Six Tips to Get Ready for Show Season
Show season is right around the corner. This is the time of year when the weather is more unpredictable than usual, making it a challenge to prepare your horse for show season. Here are a few tips to get you and your horse ready.
1. Get your horse (and yourself) into condition.
This is particularly important if you have not had access to an indoor arena over the rainy or snowy winter season. Your horse may have lost some muscle due to inactivity and burning calories just to stay warm. Your riding muscles may be out of condition as well. Even if you've had access to an indoor arena, you should start stepping up your horse's game to ensure that she shows at her best.
Get Fit To Ride!
This is particularly important if you have not had access to an indoor arena over the rainy or snowy winter season. Your horse may have lost some muscle due to inactivity and burning calories just to stay warm. Your riding muscles may be out of condition as well. Even if you've had access to an indoor arena, you should start stepping up your horse's game to ensure that she shows at her best.
Get Fit To Ride!
The plan: Start getting yourself and your horse in condition two months before the start of show season. |
The best way to do this is to rely on the old rule of thumb: Walk for strength, trot for rhythm and balance, and canter for endurance. If you horse has (more or less) been off training during the winter, start with a 30 minute work out, dividing your time more or less evenly among the three gaits. Work up slowly to an hour.
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Be sure to cool your horse down before returning him to his stall. Again, the rule of thumb is walking for about 5 minutes at the end of the session. If it is still cold in your barn, you might want to untack him, drape a fleece cooler over him, and hand walk him for 5 minutes.
If you've been sedentary over the winter months, get back into workout routine that builds your cardiovascular endurance, your flexibility, and your strength. Pilates, yoga, running, bicycling, and weight training are excellent ways to achieve this. Be sure to do some of these activities outdoors as much as you can as the weather warms. The show arena is probably not going to be as temperature controlled as your fitness center or living room!
If you've been sedentary over the winter months, get back into workout routine that builds your cardiovascular endurance, your flexibility, and your strength. Pilates, yoga, running, bicycling, and weight training are excellent ways to achieve this. Be sure to do some of these activities outdoors as much as you can as the weather warms. The show arena is probably not going to be as temperature controlled as your fitness center or living room!
2. Practice your moves.
Once your horse is back into condition, begin practicing your dressage figures and/or jumps. Don't ride the whole test because your horse will learn it as well as you do, and will try to anticipate the movements. You can lose major points for that. In a dressage test, you horse is supposed to do what you ask when you ask. Make sure you have the current tests for your discipline.
The 2023 USDF Dressage Tests can be found here.
The 2022 USEF Dressage Tests can be found here.
For jumping, start with cross rails and low jumps just to make sure you and your horse are judging the distances correctly. A lot can happen to your vision and your horse's judgment when the two of you have been off for a few months.
Once your horse is back into condition, begin practicing your dressage figures and/or jumps. Don't ride the whole test because your horse will learn it as well as you do, and will try to anticipate the movements. You can lose major points for that. In a dressage test, you horse is supposed to do what you ask when you ask. Make sure you have the current tests for your discipline.
The 2023 USDF Dressage Tests can be found here.
The 2022 USEF Dressage Tests can be found here.
For jumping, start with cross rails and low jumps just to make sure you and your horse are judging the distances correctly. A lot can happen to your vision and your horse's judgment when the two of you have been off for a few months.
3. Body clip your horse.
If your horse's coat has gotten shaggy over the winter (and it can happen even if you blanket her), plan to body clip her as soon as you're sure the cold weather is gone for good. (Yes, this can be a challenge in the Midwest where the saying is, "If you don't like the weather here, just wait 5 minutes.") Here are two good videos that explain how to safely body clip your horse.The first shows you in detail the type of equipment and accessories you will need to do a good job.
If your horse's coat has gotten shaggy over the winter (and it can happen even if you blanket her), plan to body clip her as soon as you're sure the cold weather is gone for good. (Yes, this can be a challenge in the Midwest where the saying is, "If you don't like the weather here, just wait 5 minutes.") Here are two good videos that explain how to safely body clip your horse.The first shows you in detail the type of equipment and accessories you will need to do a good job.
This one from SmartPak Equine shows you how to body clip, especially those areas where the hair swirls in different directions.
4. Clean your tack and your show clothes.
Check over your tack and clothing to see if anything needs to be repaired or replaced. Make sure your show clothes still fit!
5. Practice braiding.
If you are out of practice with respect to braiding your horse's mane, take some time to do a few practice sessions. The last thing you want is to discover that you're all thumbs the night before a show. Here are three good videos on braiding. The first shows how to create button braids, which are customary for dressage and eventing. The second shows braids for hunter/jumpers. The third shows how to do a decent braiding job is just 10 minutes!
Check over your tack and clothing to see if anything needs to be repaired or replaced. Make sure your show clothes still fit!
5. Practice braiding.
If you are out of practice with respect to braiding your horse's mane, take some time to do a few practice sessions. The last thing you want is to discover that you're all thumbs the night before a show. Here are three good videos on braiding. The first shows how to create button braids, which are customary for dressage and eventing. The second shows braids for hunter/jumpers. The third shows how to do a decent braiding job is just 10 minutes!
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Happy riding!
Copyright Denise Cummins March, 2017; Updated May 28, 2024
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