News: Articles: The most common show ring mistakes

An Amateur Point of View

The most common show ring mistakes

where they come from and what to do about them
by Russ Vento

Recently the Times asked me to write a column of observations on Arabian horses for amateurs, from an amateur point of view. In June, we started with the finishing touches an exhibitor can use to polish off his/her appearance in the ring. This time I thought we might tackle the most common mistakes amateurs make in showing their horses, and how to correct them.

The minute I start thinking about mistakes, I can't help but wonder what's causing them-and as I ran through the list of problems that I see from the rail (or from center ring, as a judge), I was struck with the fact that most of them come from the same source: a lack of confidence. Now, if we don't believe in ourselves, how can we believe in our horses? In our trainers? And we have to be proud of what we're putting out there in front of people if we're going to have a successful ride.

Just so you will know that I have some experience with lack-of-confidence, I'll say right up front that I rode for 30 years with literally no national success, and I realize now that it all was attributable to the fact that I was just terrified when I went into the ring. Omigod, I'm not going to get my leads. Omigod, my horse is not going to trot. Omigod, I'm not going to be able to keep him in the bridle. I worried about all those things. And then, in 2000, I decided, "You know what? I'm not going to let myself do that anymore." And I started winning.

Performance

So let's start in the performance arena, with the first impression you make on the judge. We come through the gate and we have this huge smile on our face. The problem is, half of us are purple, because we haven't taken a breath since we left the warm-up ring. This is a critical time; it's our first impression, and we let our nerves take over. This is really unfortunate because the chances are, as we are heading to the ring, our trainer is running right alongside us saying, "You're going to do great, you've had a great warm-up" (or whatever). Then we hit the gate and blow it-just when all we need is confidence.

Once through the gate, a lot of us want to go right to the rail We go straight in, and then cut right to the rail. You know, we don't have to worry; we're not dodging anything (or, hopefully, anyone), and we aren't going to run into a fence until we get to the other end of the ring. A little confidence would show the judge that we know what we are doing and we have a plan.

Probably the most common mistake I see is riders getting their horses on the wrong lead. We get our leads at home and with our trainer-and then we go through that gate and we forget how to canter. It's really not hard; rail hand, squeeze, kiss. Three things, that's all we have to remember. But we get to a horse show, go in the gate, and we're thinking, 'Gotta canter, gotta canter.' Okay, inside hand, kiss-we're doing it so pretty, and we're so happy because we're cantering-and . we're on the wrong lead. It's amazing how many people have that happen to them.

That's just three problems, but none of them would exist if we just had a little more confidence in ourselves. So where does confidence come from and how do we get it? We need to know our horses, and we need form and showmanship and carriage, and we need to know we have all that. That kind of confidence is often instilled in riders by their teachers. But even without a good teacher, we can do a lot to help ourselves.  

First, we have to have good horsemanship skills. Twenty years ago, we had classes where you sat down and you learned the body parts of the horse and you learned how to groom a horse. Then you started riding and you learned how to walk-your position and your posture. And then you went to trot and you learned your diagonals. Over time, your confidence built up naturally.

We don't take that time any more. There are very few riding teachers. More often, what's happening is that you go to horse shows and see the excitement of, say, Cindy Shackelford riding Beetlejuice. And you go find out Cindy Shackelford's trainer and you buy the closest thing to Beetlejuice that you can find. And you say, "Let's go!"

Well, times may have changed, but even so, with very few exceptions, it just doesn't work that way. You've got to do the homework. We may not have many of those old riding academies any more, but the homework of learning horsemanship is still around. The more you learn about your horse, yourself, and showing horses, the more confidence you will build up.  

One good way to do our homework these days is to watch our Seehorse videos honestly and as training aids. You may be feeling like you had a great ride, but then, observing yourself, realize that you weren't really all that competitive. You're judging your performance and you can sit back and say, "Oh, God, I look scared to death," or "Maybe my horse needed to be more in the bridle," or maybe "I needed to show off a little, I got myself boxed in." Those videos are more than great memories. They can help us get a lot better and stronger-and the better we know we look, the more pride we will have in our performance and the more confidence we will have.

You hear people say, "I'm happy with my ride, so it's okay whatever ribbon I get," and maybe in the past you've said, "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah." But you know what? That goes a long way. You're happy with that ride.

Another way to improve your ring performance is to watch people who are better than you are. Your appearance in a class is not just what you are wearing. It's about how you are going to place yourself in the ring, what you are going to do to look your best (are you going to make that entrance at an angle or straight?). Plan your appearance. Go watch a class. Think about what works for you and your horse. If you really like the way Joey Canda showed a horse, try presenting your horse that way. Learn from other people.

I'm saying learn from other people, but let me add one important condition. I'm talking about the technique of placing a horse or attracting a judge's attention. I'm not talking about techniques that apply to individual horses. For instance, we see a trainer in an English, western, hunter or whatever class, keeping the horse arced to the inside, with his hand way high up. We can't always go to him and ask why-and maybe find out that that particular horse stays really tensed up and he's trying to keep him loose and going forward. Instead, we go and do it and our horse doesn't need it or understand it, and he does the opposite thing. And then we get mad and spur and the horse gives in and bends that way, but now his ears are back and his tail is like a propeller. Wrong.

That leads us to remembering that the horse has to look happy too. That's part of the overall picture. I remember seeing one horse in a sidesaddle class who looked just beautiful, except when other horses got around it, and then it was just ugly. But this rider had things like that all planned out in advance. She just crossed the arena so that she could show herself at her best. That would work in any performance. Know your horse and know what pleases it. If your horse is unhappy, find out why. A video comes in very handy in a case like this.

