[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by Serendipity Zip

I got some questions about trail class.

1. What extra things do judges like to see?

2. Do they like the lope to be alittle faster than the wp lope?

3. What are some common errors?

4. Loose reins or light contact?

5. Are voice comands okay?

1. Little touches that make a difference...
-Sidepassing a few steps up to and away from the gate
-Giving your horse enough freedom to look down a little and pick his way carefully through/over obstacles; same thing going over the bridge
-Maintaining a calm, happy western pleasure look throughout the class
-Precision... absolute precision

2. Between obstacles, the lope should be very much like a Western Pleasure lope... and like Western Pleasure, it must be a true, 3 beat gait. No four-beating. Over obstacles, your horse may need to shorten or lengthen his loping stride... and so plan the rest of your lope accordingly. It would look funny to do an incredibly slow lope up to a wagon wheel and then suddenly stretch out like a race horse to make the rail spacings! Hahaha! So keep a smooth 'overall performance' in mind.

3. Common errors in trail...
-Looking down and misjudging distances
-Leaning over in the back through and pushing your horse's hips out
-Leaning too far over to hold the gate (this also pushes your horse away from the obstacle)
-Overexaggerating their posture in the saddle over the bridge... sure, lean forward a little bit and give your horse some rein, but it's a bridge, not the Tevis Trail... no need to stand in your stirrups and lean over the horn
-Rushing and getting flustered
-Petting or accidentally touching your horse or tack (automatic DQ)

4. Rein contact should be "reasonably loose"... so this should be as comfortably loose as you can ride while maintaining control at all times. If your reins are draped below your horse's chest, that's excessive. On the other hand, there should be at least some slack in the reins most of the time.

5. Sure! This isn't a dressage test. I have nothing at all against a rider using her voice, saying "easy" or kissing/clucking for a precise lope departure, or saying "whoa"... that kind of thing. It doesn't add or subtract points in your score.

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by Saddlehorse_gir

Hi, I saw that people were posting pictures here for conformation, and I thought it would be agood idea to get Red checked out. If he's good, I might take him on-line.
Red is a 9 (I think) year old Saddlebred gelding, and we go saddleseat counrty pleasure.
Sorry, these are the best pictures I have right now.

Actually since the mods were nice enough to make a specific place just for conformation analyses, I won't undermine their efforts! Let's go do check out Red in the Critique My Horse forum. If you don't mind reposting his photos, I'll give you my thoughts about his conformation over there.

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by Thrills

What would a judge think about a 9 month pregnant lady in showing in halter and showmanship classes?

Would a judge frown upon it and not place the person?

I am due the first week of May, and our show season begins in April...I was thinking of doing some classes if i can waddle fast enought to keep up with the horse...just wondering from a judge's point of view if i would even place

Wow, that's a new one on me! And I thought showing with one leg in a cast was die hard! Very cool!

Well, I think there are only a couple considerations over and above showing under non-preggo circumstances. Any handler has to be fit to compete, so as long as you feel well enough and are comfortable to walk and trot the horse normally, then you're good to go. I also think safety should be foremost in mind, so while women over 18 are permitted to handle stallions in most shows, I'd think it'd be best to stick to handling well mannered mares/geldings.

So if your doctor gives you the go-ahead, find yourself a gorgeous maternity halter jacket and more power to ya!

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by bay_blnd jmpr07

Do you as a judge watch riders outside the arena in between classes? And check out how they handle their horses? Do you watch them warm-up and watch them treat and ride their horses outside a class.

I've been told that a judge will watch exhibitors outside the arena and see how they are handling their horses both from the ground and in the saddle. And also in warm-ups before classes start.

Does this have any affect on how the rider will place? Say a rider is getting angry at their horse and are yanking the reins, slapping their horse and what not, will this affect their placing in a class? Will they get placed a little lower because of it even if their ride was pretty good?

No. I don't watch riders outside the arena. Technically, judges are not supposed to be evaluating horses or riders until they are entering the ring to compete, in the interest of fairness (exception: things like 4H or Pony Club evaluatons where your husbandry and ground manners are also judged). At horse shows though, sometimes as I'm walking from the ring to the little girls' room, or getting a hot chocolate at the concession, I can't help but see exhibitors around the show grounds.

If during one of those moments, I happened to witness someone abusing a horse, showing poor sportsmanship or otherwise breaking a show/association rule, then they'd be subject to the appropriate consequences, whether that was disqualification from competing, being asked to leave the grounds, or what have you. But that would be an exceptional case. Judges and show management trust the show steward(s) to catch/report/handle any such incidents.

