There is nothing quite like the feeling of a horse show morning. No matter how sly

you try to be, the minute you enter the barn, the horses always know that something is

different. I really love this feeling. I have always looked for ways to make show days

as simple as possible. Keeping to a well planned out schedule, can take alot of stress

out of a competition and give you time to concentrate on more important things.

There are certain things that should be worked out before you leave for the show. If

you are staying overnight, make sure you confirm your hotel reservation for late check

in. Also, contact you trainer and have a definite lesson schedule according to your ride

times for each day. I have a student whose friend does not have a full time trainer and

she contacted my about getting some “touch up” lessons before her class at several of

the horse shows that I will attend. This is a great idea.

If you have more than one horse and need to leave one at home, be sure to have a

trustworthy person that can come in to feed and check-in on the horses that you have

to leave at home. If you board your horses, make sure the barn knows that you will not

be coming for the weekend and that way they can adjust your horses turn-out or work

schedule to accommodate your absence.

Once you are on the way to the show, think about what you are going to do first. I

like to prepare my stalls and unload the horses right away. If you have a tack stall, you

should unload all of your tack, feed and shavings while your trailer is still close to your

stalls. Once you find a place to park your trailer, you can do a quick clean up so it is all

ready for the drive home.

The earlier you can get to the show office for your show packet and numbers, the

better. While your there, be sure to check for updated or revised ride times and ask if

you are allowed to hand walk around the competition arenas. Some of the show venues

will let you school your horse around the outside of the competition arenas. This is can

be a great way to get your horse accustomed to the area in which he will be competing.

There is usually a window of time that you are allowed to do this, so be sure to give

yourself enough time to be tacked up and ready to get on during this time. Contact the

show management to see when and if you are allowed to do this.

During your schooling session, try to lightly cover the required movements for the

next days test. If your horse is obedient, don’t drill him. The less you push your horse,

the better he will look and feel the next day.

After your ride, you will need to prepare for the next day. Be sure to fully cool out

and groom your horse and have his mane ready to be braided either that night or the

next morning. I always feed dinner a bit earlier in the evening, to give my horses more

time for rest. After the horses are finished, go over all of your tack. Have your saddle,

pads, bridle, boots and show clothes ready for action the next day. Once all of this is

done, head to the hotel. Be sure to get plenty of sleep and eat healthy. If your tired or

feeling bad from a heavy dinner the night before, it can really effect your performance

on show day.

When you get to the show the next morning, have a definite plan of when you will

need to braid, change into your show clothes, when you will start to get your horse

tacked up and when you plan to get on. Stick to this plan. If your ride it later in the day,

go out to the competition arenas and watch some rides at your level. Look over your

test and try to have it memorized. If you still need a reader, have a general idea of

what will be coming next and how you will be preparing for it. Another thing to consider,

is taking your horse for several walks during the day. The more he can get out of the

stall the better. Mentally and physically. Remember, if you take your horse out to

school under saddle at a time other than your class warm-up, be sure to give the riders

warming up for their classes the right away. Once you are in the ring, always follow

proper ring manners. All of the “rules” for the warm-up ring are printed in the back of

your USDF Handbook, but remember the basics, such as……

~ Always pass left shoulder to left shoulder.

~ Only lunge in designated areas.

~ Be careful when using a whip or your voice. Watch how it effects others.

~ If you ride an upper level horse or a horse with an imposing presence,

be sure to avoid frightening young or sensitive horses and riders.

~ The horse/rider combination doing the more advanced movement has the

right away. Example: If someone is walking on the rail and you are coming

at them in a shoulder-in in trot, you will have the right away. But if you are

doing working canter circles and someone is using the diagonals for tempi

changes, they will have the right away.

~ During your test, if you drop your whip, your hat falls off or your horse knocks

over a portion of the ring, leave it. There is nothing you can do about it until

your test is over.

Always think about what you are doing and how it will affect the horses and riders

around you. You never know if one of the horses in the schooling ring is extremely

nervous and might bolt away from the sheet you just tossed over the rail. Try to keep

in mind what you would want people to avoid doing while you are riding, and do the

same for everyone else.