If you think you can't tell what your horse is feeling, think again. Especially with Arabians, they tell us stuff. They tell us in their mouth, they tell us in their ears, and they tell us especially with their tails. My back's hurting . my feet hurt . get out of my face for a minute . quit kicking me so much-I know what to do! But our lack of general basics sometimes keeps us from picking up on those signals. Too often, we'll think something like, "Oh, well, he's just pissy." So we kick and jerk and spur him some more, and then tie his tail to the side of the saddle so that he can't move it, and then we take it all off, call the vet and expect him to go in the ring and be happy. (And we're surprised when he's not? What more could he have done to let us know what was going on with him?)

If you work with your horse from the ground up, you probably know when he is unhappy. You know when your children are unhappy, or when your husband or wife is unhappy, and you figure out why. Well, horses can't talk to us, but they are trying to tell us things. If you woke up with your back hurting, the last thing you'd want is someone on you kicking and spurring you. It's so simple! Feel your horse's body. Feel his back; if he drops, he's sore. Check his legs. If they feel hard or mushy or swollen, that all sends a message.

Unfortunately, most of us don't do our own grooming. We don't get our own horses ready. We don't know those things when we go to get on a horse. So it pays either to run your hands over your horse, or before getting on him, to ask the groom who takes care of him how the horse is doing.

And one last reflection . our trainers' guidance is invaluable-but we have to learn to do it by ourselves. In order to win in today's competition, we must ride our horses on the edge, and we can't learn where 'the edge' is by our trainer's telling us what to do every step. The fact is that when we go into the ring, we're basically on our own-we hear our trainer for only 10 feet or so. I take lessons, but every now and then, my trainer sends me off on a ride-by-myself lesson. That means that for half an hour or so, I'm on my show horse in the arena, but I'm on my own. I know what he has taught me to do; now I have to hear his voice in my head and figure out how to achieve it all-on my own. I do the gaits by myself. I learn how much to push and where the breaking point may be. This helps me in the show ring. I know, most trainers are not that crazy about letting you go off by yourself with your show horse. They are afraid you might mess something up. But the rewards are worth it. For junior amateurs and adult riders, it instills a lot of confidence.  

Halter

In halter, the challenges are a little different for an amateur. The biggest problem is lack of practice, and when we do practice, our trainers have us with a well-tuned halter horse. And then it's like a five minute lesson, because God forbid you let that horse get away with something! Then it might cheat on the trainer.

So my advice is-go practice. Showing a halter horse is basically the simple process of getting the feet, and learning to do your job in a show ring atmosphere.

For standing the horse up:go lead your broodmare or your gelding around. Take them for a walk. Learn to teach them just to place their feet.

For the electric atmosphere: Your halter trainer can help you learn to show in the intensity and excitement of the show ring. We're not trained to walk in front of the horses, let alone walk in front of the horse backwards. We're taught to walk on the left side of the horse, with our hip at his shoulder. Well, we get to the ring and we're nervous already, and now we have to walk backwards. And we're watching the horse's feet to make sure that he stops and stands with that left foot back, and then we have to pull his shoulders out . but we have to do it all backwards, and we have to do it standing in front of them.

You might have to push your halter trainer a little to help you out. We have some great halter trainers out there, but ask them how they do it, and most of them will say, "Oh, you don't have to worry. The horse is going to do it for you." Well, that's fine and dandy, but just as you practice your riding on a lesson horse, practice your halter showing on a 'lesson' horse. Go find a broodmare. You're not going to screw anything up on her; you might just teach her something.

Outside influences

There are a few confidence-killers that no amount of practice or even skill can defeat.  Parents, husbands and wives who crank up the pressure before a horse show rank at the top of the list. It's understandable. Sometimes those other family members are the ones who are footing the bill for the exhibitor's pleasure. Sometimes they mean well; they just want their loved one to win so much that they lose their perspective. But either way, a stressed-out competitor is not usually a winning competitor.

And don't let your competition psyche you out. There's a lot of that going on too. The well-meaning friend or acquaintance who catches you after a preliminary and says, with the most sympathetic expression, "Oh, I saw your horse. .. Ohhhhhh. Yeah, you had a little trouble." Things to throw that little bit of doubt in your mind. Don't listen to them. Listen to your trainer, listen to your horse, listen to yourself. Go show. Have a good time.

And finally .

I think part of our problem is that we have put so much emphasis on the national horse shows or the championship or reserves. Fourth place isn't any good any more. Top Ten isn't any good anymore. Not so! (I have a stronger word, but it probably shouldn't be print.) Those awards are pretty damn special.  

The point of showing at every level goes back to basic horsemanship. Take your time; do it in levels. We don't want to admit it, but all that stuff helps us There are the exceptions to the rule-those who can go buy the horse, get on the horse and win. But the general public can't just do it. You have to learn. You can't become a doctor because your neighbor is a doctor and he hands you a knife and you cut good. Why would you expect to become an expert horseman or horsewoman overnight? Learning is a lot of the fun.

I cherish my first championship because it took me a long time to get there. My first top ten, my first national championship-you have to do the levels. That's why they're there. You gotta learn somewhere. You can't do it all in the trainer's warm-up pen.

Get rid of the nerves and just enjoy.

Russell Vento Jr. has been involved in the Arabian industry for 25 years, and since 1989 has been a partner in Battaglia Farms. He was honored with the APAHA Amateur Horseman Male Award in 2001. To date, he has owned or shown 30 U.S., Canadian and National Show Horse national champions, and he now enjoys watching his daughter Skyler win on many of the horses with whom he was successful. He has been a Large R USAE/AHA judge since 1996.

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