If what I happened to see was just poor horsemanship in general, for example someone being rude with the horse like you mentioned, but not technically abusive... I can't help but notice that and it doesn't leave a favourable impression about that rider.

Officially, I have to judge what I see in the ring. But even judges are human. So if a rider makes an awful, unsportsmanlike impression at any time, it might cost them some favour with the judge.

[SportPonyCrayzi]

What kind of braids do you think are most prefered at dressage shows? What extra little things would you like to see in a test that sometimes aren't?

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by AutumnAttic

Do you prefer braiding?

Also, do you ever judge the people you know differently ?

Turnout and grooming add to the whole picture you present in the ring. So especially if your horse has an unruly mane or tail, nice tidy braiding goes a long way to helping you give the judge the impression that you are well prepared and you're there to compete!

No, absolutely not. This goes directly to professionalism and my reputation as a fair, objective judge and it's something I care a great deal about. My students don't show under me when I am judging. Apart from students, reality dictates that within the horse world, sometimes I will have met a competitor at some point before I judge them in a show. It cannot and does not affect my placings. The way I feel about it is, my name is on the show program as the judge. Every competitor should pay their entries with confidence in the knowledge that they will be judged fairly and without bias, whether they've met me before or not.

[chiligirl05]

I dont know where to start on questions...lol

I just started i 4-H last year and this i regret is my last year. I guess a couple of my questions are...

Do you think in western show wearing black pants, white shirt with a little bit of desgin and a black vest is ok? My horse is a dark bay (no white at all) morgan mare and i am thinking of having a black blanket, she has a almost mahgony saddle. Do you think this is a wise choice for apperance?

Do you have any suggestion or advice for someone who is going to be showing for the first time in western and english? (That is for my step-sister)

I will leave with that for now...and hopefully this will answer most of them. Thank you very much.

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by bay_blnd jmpr07

Thank you!! Fiona is little...only 15.1hh. I have considered Arab shows but don't quite know how to go on about it. Shan(member on here) has showed me some but I'd like to have an Arab trainer to help me.

A trainer that shows and coaches at Arabian shows in your area would be a great idea. You don't have to sign up for full time training and leave your horse at the trainer's barn... even a lesson a week would be helpful in learning about what is expected at Arabian shows. You could join the local Arab club's youth association! You're also more than welcome to keep asking questions here. There are several of us on HGS who are active or knowledgeable in the Arabian show world... make friends with Arabkid and Psylocke, Sandra-A1, Wyldterv (speakin' of whom, where is Karyn lately, anybody??) and I'm sure there are lots more!

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by EqUeStRiAn

LOVELY THREAD! You are so kind for doing this!

In saddlebred classes, both Country English Pleasure and Hunter Pleasure, what sort of movement/headset do you like to see? I currently show my mare in both, and although I am pleased with her ability in both, the higher specialty of the horses that I show against (saddleseat) makes it hard to place. Hunter is not as big of a problem, actually I find that we do extremely well in hunter just by her movement and style. The saddleseat however, like i said, is tougher especially since our competition is heavily shod/padded CP horses. I am planning on LIGHT weighting her front shoes next she season (she is currently plain shod) since we cross train in hunters and jumpers as well. I have been showing saddlebreds since I started riding, and I have heard MANY different opinions in the showring. Im proud of our crosstraining but saddlebred hunters/sport horses are still frowned upon to some degree up here in Canada... Any insight/tips? Thank you!

Oh you're taking on a challenge! It's tough to be competitive in both, good on ya for riding against the Country horses with their heavier pads and shoes. I can't see her saddleseat photos, but Daisy looks great in Hunter - very much the picture of what I'd want to see for her breed type. Country Pleasure horses in all breeds are getting more and more like the English Pleasure horses of old... trotting bigger, getting more upright, and so on.

If you're going to continue cross entering, I'd put lots of effort into really seperating your cues and riding posture for the two disciplines as much as possible. That way Daisy will be able to feel when it's time to stretch out and move forward for Hunter, and when it's time to rock back, get elevated, and "get lit" for her Country classes.

I believe it can be done, there are some phenomenal English horses that go barefoot, so surely a talented horse can do Country with light weighted shoes. If you want to send links for the saddleseat pics, that'd be cool!

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by SportPonyCrayzi

What kind of braids do you think are most prefered at dressage shows? What extra little things would you like to see in a test that sometimes aren't?

SPC, I'm afraid I can't help ya much on this one. Though I've ridden dressage, I don't regularly compete in it and my judging qualifications are not specific to dressage. So I'll defer the question of the 'extra special' touches in grooming and riding tests, to the HGS members who currently specialize in the discipline!