The schedules start arriving in February through the letterbox and this is when I start to plan my campaign. My main job when sifting through the piles of schedules is trying to find judges that like my type of horses and not entering them under someone who doesn’t like them because they will be bottom of the line straight away.
Showing is always a really biased discipline which at the end of the day is based on the judge’s opinion. There is only so much preparation you can do but if the judge doesn’t like your type or even colour of your horse then you won’t get very far.
I usually start the season with the RIHS qualifiers for the open horses and find some quieter shows for novice classes with the youngsters, before then moving on to the HOYS qualifiers and some open debuts for the youngsters making their transition.
It is important to consider the atmosphere of a show, some horses and especially youngsters will not cope with the electric shows and it’s not a good idea to try and make them comply.
Weather conditions can also make a big difference and making sure you have stud holes at the ready in case the grass is slippery can help make sure your horse shows at it’s best.
I often have just about everything except the kitchen sink on the lorry just in case!
Training
The horses get a break after HOYS when the pressures of the big event have gone. They go out in the field 24/7 with thick rugs to keep them warm and their coats neat and no shoes until after Christmas. They get added haylage when the grass starts to go to help keep their condition.
They come in between Christmas and New Year for some attention and a good clean up before starting road work and hacking to harden their legs and build up muscle again.
They also have a quick once over from the horse dentist and their backs checked by the Chiropractor as part of their healthcare.
When planning training it is about knowing each horse individually and their needs. Some do not need to be super fit and are therefore not ridden every day. Others benefit more from hacking rather than trotting circles in the school.
The main thing for me in showing is their shape and how they look. Remember they want to be filled out but not over weight!
It is important to plan training around the events you are going to be entering and maybe with the youngsters have a pre-run so they can gain experience and confidence and acclimatise to the atmosphere of a big bustling county show.
In order to better last year I look back and try to thing what needs improving for each horse. Being overly prepared is better that not at all.
Once the horses have qualified for the big events and have their tickets I tend to be choosier and training becomes fine tuning sessions rather than heavy work. As a show rider you also have to keep up the horses profile as this can be a swaying factor in a major win.