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Tips on taking a young horse to a show?
Hi all,
Last month I took my six year old arabian to his (and my) first show ever. We only did very basic dressage, and managed to get fourth place, but I could really do with advice!
He was extremely tense, his head was right up, even when I let go of the reins completely during the warm up. The judges stand spooked him every single time we passed it, and all of his paces were completely rushed. Of course I did horrible in a variety of different ways, but I know how to fix that, and I still think he did amazing considering his age and both of our inexperience in this area, however if anyone has tips on how to calm young/hot horses in stressful situations, I'd LOVE to hear them!
Thank you!
1 Answer
- RosieLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
Time, and exposure. Chances are, you were nervous and he picked up on that.
If you can go to shows without showing, that would be great. Just go and walk him around, let him absorb everything without you being nervous about competing. The more you can get him out to new places, sights & sounds, the better.
When I have youngsters, I haul them a LOT. Weanlings, yearling, they get hauled to as many local, open shows, open arena nights, barrel races, anything, as possible. At first, I just walk them around, let them check things out, no pressure. After they have been out and are comfortable, I will take them in a halter or showmanship class to get them used to the ring.
By the time they are ready to show under saddle, going places is a normal thing for them.
Good luck!!
