Fluffy's First Show

The start of show season always sees a new crop of greenies entering the show world. No matter how much prep work you do, you can never quite predict how your horse will react in this new environment, however there are some things you can do to help prevent it from being a traumatizing experience (for horse and owner!).

Some tips :

•  Work on making your groundwork practically perfect at home. This includes your horse's basic ground manners for things such as leading, grooming, tacking up, lunging, mounting and so on. Because if it isn't great at the best of times in an environment your horse is comfy in, there is no way it will be great at the worst of times, and chances are you will end up doing things such as the tacking up dance. And you may end up doing such a thing regardless, but the more you prepare, the better your chance for success.

•  Practice trailer loading. And not just once or twice. Every chance you get until your horse is super. Teach your horse to do things such as load halfway and then back off, or load totally & then back halfway off & come back on. Increase the amounts of time that your horse can stand comfortably on the trailer. Nothing is worse than getting to a show and then having to spend hours trying to get your horse back on the trailer to go home after an exhausting day. If you do not have access to a trailer you can work on getting your horse comfortable with small spaces and stepping up onto or over things such as poles and platforms.

•  Choose a local, small, low key show for your first outing and keep the day short. Have a way for your horse to get home early should things really become too much for him.

•  If you plan on having your horse wear any type of shipping boots/gear/wraps the day of the show, practice putting them on beforehand and leading your horse around to allow him time to get used to them. Some young horses begin kicking on a trailer not because of the trailer itself but because they became annoyed with their shipping boots.

•  Go to a few shows just for the experience. Instead of entering classes, just handwalk your horse around the grounds and then ride around the grounds if your horse is quiet. If you can, keep the routine as close to your routine at home as possible so your horse learns that no matter where you go, nothing changes. Doing this type of thing keeps both horse and owner relatively quiet and relaxed. Then when you feel ready, just enter one or two simple classes.

•  Teach your horse that shows are nothing to stress about. When you get to the show, try letting your horse chill on the trailer for a bit before unloading or unload and handgraze your horse for a bit. Your horse should not feel as though he is going to be pulled off the trailer and immediately shoved into the ring.

•  Desensitize your horse beforehand to things such as loud noises, fence signs (you can use tarps), flags, plastic bags and so on.

•  Work on socializing your horse well beforehand so that your horse can have a hope of tolerating so many other horses around both on the ground and under saddle.

•  Consider giving your horse a probiotic or digestive aid before you trailer out.

•  If you use any calmative supplements, make sure you try them out well in advance before the show, don't just give them to your youngster when you arrive at the show and hope for the best – you never know how your horse will react.

•  Let others know your horse is green – the best way I have found to do this is to tie a green ribbon in the horse's tail. If your horse has a tendancy to kick, use a red ribbon. Other riders will hopefully respect that you are on a young horse and give you a bit of room.

And most importantly, try to relax and have fun yourself! Horses pick up on our moods, so if you begin to worry about the show your youngster will too.