First show...please help!

[Yorkshire_Lass]

Next weekend i'm taking my new forest mare to a local show but i've only ever done jumping before, never showing classes so I don't realy expect to get anywhere, i'm just going for the experiance realy.

I'm planning to do novice equitation, M+M inhand and M+M whp but i understand M+M ponies are meant to be shown in their natural state, but as she has been jumped over the winter her mane, beared, whiskers and ears have been pulled,trimmed and neatened and although i have left them to grow out over the last month or so, she is still not quite 'natural', will this matter too much?

Also, due to her lack of schooling before i bought her last autumn, she does not go 'on the bit' or in a very nice outline, though she no longer goes around with her head in the air and pulling against me all the time as she did but will she look very out of place in a whp class? I have decided agains ridden M+M for this reason but as she jumps so nicely i realy want to have a go at workers. :(

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[galadriel]

Check out Es's page on showing:
http://historicalfact.com/~es/horses/showing/

It can answer at least some of your questions.

[Gemma16]

Hi there,

You say you have pulled your ponys mane. Depending on the length it might be ok. NF are one of the breeds that tend to be more trimmed than others like Dales and highlands.

As for her not working in an outline this will affect her placing in the WHP class as they are marked both on jumping and on there indivdual show.

What I would do personally is maybe leave the WH and just do the in-hand until her schooling is to an apropreate level as you might fel a little out of place when it comes to the show.

But good luck with it and if you need anymore advice just look at Es' site and it will tell all.:D

Let us know how you get on.

[Kanuma]

for WHP you need to be able to do a clear round with style (not speed!) and then do an individual show at walk, trot, canter and a short gallop, whilst in the same ring as the jumps, you need alot of control if she is the type who sees jumps and thinks lets jump!! i think perhaps if you are going to do a WHP class you should do the novice class, M&M's can go in and you will be up against ppl with the same problems as you (i do novices on stan who is a connemara and only jumps when he wants to!!!!! he can do a wonderful show but i very rarely get him round the jumps clear!!)

what breed is she???

[Yorkshire_Lass]

I'm now considering not doing WH, or maybe just doing novice as she jumps beautifully, but our show would probably look realy bad, i think i may just stick to in hand as i would probably look pretty out of place in an equitation class as well wouldn't i?
Kanuma- she is a New Forest. Thanks for your help guys...great website by the way Es.

[Kanuma]

sorry i have a problem reading posts correctly!!

i think you should have a go at the novice WHP, as she is NF a pulled mane doesnt matter that much! have you got a tweed jacket as M&M are shown in tweeds bith inhand and ridden!

[Yorkshire_Lass]

Yeah...I have a grey tweed jacket it goes realy well with her colour, she's dapple grey-wrong colour for a NF i know, everyone thinks she's a connemara.

[Kanuma]

dont worry my connemara is a chocolate dun!!!! he is constantly mistaken for a NF

[Yorkshire_Lass]

Well we went to the show and we were pants but hey thats what pre-seasons are for right? I missed in-hand class, as i was expecting lots of people to be there but hardly anyone turned up so the inhand classes went realy fast :rolleyes:, so i decided to do ridden m+m instead, and surprisingly our show wasn't as bad as i was expecting, as she was showing off and actually went in quite nicely apart from her setting off in canter on the wrong leg on one rein (she changed back herself after one stride though :) ) but i guess this was what put her in last place as everyone else did perfect shows. Then i went in novice WH after going round the clear round course, which she did perfectly, but when we got in the ring she decided she'd had enough and jumping and refused the second jump before getting eliminated at the fourth :mad: Anyway i guess we can only get better, and it was a good experiance i supose.

[kel]

never mind at least u had a go,as u said it will get better.well done;)

[Kanuma]

hey dont worry ridden showing is very competative and most ppl buy their horses rather then train them!!! and with the WH dont worry you made it to the fourth, which is alot better then i do, my worst record so far at a show is to do a clear round, then do the same course for the WH and get 14 refusals at the second fence (local club, local judge and a novice class so i was allowed to finnish the round!!)

[Gemma16]

Welldone anyway. As the others have said at least you had a go. Now you'll know what standard of schooling to expect and what competition you'll be against. I had a shock at my first show too at how strong the competition was.

Good luck for next time and just make sure your there in plenty of time:D