horse has a red ribbon in its tail it kicks, if it has a green ribbon in its tail its green, and if its got a numpty on its back it will probably ignore all of the above.

When walking, walk on an inside track, to allow others to trot/canter past you if they wish. There should be a seperate warm up with a jump in - ignore this ring and head for the non-jump one, its far less dangerous!!

IN THE RING ettiquette - always start on right rein. When entering the ring don't go in first (unless you know what you are doing) and try to get behind a horse who looks like it will have similar paces to yours - you can suss this out in the warm up.
wink.gif
If you find yourself going faster than the horse in front you can pass in a corner or circle away to give yourself more space (also useful if some dumbass is up your behind and upsetting your horse), but its rude to pass/circle in front of the judge, try to do it where they aren't looking. If you need to smack to wake him up, again, its preferable to try to do it when judge isn't looking, but don't forget they will still be able to hear!
wink.gif


Heavy classes don't/won't necessarily canter. If you like, why don't you ring up the lady who talked you into it, she sounds nice and helpful?

And smile - not the rigor mortis kind - its supposed to be fun
grin.gif
 
You could always enter the fancy dress with L plates on? As an overgrown Thelwell??
grin.gif


PS I edited above as there is in the ring and in the warm up ettiquette.
 
......and remember to breath throughout!
grin.gif
It is all too easy to discover that you are trying to hold your breath during the whole of your individual show, doesn't work and makes you go a funny colour (and pass out if you do it well enough!)
 
Don't take my word 100% for that... just something I remember a shire horse man telling me once and I seem to recall watching a ridden heavies class at a county show and wondering why the didn't canter.... but PLEASE don't take my word for it!!!!!!
 
I remember watching a friend of mine ride her Ardennes in the Ridden Heavies at Chertsey show a few years ago. At that particular show, canter was optional - my friend did canter, but I guess about half of them didn't. So I reckon, if you're brave enough, you might just be able to get away with doing just the one canter on his good rein, which, you never know, might just score you a few Brownie points with the judge.

I wish I lived nearer to Lincolnshire as I'd love to see Hovis looking his very, very, mollasses-free best - and to give you a bit of moral support as well.

Good luck!
 
Turn out as for a hunter class, plain tack in brown, nice thick chunky noseband - 2" for his big blaze would look wonderful. Pelham on two reins. GP or WH saddle will be fine and a discrete saddle cloth. Ideally with his tail plaited up and a ribbon on his tail and forelock. Heavy horse plait is optional but no flights. I personally would not put any sharks teeth or quarter marks on.

You should also be turned out as for hunter class - tweed (ideally green or brown based and not blue) navy, brown, green but not black velvet hat, shirt and tie - to compliment your jacket, beige or canary but not white breeches/jods, long black boots (ideally with garter straps and spurs or dummy spurs) that said I don't wear any spurs on Stinky yet. Brown and never black gloves and a brown show cane to finish the picture. Hair should be in a bun if long and netted. No earring or other facial ring and discrete makeup. Everything should be spotless.

Finally if you mix fairy and arial excel gel 50 - 50 you will be even more amazed at how white things come up - including grass and poo stained knees and hocks. I would not use anything other than warm water on places that are not white - coat is better left to get a bit of natural oil back in it, ditto the mane.

I only wash Stinky's white areas and the bay areas are done with warm water to get dust but not the oils out if he has not got too dirty.

Show - just do a simple walk out, trot the start of a figure of 8 and as you go over the diagonal and start the next loop go into canter, back over the diagonal into trot and then canter the next loop. Depending on how the ring is set out, you can come out of the loop straight and show gallop on the long side - ideally never behind the line of horses, back to canter, trot, walk and halt - ideally with him side onto the judge as if they were taking a picture of him. Salute, big grin and back to the line up. This is short and sweet and shows all the judge needs - walk, trot, canter on both reins and a short gallop.

To show him with saddle off, walk away very straight and then turn to the left and do a small loop - never a tight circle, out of the loop back onto your line and trot at the judge as if he were running them over - they should move out of the way to watch you pass. Keep trotting round to the back of the line and then walk back in.

Next year the Destroyer and the Rex will be doing Royal London together - they will look stunning going round and we can cheer each other on and Andy will love to meet your boy and feed him too many treats.

Good luck and you must let us know how he does - Farra will have her (stinky) legs crossed for him.
 
Might just be worth checking with your friendly show secretary if the judge is likely to ride them...watched the ridden heavies at the Royal Show (cos there was a Suffolk in it and we used to have a part bred Suffolk) and the judge rode all of them, and cantered all of them. The one that only managed to lumber a few strides got put down the line....
 
Told you he and Rex will make a matching pair - she too is great at running over things that don't move - hence the natural horsemanship lessons Andy is having with her to teach her respect for others - without Mr Sticky involved and awareness of her size.

I can just see them now bearing down on a helpless judge
grin.gif


Try to work on the in hand stuff at home - you want him to come out of the loop for a few paces in walk and then spring into a nice active trot but with good manners and stop when asked.

A good gallop always helps, but only if you have brakes - Stinky stops well, but is not really pinging into his gallop - just builds up speed slowly, hence we are working on it.

Again work on the show at home but not too much so he anticipates doing it. Judge sometimes rides and sometimes does not with the heavy classes.

Wish I could get to see you but am at Addington this weekend doing the BSPA champs with Stinky.

We now have a year to get things right for Royal London - we will be going to impress everyone with the joys of a sabino clydesdales - best heavy horse in the world. I so wish Rex did not have a clipped leg and a stinky foot and I could met you this year.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top