After your test is done, be sure to thank the judge. When you get your results, go

over the marks to check your score. It is the riders responsibility to check his or her

test for errors. According to USDF rules, you have 60 minutes from the time your class

is posted to check and turn in a scoring error. It rarely happens, but show management

will appreciate you bringing it to their attention within a short amount of time. This will

make it easier for the problem to be corrected.

Well I hope this helps you to have a safe and successful show season. If you are

new to competing, go to some shows and watch how everyone does their own stuff.

Everyone seems to have their own system that works for them. There are many really

knowledgeable and easy to talk to professionals in our area that would be happy to

give you some of their own tips to make shows fun and easy. Happy riding!

Everything seems to be a bit more difficult in the cold weather. From the mud and lack of sun to the often treacherous driving conditions, just getting out to the barn can be quite a task. This year we are lucky enough to have a winter that is slow to start, but do not fear, the cold weather and snow are just around the corner.

This is a great time to start thinking about the different ways that you can keep your horse as comfortable as possible during the next few months. If you are planning on keeping your horse fit and working throughout the winter months, it is probably a good idea to consider body clipping and blanketing. This is a great way to speed up the cooling down and drying period after your work out. Making sure that your horse is dry before returning him to his stall for the evening is extremely important. Even a little bit of dampness can cause your horse to become sick or even colic in extreme temperatures. It is good idea to have a routine for cooling your horse down after a work session. When the temperature dips below 30 degrees, I like to cover my horses back with a medium weight wool or polar fleece quarter sheet for the last 15 minutes of the ride. Covering their backs as you start the cooling down phase of your ride will help to slowly bring the core temperature back to normal as your horses pulse is slowly reduced. Once in the cross ties, I remove the quarter sheet and place a full size cooler over his back. As I remove the saddle, I pull the cooler over the withers and neck to fully cover my horses topline. After the saddle is put away and I put my jacket back on, I start towel drying my horses head and legs with a large dry towel. *Now is a good time to do your “post-ride” stretches before your horses muscles loose their suppleness.

Guest Author: Ron Petracek

Twenty years ago, when a western reining trainer admitted that he took dressage lessons to improve his horse’s reining, his fellow cowboys thought he had lost his mind. Some 20 years later finds several hunt seat instructors actively using aspects of dressage in their training.

Christy, a hunt seat equitation instructor, commented that if you look at the old hunt seat equitation videos and photos of students instructed by George Morris and others, the horses are in a training level dressage frame.

Celine, a hunt seat/balanced seat instructor, noted that dressage is the basis of all riding. “Classical dressage has its roots in cavalry riding in war; whereas hunt seat has its origins in long cross country rides across fields on a hunt. Hunt seat was adapted for the show ring,” she said. She noted that combining the elements of hunt seat and dressage brings balanced seat.

Christy uses the rider-based training that she received from her dressage instructor for her hunt seat students.

“At their first lesson, I put them right on the longe line and take away stirrups and reins immediately,” she described. “I spend a lot of time helping them build independent hand, seat and leg in exercises on the longe line before I have them ride on the rail.”

Christy has found that by doing so, the riders have feel and balance more quickly. “Beginner issues like steering just seem to fall right into place even though they’ve spent their first several lessons on the longe line.”

Celine also likes to apply dressage concepts early on in hunt seat education. “I start right away with rhythm and balance, teaching the student how to sit with balance. Then I address how the horse moves and how to find the horse’s natural rhythm. When you apply the concepts of dressage early on, students have greater ‘feel’ for their horses.”

She noted that in everyday hunt seat, she sees horses just going around the ring in the gaits, walk, then trot, and then canter. “The riders barely understand how to circle correctly. In many cases, you see trainers just focusing on jumping. Flatwork just becomes a term meaning getting the horse warmed up enough to jump,” she said. “When I go to some of the large local hunt shows, I’m amazed that riders aren’t balancing their horses, or even riding them correctly through a turn.” She described watching strung out ponies in a hunter class. “They got over their courses by the grace of God.”

