Showmanship is a great opportunity for you to show off the horse’s manners and your handling skills. No matter what level of riding or your discipline, showing your horse in a showmanship class has many great benefits.
What It’s All About
There are a variety of disciplines that offer showmanship including both western and english classes. There are also breed specific classes such as Arabian, Saddlebred, and stock horse showmanship. Showmanship is all about you as the showman and how well you present your horse. However, your horse does play a big role in how well you place in the class as you need him to listen and show the judges how well you work together as a team. In every class there is a pattern to memorize and complete.
There are a few basic maneuvers that you will see in any pattern. These maneuvers include leading at the walk, trot, backing up, pivoting on the hindquarters, and squaring up. The horse should respond to the changes in your body position as you preform each maneuver instead of relying on the lead. Your pattern should flow smoothly between maneuvers, appearing to spectators that you are not giving the horse any kind of signals.
Getting Started
In some classes (usually western) the horse wears a halter with a chain, and for others (usually english) the horse wears a bridle. First outfit your horse in a flat leather or nylon halter that fits him well and a stud chain or a bridle. To put on the chain from the left side of the horse, run the chain through the left nose band ring and pass the chain under his chin, run it up and out through the right nose band ring. Then clip it to the upper ring on the crown piece on the right side. Be sure to clip the snap so that it facing away from the horse as it can rub on his face and cause irritation.When you have your horse tacked up, there should be no more than two inches of chain on your lead between the halter and the leather part of your lead. If your chain is longer than this is will make cueing your horse more difficult and will detract from your appearance. To fix this simply clip the chain to itself on the right side to shorten it.
Correct Cues
When showing, it’s important to walk with your hands held slightly in front of your body. This position helps you to better communicate with the horse. Always hold onto the leather part of your lead, never the chain. In a class you will only lead and cue your horse from the left side, but it is a good idea to practice all of your maneuvers from both sides of your horse. Be sure not to exaggerate your cues, they should remain subtle and natural.
- Walk: Face forward, incline your shoulders slightly forward, then begin walking ahead. The horse should follow your lead. If he doesn’t follow automatically bring your lead hand forward and let him run into the lead chain. He will soon learn to follow your lead instead of lagging behind and feeling the pressure of the lead.
- Trot: Face forward, incline your shoulders slightly forwards and jog away. If your horse ignores your aids, bring your lead hand forward again until he jogs off with you. For more difficult horses you may have to pull him off balance to one side or the other when he resists, or use a training stick or whip to tap him near the girth to encourage forward movement.
- Stop: Bring your shoulders back slightly, slow your movement, and then stop your feet. If your horse ignores you, use backwards pressure on the lead. If the horse is still not listening to your cues use the end of your lead to tap him on the chest until he stops and backs up a step or two.
- Square Up: After you have stopped, turn and face the horse. Stand with your toes pointed toward his left front leg and your feet together. It is important to set your horse up the same way every time so that he can make a habit of it. To move the hind legs, use backward pressure on the lead toward the hip on the same side as the foot you want to move. Increase backward pressure to move the leg back further and apply forward pressure to bring it forward. To move your horse’s front feet, apply downward pressure on the lead toward the ground. Move his head away from the leg you want to move. Once he moves a leg in the correct direction, release the pressure and reward him once he is square by rubbing him and letting him rest.
- Pivot: Face the left side of your horse’s head with your shoulders square with his throat latch. Step toward him and he should move away and start pivoting. If he doesn’t move, apply pressure with your fingertips against his shoulder until he moves away from it. You can also use the end of your lead to tap him on the shoulder. Remember that you cannot touch your horse during a class. Continue practicing increasing the aids until he will move by your body position alone.
- Backing Up: Face toward the rear of your horse, with your shoulders perpendicular to his body. Step forward toward your horse and he should back away. If he doesn’t back up, apply pressure with your lead toward the horse’s chest.
The Quartering System
This system is used when presenting your horse to the judge. Quartering lets the judge see every part of the horse and how well you present him. The quartering system breaks the horse up into four quadrants. First, square your horse up for inspection. As the judge walks around the horse and moves through each quadrant you will move according to the judge’s location. If the judge moves from the rear quadrant to a front one you will move to the one on the opposite side. If the judge moves from the front to the rear quadrant you will move to the front quadrant on the same side as the judge. When the judge is at the back of the horse you will stay on the same side, but when he moves to the horses front end you will have to move to the opposite side of the horse.
Practice Patterns
After you and your horse understand each part of the pattern you can begin practicing whole patterns to prepare for your first show. Remember when showing to give yourself plenty of time to memorize your pattern. Also, keep in mind that the horse should be well groomed and in good condition. Your show clothes should also be clean, fit well, and compliment your horse’s coat color. Follow the link below for a couple patterns for you to practice.