Thursday, July 30, 2009

How to Fix Screw Ups in the Show Ring?

My horse has been shown for his 3rd season (this year). He started a bad habit towards the 2nd half of last season on the reverse in the show ring. He would anticipate the next gait that is asked and get all prancy, ansy - which of course, ruins the class for us. He didn't do it in every class, however, it has progressed to the point that he does it in EVERY class and ONLY on the reverse. Once you reverse, he's all tensed up and ready to just go into the next gait ... suggestions? He doesn't do this at home, not in the practice pen, ONLY in the show ring.
Answers:
looks like you have a pretty smart horse. you have been showing a lot it sounds like so may be your horse has learned the pattern of how things tend to go in a show ring. you will need to through some loops to him though so he starts paying attention to you and not trying to guess what is going to come next. take him to an arena and go in like you would for a show. then start to do all kinds of things that he knows how to do but do them in no specific order. this will teach him to listen to you and be open for what ever you ask of him and it will help with the anticipating the next gait because he wont know what it is.
Hmm try getting people to come watch you like they would in a show ring. If he starts to get ansy get him in trouble. Even if he does it in the show rign because it is there that he knows that he can do it. I know it looks bad but if you stop it in the rink from the beginning then it will stop.
Go to a cheap local show and "train" him during the class. We had a small local horse show here that was mainly trainers teaching their horses before getting onto the big circuit. Otherwise, get in touch with your local 4-H club or horse club and see if they are having a training session. If not, see if you can drum up enough interested people to have a "fake" horse show. Another thought may be to get in touch with whomever owns the show arena where you go and see if they will let you practice there. I used to do all of these my last several years in 4-H and for a couple of years afterwards to train my own horses. The 4-H club allowed me to practice with the 4-h'ers as long as I am the guinea pig and show the 4-H students some pointers and lead some training sessions.
I agree with a previous answer. You need to go to local show and train on him. This should help quite a bit, since he has figured out that you will not discipline when he is in the show ring. And that plus the fact you may be a bit nervous because you know what is about to happen could be causing this. And he is taking full advantage of it. It is amazing how ring savvy they can get. My old show gelding (now retired) would change gears everytime the mike clicked on. This made it tough to show sometimes if the annoucer paged anyone during a class. So I did the schooling show thing every so often and he would remember that he was not in charge, but had to wait for the correct cue. Good Luck!
Like some previous posters said, you're going to have to sacrifice some entry fees and train him in the ring. Go to a small show or schooling show if you can, just make sure that you don't jeopardize the chances of another exhibitor who is actually showing their horse by getting in the way or making a scene. You need to train him in a show situation often enough that he doesn't anticipate the commands. Some people have horses that are bad enough that they have to do two or three schooling shows between every regular show so the horse doesn't anticipate. He's learned that you won't discipline him in the ring and is taking advantage of you. Smart horse!
At some small shows, you can 'rent' the showring during breaks. Perhaps see if this is an option, and get several others to ride in the ring with you like it was an actual class. Have the announcer give the reverse command, then keep the horse at whatever speed you choose. Dont' let him change gaits when the other horses do, and ask him to change gaits when there is no announcer's signal to do so. I did this several times when I was showing, and it works wonders. Getting the horse in the ring for some pattern classes also helps. He learns that there's more to showing than listening for the announcer to tell him what to do.
Going to a schooling show as other people have suggested would be a great start.
Another suggestion I have is to change things up in the ring a little bit. Try waiting to reverse, circling after the reverse or cutting across the ring to reverse.
I'm not sure what breed you show, but my trainer (trains Arabians) enters horses that get antsy in a show hack class. This class calls for collected and extended gaits as well as the regular ones, so it switches things up and the horse doesn't know when to anticipate. Find a class that will mix up the routine for your horse.
When you practice (possibly at a "fake show" or at home) keep things interesting for your horse. Do things like walk, then canter, than reverse, than trot, then half circle, then trot a reverse, then trot from C to A and E to B! Then, in the horse show, your horse won't do anything until he/she gets your command! Good Luck!