“I was aghast by the strung out, unbalanced approaches to jumps and the rushing and diving over each fence,” she said. She finds that dressage helps her riders gain a balanced and rhythmic approach to fences.

She described one hunt seat student she had recently met who had no concept of getting the horse to work back to front or flexion though she had her own horse and was taking lessons with her instructor for five years.

“When she sat in on other lessons her friends were having with other instructors, she felt she was missing out on a world of education with her horse. She said her lessons just revolved around her instructor who called out ‘heals down,’ ‘shoulders back,’ ‘posting trot,’ etc.”

Celine uses dressage to focus on the points of the ring by keeping the horse correctly between and in front of the rider’s leg. “How do you get your horse from point A to point B, not A to D?” she explained.

“When you focus on riding every stride, as in dressage, your hunter or equitation horse will always know what you want,” she explained. “You can circle, go straight, change gait, jump and make it look so easy, balanced and fluid. Riding hunt seat this way gives the horse the correct muscle development, impulsion and work ethic.”

Click Here to Learn More or Place an Order for Dressage Boots and English Horse Tack

Guest Author: Jennifer Allbright

If you are new to dressage and want to start showing, it is important to learn and follow the dress code. It is pretty specific and, in dressage shows, you don’t get points for being creative and standing out from the crowd. Some judges are very traditional, and they are distracted by anything not following the “Norm”. Use your creative outfits for schooling. The dress code is also detailed in the rules for Dressage from USEF, so if you have questions about this advice, refer to the rules. These suggestions are based on current experience at 3 star shows in Northern California (2003-2006).

The rider should wear a black or blue dressage coat or hunt coat. A dressage coat has four buttons and a single vent in the back. A hunt coat has three buttons and a double vent. Most riders invest in a dressage coat, but it is fine to start off in a hunt coat before spending lots of money on a name-brand dressage coat. Depending on your climate, consider very carefully before investing in a traditional wool coat. There are other man-made blends that can be much cooler in warm weather. At some very warm shows, the judge will wave the coat requirement. This means that you can remove your coat and neck tie, but you must still be in a shirt with a collar and long or short sleeves. Unless you are desperate, wear your coat anyways if you can. The test is only 5-6 minutes and some judges prefer the finished look. By the way, tailcoats are only for riders riding Prix St. George level and above.

The rider should also wear a white show shirt with mock collar, white stock tie, stock tie pin, and white breeches. Your shirt can be long or short sleeves. There are tons of show shirts for sale on the market, so find something you like. Beige breeches are also allowed, but you are better off wearing white. Gloves can be white or black, but you are better off wearing white if you can stand it. Hunt style hard helmet in black velvet is best for the lower levels, if possible. A safety helmet of any style is allowed for your safety. Put your hair in some kind of hair net unless it is very short. No loose hair or flopping pony tails should be seen. Wear tall boots, preferably “dress boots” with no laces. “Field boots” have laces at the ankle and are better for the hunter/jumper ring. Half chaps or leggings are absolutely not allowed in the show ring for dressage. You must have tall boots. You can save money by purchasing imitation leather boots if you don’t want to incur the cost of leather boots. Leather boots can cost $100-$500 easily. Some people invest in custom-made leather boots that cost even more. Spurs are allowed with restrictions on them. Most common blunt-end spurs with straight shanks are fine. One whip no longer than 43.3 inches (110 cm), including lash may be carried in all classes except for annual championship classes.

For the horse, use a white, square saddle pad and an English or Dressage style saddle. The bridle can have a decorative brow band as long as it is leather-based. A beaded string across the brow is not allowed. No boots or leg wraps are allowed in the show ring. The saddle color should match the stirrup leathers, girth, and bridle if possible. Make sure that your bridle and bit are to regulation. Most simple snaffle bits are fine, and most nosebands are allowed. Try to have everything as neat and clean and white as possible before your rides!

Click Here to Learn More or Place an Order for Dressage Boots and English Horse Tack

Guest Author: Ron Petracek

Even if you are the most confident, well-prepared of riders, your first dressage show can reduce you to nothing but a bundle of nerves. There is so much to remember, and we’re not talking about just the test! Well, relax, we’ve got everything covered. By the end of this article, you’ll be on your way to realizing your dressage goals in a relaxed, enjoyable manner.

