The Novice Horseman Blog

I recently went to a fund raising schooling show for a local therapeutic riding center.  We got to the show just as the riding center kids were starting their part of the show.  Some of the kids had side walkers and some rode by themselves.   I thought all the kids did an amazing job riding their horses.  After their last class, the regular schooling show continued.

To give each horse and rider the best opportunity to show their best, there should be a certain amount of courtesy shown by the spectators.  During this show, I was astonished at the lack of spectator etiquette.  So, I thought I would put together a list of things that a spectator should follow while viewing a horse show.

• If the spectator walkway is right next to the show ring, wait until the class is finished to take your seat or leave.  Also, be courteous of your actions when seated next to the ring.  I witnessed a woman opening her umbrella for shade when a horse was coming down the rail near her.  This startled the horse and it took several frightened steps sideways before the rider regained control.  The  rider lost points in that class.  If this had been a group class, it could have caused a major wreck.

• While some types of classes are okay with cheering their favorite during their run, refrain from clapping or cheering until the class or the individual run is over.  With that said, please keep in mind that some of these classes run the individual riders one after another so there may not be time to cheer before the next rider starts their run.

• Don’t boo the placement of a class.  While the outcome may not be what you think is correct, a horse show is purely the opinion of the people who are judging it.  Besides, the other riders in the class don’t deserve this type of bad behavior from the crowd.

• These horses have been brushed, bathed, clipped, sprayed and spruced up for hours.  Some owners are very particular about the way their horse looks before they enter the show ring.  Before you decide to pet a horse, ask the owner or rider first.

• Turn your cell phone ringers down or put them on a silent or vibrating setting.  If you need to talk on your cell phone, keep your voice down.  People around you  came to see the horse show, not listen to your conversation.

• Kids can startle a horse just by being doing what kids do naturally.  Don’t let them run around unattended and get into mischief.

• Kids also have a short attention span, especially if they decide the outing is boring.  So bring something to keep them entertained and possibly their favorite snack.  If they start to get unruly, take them away from the show ring.  A change in activity can do wonders.

• Throw your trash away.  Don’t leave half empty cups or partially eaten snacks on the seat next to you or on the floor.  They just end up being kicked over and make a big mess.

• If you bring your dog, keep them on the leash.  You have to keep in mind that a lot of horses do not like dogs and will charge them.  So a loose dog around horses is dangerous not only to the horse but to the riders and anyone around them.

• If your dog continually barks or yaps, it is best to leave it at home.  This is very annoying to the other spectators and could make the younger horses nervous.

This is just a short list for spectator etiquette.  There are probably other things you can do to be courteous while at a horse show.  Some of the riders are nervous enough.  Any distraction from the spectators could be enough to make a rider lose his concentration.

Every horse and rider deserves the chance to do their best with the least amount of distractions as possible.  That’s only fair.

The 2010 Palomino Show is over.  From the back gate, the number of horses appeared to have been up.  The youth show and the open show had more exhibitors in the riding classes than last year.  The halter classes were down though in the weanling and yearling classes.  With the rough economy, that was expected.

There were horses from all over the U.S. and even a few from Canada.  There were all of the horses that have been showing for years, but there was also quite a few  first time horses and exhibitors.  I found, from the class sheets, there was a lack of horses from Oklahoma.  This surprised me since this show is held in Tulsa, Okla.  In past years, there has almost always been at least 1 horse from Okla in most of the classes.

The Oklahoma heat did not make this a comfortable show for horse, exhibitor, trainer, groom or volunteer.  The heat index on most days was 109 or higher.  Even though we sit just outside one of the big opened overhead doors, we did not benefit from the AC spilling from the building.  There just wasn’t enough wind to create the draw needed to bring the AC out.

The humidity was another factor.  If you stayed outside, you were drenched in sweat.  If you stayed inside, you were too cold.  If you wore glasses and went from inside to out, your glasses fogged up so bad it took several minutes for them to clear.

The weather made a few people a little crabby at times.  The heat took it’s toll on the horses too.  They got tired sooner and some acted up a bit more than usual.  For the most part, everyone had a good attitude.

The one factor that was way off was the number of volunteers to help this year.   While the youth show did have a good number of volunteers, the open show barely had any volunteers.  One of the main volunteers became sick after the youth show and could not return for the open show.  This left 1 scheduled volunteer  and the tack judge at the back gate and 1 volunteer to hand out awards.  The ground manager helped fill in.  This is the smallest amount of volunteers ever for this show.  We all stepped up to the challenge and the show did not have to wait on the back gate for any of the classes.

If you have a chance to go to one of the big shows, please do.  Enjoy the different classes.  Appreciate the skill of the exhibitors and the training on the horses.  Browse through the different vendors that are at the shows.  But most importantly . . . . . if you can spare just one day, help a show run smoothly by volunteering.

I watched a few hunter hack classes at a recent national show.  Hunter hack is an English class that consists of 2 fences to be jumped individually by each entrant, then rail work by the entire class.  It is always the same . . . some horses shy away from the first jump or just flat refuse to jump it.  The shows always have flowers, brightly colored rails, trees at the side of the standards or any combination of these.  Some of the horses have either not seen these before or if they have only at the shows.

The fix is easy.  Go to a dollar store & buy some artificial flowers.  You can drill holes in the ground rail and put flowers in each hole.  Or you can push the flower stems into the dirt just behind the ground rail but in front of the bottom rail.  Your horse may still shy away from the flowers for a short time at home, but he will get used to them.  Then when at the show, flowers are not such a big deal to him anymore.

Also, paint a few of your rails any color other than white.  This doesn’t have to be an expensive task.  You can use some left over house, wall or barn paint.  Maybe your neighbor has some paint that they would like to get rid of.  You can paint the rail all one color or put stripes on it.  Use your imagination.

The end effect is to get your horse use to something that you would see at the show.  This fix is good for the hunter or jumper classes also.  Don’t wait until the next show & wonder why he keeps shying away from the jump.