Showing 101

Going to the first horseshows can be exciting yet nerve racking.  There are many new things to learn and sometimes no one to ask.  The following is to hopefully help you through the days of your first horseshows.

Schooling Day – Schooling Day is usually the Friday preceding the show.  The management of the horse show allows schooling in the rings over the jumps that you will see the following day or two.  Schooling is to give you and your horse a feel for the ring and the grounds around you.  When you arrive at the show grounds on Friday you should check the stall chart which is posted at the front of the park and find where you are stalled for the weekend.  After you get your horse settled with shavings and water a parent/guardian should come to the office to check the rider/horse into the horse show.

Checking In – The show office usually opens the afternoon prior to the show.  The secretary should already have a copy of your entry blank which should be faxed or mailed in prior to the horseshow.  To make check-in easier you should give the secretary the trainer’s name and then the horse’s Show Name.  Please remember that the secretary does not know the “Barn name” of the horse.  After giving the names to the secretary, they will be able to pull your entry blank and make sure that the releases have been signed on the entry blank.  At that point the secretary will ask for a check to secure the entry for the weekend and give you a back number in return.  That number is for the rider/horse for the entire weekend.  Pick up a schedule at the office and check for any changes in the schedule for the following day. They will be posted on the door or on the desk.  Double check start times of the rings.
Schooling – Please make sure that you are under your trainer’s direction during schooling.  Make sure that safety is your main concern, watch for all riders and listen for directions that are being called out to you.  BE AWARE OF ALL AROUND YOU.

Show Day – Make sure you have your jacket, shirt, boots, helmet, gloves, hairnet, jodhpurs/breeches and back number.  If you wear jodhpurs and paddock boots make sure that you have garters.  Make sure that your boots are clean and that your tack including the bit is clean.  (The judge notices all of that)  Make sure you are there when your trainer tells you to be there and that there is plenty of time to groom your horse and yourself.  At each gate there is a gate keeper/paddock master.  They are the “air flight controller” for the show ring.  Every rider needs to check in with the gate either personally or through your trainer.  Please make sure you ask your trainer whose responsibility that is.  The gate keeper will put you in a rotation, usually of 3 horses.  Please know where in the rotation you are and have your course memorized before your rotation starts.  Your trainer will take you to a warm up ring to go over a few jumps before going to the show ring.  When you enter the show ring the trainer needs to tell the gate keeper if this is a warm up trip or the first trip to your division.  When everyone in your division has done the over fences part you will be called back for the under saddle/flat portion of your division.  Please make sure that your martingales have been removed from your horses before this portion.  IMPORTANT:  When removing tack from a horse the rider should dismount and remount after the martingale has been removed. During the show day there may be a need to add or scratch classes that you are entered in.  Please go to the show office to fill out an add/scratch and take a copy of the add/scratch to the gate keeper.  If you do not take it to the gate keeper you might get closed out of a class or charged for a class that you did not ride in.  Listen for the results over the loud speaker for each class.

Checking out – At the end of the show the parent/responsible party goes to the office to close out the check.  The secretary will go over every class the rider participated in along with stall, shavings, and tack stall charges.  Please have a general idea of classes your rider participated in.  The secretary will hand you a show bill with your charges and your check number on it.  Also at the bottom of the bill you will see classes participated in and the ribbons received in them.  Hope that you have had fun!!

Below are some definitions and terminology that may be helpful to you and your parents:

• Hunter classes – judged on the movement and look of the horse.
• Equitation classes – judged on the rider and the look of the rider on the horse.  Rider needs to be “turned out” properly.  Clean attire, clean boots, and black gloves.
• O/F – Over Fences.  Ridden over a course of jumps in a specific order.  GHJA Hunter O/F classes should have at least 8 jumps and GHJA Equitation classes have at least 6 jumps.
• U/S – Under Saddle. Under Saddle classes invite all participants in the specified Hunter Division into the ring at one time to perform at a Walk, Trot and Canter.  Judge will call for a line up in the center of the ring with riders’ backs to the judge at the conclusion of the class.  The announcer will call out the placings and riders will exit at a walk in the order of the placings.
• Flat – All riders will enter the ring after the O/F portion of their equitation class and show at a Walk, Trot and Canter.  The rider is being judged on their position and the look of the rider on the horse.
• (It always helped me in the beginning that Under Saddle meant they were judging what was under the saddle and the Flat meant it was the rider)
• Division – Consists of at least two over fences classes and an under saddle class.
• Points – Point values are given to each ribbon.  1st place-10 points, 2nd place-6 points, 3rd place – 4 points, 4th place – 2 points, 5th place – 1 points, 6th place 0.5 points.
• Champion – participant with the most points in a division.
• Reserve Champion – participant with the second most points in a division.
• (Champion and Reserve Champion are decided from points of the top 4 over fences riders and their U/S class)
• Equitation Medal Class – There are 3 GHJA Equitation Medals.  The GHJA Pony Medal which is for those riders that participate in Pony Hunter classes.
• The J.D. Pounds Medal which if for junior riders that jump 3’ and the GHJA Adult Medal which is for adult riders that jump 3’.  Equitation Medal Classes may have an over fences and a flat phase.  The judge them combines the score of each phase to place the ribbons for the class.  The GHJA Pony Medal may have a test built into the course instead of having a flat phase.

More to come………