A month before the show:

* Be mentally and physically prepared. Sounds obvious, but too often riders enter their first dressage show without asking themselves the following questions: Do I understand the objectives—rhythm, relaxation, and suppleness—of dressage? Can we ride the required movements in a controlled, accurate manner, and do we consistently do so at home? Does the horse have the ability to stay on task, and is he well-behaved?

* Don’t focus on your nerves. If you wait to compete until you aren’t nervous about it, you’ll never compete. Even top-level dressage riders get nervous. Instead, realize that a healthy case of nerves can keep you focused on the task at hand.

* Read the AHSA rule book. Read it twice! Many riders are eliminated because they haven’t taken the time to read the rule book and inadvertently break a rule. You’ve worked way too hard to let that happen!

* Begin to memorize the test. Know it front and back, inside and out. Walk the test on your own two feet, ride the test on your horse often, draw a diagram and trace it with your finger, and think about it in your head when you are driving and falling asleep. Know it in your sleep, because if you get in the ring and are nervous, it will be the first thing you forget.

* Arrange for someone to read for you. If you suffer from the type of nerves that empties your brain of everything you’ve learned since birth including, unfortunately, the dressage test you’ve memorized, then find a friend or family member who will read it to you.

* Get a good coach. Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. Ride with your instructor as often as you can afford to. Your coach will be able to gauge your position and your ability to use your aids correctly, which will have a direct and very important impact on your horse’s progress.

A week before the test:

* Start paying attention to details. Make sure your equipment is clean and in good working order, and refer to the AHSA rule book to make sure it’s all legal. Be sure your clothes fit. Make a check list of everything you need to bring with you.

The day before the test:

* Give your horse a good once-over. Now is a good time to bathe, clip, and perform other grooming odds and ends. Give your tack trunk and trailer a fairly detailed inspection to determine you’ve packed everything you’ll need.

* Give yourself a good once-over. And don’t forget to eat well and get good night’s sleep.

* Visualize the test. The night before your test, banish your nerves by visualizing it in your head. Banish any bad thoughts, and instead concentrate on riding the perfect test in your brain. The next day your brain will feel “experienced,” and that will help!

The day of the test:

* Find a partner-in-crime to attend to the details. This person can check you in, get your number, do last-minute grooming, and make sure that your time is freed up to concentrate on the test at hand.

* Check out the arena. Rules will prohibit you from riding in it, but you may be able to walk it. If this is possible, take advantage and walk the test on foot.

* Give yourself plenty of time to warm up. You want to be on long enough to warm up, but not on so long that you and your horse are tired before the test even begins! Do the same warm-up as you do at home, so something feels familiar!

* Arrive early. Get to the arena well before the whistle blows, and give yourself and your horse a once-over to determine that everything is in order. If you have a friend or family member there, ask them to look you over as well.

* Focus on your horse. And not on your nerves. If you focus on your horse and not yourself, everything will fall into place.

* Bring your sense of humor to the ring. Everything will not be perfect. Be competitive and give your personal best, but keep everything in perspective.

* Enjoy yourself. Enough said!

Click Here to Learn More or Place an Order for Dressage Boots and English Horse Tack

Hello everyone!

My name is Fallon Walker.  l am dressage rider, trainer, competitor and l absolutely love what l do. Last month, Bar F Equine Products and Pelham Ascot asked if l would be interested in writing a dressage training blog and l jumped at the chance. This blog will be a lot of fun and will cover a wide variety topics pertaining to dressage and the training of your dressage horse.

There are so many things to talk about when you bring up the topic of dressage. We all love our horses and want the absolute best for them.  l know that l love talking about my horses, so please feel free to write in any questions you may have concerning dressage in general or even questions about you and your own horse. Dressage is a journey and half the fun is learning as you go. We all started at the basics and will never stop learning. From your first truly round circle to your first piaffe steps, they are all stepping stones towards achieving the elegance and perfection that is dressage.

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