Just go to a small schooling show, tell them when you register that you're schooling and don't wish to be judged. Put your number on upside down to indicate that you are not in contention.
Then on the reverse, DON"T go into the trot or canter when it's called. Just keep on walking or jogging or stop in a corner. Then pick up the gait when you feel like it, if you do. I'd have at least one class of not doing anything but walking a stopping. He'll be shocked, but he'll learn quickly.
Usually a small schooling show won't mind you doing this as long as you stay out of the way and aren't a nuisance. You still pay for the classes, but you don't have to worry about the class.
This will help you to stay relaxed and on top of him. And he'll learn to listen to you. You might be able to fake a show with a bunch of friends at someone's arena. Make it be kind of a play day fun non-show. Have someone act as judge. Be sure to treat it like a show with prep work and grooming.
This is a common, common problem for experienced show horses! Other common problems are the horse responding to the intercom and anticipating changes, and the horse trying to duck into the center of the ring.
The best solution is to realize how common it is, and to solve the problem before it starts by picking classes to school in instead of show even when your horse is still behaving good! (One trainer says she uses 1 out of every 3 classes to do some small part of schooling) You can decide to school and when you're asked to reverse, you can reverse and then do something totally out of the ordinary (that the judge did not ask for ) such as taking your time to follow the gait changes, or to stand in the middle, continue walking, or whatever. You must make sure that you do not ever do anything to hurt someone else's run, obviously, and you should check with show management before doing it. The suggestions about wearing your number upside down are appropriate.
Unfortunetely now your horse has a problem, and it can be solved, but it will be a bit more work.
You will need to do a variety of things to teach your horse that you decide the gaits, and he cannot guess what they might be. Some things you can do have already been suggested 1)ride in pretend classes with a group of others (You will probably need someone to announce the classes and even fans watching, and you will need to use your show clothes and saddle) 2)Enter schooling shows with the goal of schooling and working on this problem 3) Enter real shows and ride in several classes with the goal of schooling 4)Maintain the problem when it is solved, because it will be easy for your horse to revert to it.
I recommend Dana Hokana's video "Maximizing your Western Pleasure Horse" - How to Keep Your show Horse going Long Term. I don't know if you're showing Western or English, but this video will help even if you're English. It talks about schooling your horse in the show ring, 10 common cheats and their fixes, and how to reestablish a solid foundation. You can buy it on eBay or find it under her name on the internet. Not cheap but very worthwhile. (And no, I'm not getting a commision!)
One other option is taking your horse to a trainers for a month and having them help you with this problem. Not only would they have some good suggestions and excercises, but the crowded enivorment that most horses work in at a trainer's simulates the show ring in many ways, so your horse could be schooled really regularily and get over his bad habit quicker.
Good luck and don't get too discouraged. Remember, your horse isn't doing this to be bad, he just believes that he knows what you're going to do next, and he's hustling to do it!
You've gotten alot of good advice so far and it will probably take a combination to get your horse back to listening to you. I had a great horse I showed for many years that was extremely smart. Like your horse, on the reverse, he would anticipate horribley. I voice cue my horses...for example, when the announcer cues "lope", when I'm ready to lope, I say lope, then cue the horse with leg and and a cluck. Until I'm ready to lope, I consistently talk to the horse, saying walk, walk, easy, walk. The other thing to remember is that you don't have to change gait as soon as they call for it. There is nothing wrong with a 10 second lag or so, which will help disconnect your horse from the announcer's voice cue. It will probably take a couple of "schooling" classes to get your point across initially, but if you can retrain him to listen to your verbal cues, then you'll be fine in no time. Also remember that your state of mind will translate to your horse. If you're anxious, you probably lean forward, ready for him to misbehave. Keep your seat deep and relaxed and don't lean forward in anticipation of his antsy-ness. Good luck!
I would suggest acting like nothing happened. If your horse is making it hard for you, make it look like it isn't.

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