Horse Shows

When bringing your horse to a horse show there are a few very important things that you should be aware of.

Trailering your horse:

When you go to a horse show the show is must likely going to be far away, unless the show is held at your barn or a barn close by. Therefor, you'll have to trailer your horse there. When getting your horse into the trailer you have to put your horse on a lead rope, get a fairly big distance away from the trailer and walk your horse up the ramp without stopping or turning back to look at him, otherwise your horse will stop in the middle of the ramp and refuse to go into the trailer. This will give you some difficulty. Always make sure your horse is well latched onto the side of the trailer and the back bar is done up correctly.

When arriving at the show:

The first thing you will do is remove your horse from the trailer. Leading your horse out can sometimes be dangerous since there will be many other horses, cars and trailers around and could be exciting for your horse if he/she is not use to this type of environment. You always want to be extra cautious. Back your horse out of the trailer slowly, keeping your horse calm, never pull your horse back this would startle your horse and cause him to get anxious.

When in the show arena:

Since your horse is not at home and most likely isn't use to the barn your at you have to be extra cautious wen your riding. You should ride with a tighter reign and and always be wide awake and aware of everything that's going on. Although your horse might be very sound, the excitement of all of the cameras and people watching always get the horses excited.

How the shows are judged:

The judge looks at you position, the way your horse is moving, your use of the arena, your position over the jumps, your transitions and whether you keep the canter throughout the hole course or not.

Ribbons:

The ribbon you receive depends on your amount of points, each mistake you make, the judge will dock off 2-5 points, starting off with 8 points.

1st place: 7 points
2nd 5 points
3rd 4 points points
4th 3 points
5th 2 points
6th 1 point

You will receive at least 3 ribbons at a show (if you place).
The points are calculated end the winner will receive a trophy or metal.

Dressage

Dressage is also a very popular Equestrian event.
Dressage consists completely of flat work, there is no jumping involved.
Similar to show jumping, Dressage has many different levels. In the begging levels the rider will only be asked to do the basics such as walk, trot, canter, circles, and loops.
As the rider progresses you will be able to compete in the more advanced levels, which ask you to do more complicated things such as walk pirouettes, canter canters, turn on the forehand etc..
When competing in dressage you will be asked to memorize a dressage test (the difficulty of the test will rely on your experience.) A dressage test is approximately 2 minutes long.
You will be judged on you position:
-Always keep your heels down
-Head up
-shoulders back
-elbows bent
Your horse will be judged on:
-Being round
-Moving forward
-bending on the loops and circles
Dressage is a great event for both you and your horse to stay fit and build muscle. Doing dressage will also help improve your jumping skills. Dressage helps to improve your position and can also help your horse to develop endurance and allow him to stretch out his legs.
Therefore, if you want to improve on jumping, doing a bit of dressage a few times a month will definitely help you and you horse.

Equestrien Jumping

Jumping is one of the most popular equestrian events.
There are three different kinds of competition that involve jumping: Cross Country, Jumper and Hunter. They're all fairly similar but they have a few differences.

Cross Country:
Cross country is all about endurance. Your jumping numerous jumps made out of natural objects such as logs, banks, water etc.. the jumps are all scattered in a large field they are all at least a few feet apart and are all numbered, you have to memorize were all the jumps are beforehand in order to jump the right jumps one after another, it usually involves going down and up hill. In order to compete in cross country your horse has to be very well trained and fit.
















Jumper:
Jumper is a lot less complex compared to cross country. Your jumping a course of at 8-10 jumps all creatively decorated with flowers, trees, bushes, different coloured fences etc... the jumps can be from 1.8'-7' high. The course is not very big and will have many loops, broken lines and quick turns. You will most likely jump the same fence more then once. Jumper courses will see how well you can get from one fence to the next with very little time in between.
















Hunter:
Hunter is very similar to Jumper. But a lot of people find Hunter much easier. Like jumper, you're jumping a course of 8-10 jumps, that usually aren't decorated. The course is usually mostly lines and has very few complicated turns. Although you don't have to do much steering it is very important for hunters to get the correct strides in between the lines.

Safety

Safety is very important while at the barn.
There are many precautions to be keep in mind while in the barn and around the horses.
Your horses stall:
-Your horses stall should have bars along the the top to prevent him or her from sticking their heads out, if your stall has a window, be sure it's big enough for him/her to stick his/her head out without bumping it also you should be able to close the window, incase your horse feels like nipping at people or other horses that might be walking by.
-Your horses stall door should be a sliding door (not one that you have to pull or push open) this will prevent him/her from possibly escaping, while you open the door to muck the stalls, feed or simply brush them.
-Make sure the latch on the door closes properly and your horse isn't able to open it by biting it or kicking at the door. This is very important, if your horses were to get out of his stall he could possibly find a way into the feed room and eat all of your feed, this would make your horse extremely sick. Also, if your house isn't fenced off, your horse could end up on the road and could get hit by a car.

















Around your horse: -Always wear steel toed boots, when around horses this will prevent an injury if your horse were to step on your foot. -Never stand behind a horse, he/she might not be aware that your there (since horses cant see directly behind them) and could kick you. -While doing up your horse's girths, make sure no one is standing in front of him/her (a lot of horses don't like their girths tightened) and could throw their heads up and start nipping, injuring anyone directly in there way. When riding: -Always wear a helmet. If you were to fall while riding, your helmet will protect your head, and could prevent concussions, brain damage or a cracked skull. -Always wear a vest. Your vest covers your chest and back. It will prevent your ribs from breaking if your horse were to step on you, after you've fallen off.