How to train for halter classes?

[Madi]

Last post. I promise. But I just have so much to ask LOL

I want to show my arabian in halter classes. Now, she is very responsive next to me. Will trot next to me without me having to carry a whip and flail around like a fool. She does so very nicely although at times a little unbalanced. So I have some to wonder, to get her to trot evenly ALL the time next to me, do I need to work on the trot under saddle? Or inhand? Her trot under saddle is fairly good, she collects well and extends well. It's even and not rushed. So how to apply this trot to inhand?

She flexes and bends nicely, also but still I'd like to perfect it. So does this need to be done undersaddle as well, or can I do this from the ground?

Also, do all Arabian classes require the horse to stand in the traditional arabian pose (head up, neck extended)? If so, does anyone have any ideas about how to teach her that?

Also, any useful hints and tips for the inhand classes would be gratefully apperciated. XD

I have never shown inhand before so this is all new, lol. So thanks for any help you guys can give!!

[Huntseat]

Unless you are showing SHIH, you will WANT some animation in hand, it is okay and even desirable for her to look "hot" and trot with some energy at the end of the line. And yes, if you are showing in an Arab halter class, she will need be trained to stack up which is what you described. She needs to learn what cues of yours mean to move each hoof. When I stack up my mare I walk her into the correct position for her back hooves and I lean forward which makes her rock back which is her cue for "woah". From then on, until I move out of my set up position, she is not to move her back hooves. Then I lift my right hand with the lead in it and give a little tug toward me on the lead. If I pull slightly to the right (My right as I am facing her), she is to move HER right hoof forward. If I tug to my left, she is to move her left hoof forward. When her feet are situated where I want them, I hold my whip pointed toward the ground with the handle closest to her nose and she reaches toward it.

[Madi]

LOL.

No offense but that just confused me more. I can see, Lucy and I have a long way to go before halter classes but do you have any tips, books or websites that will tutor me or guide me through teaching Lucy how to perform what your mare does?

[Huntseat]

LOL.

No offense but that just confused me more. I can see, Lucy and I have a long way to go before halter classes but do you have any tips, books or websites that will tutor me or guide me through teaching Lucy how to perform what your mare does?

No offense taken I just read back over my thread, and some of it was confusing even to me, LOL. I could have done a much better job wording it and explaining things Keep in mind while reading this that I am NOT a halter expert by any means, but I have shown it a bit with my mare and a couple other Arab geldings at my barn. There are a variety of methods that you can use, this is how I do it


The first step that you'll take is to get her to STOP when you give her a cue with your body. If she already knows "woah" well, then you can use that in conjunction with a cue (I face my mare and lean toward her). By STOP, I mean that she should plant her feet and not move them an inch from where they are when you cue her. What I have done is to back up my mare if she moves, walk on, and woah again.

After that, you work on teaching her to move her feet one at a time and only when cued. I personally focus on one front hoof, but other people will do this different ways. Let's say that you want her to move her right front hoof forward. If you're facing her, lean back a little bit, lift up y our hand, and give a gentle pull to YOUR right (which is her left). If she moves anything else, tell her woah and back her up a couple steps. Walk forward and try again until she will move only that right front hoof. Then go to the left and do the same thing.

When you have both hooves moving independently of each other and only when cued, you can work on walking her into the stance for her back hooves. When she walks, she will never have both feet on the ground at the same time, so your goal is to woah her at the right moment when both hind feet are where you want them to be as she is walking. After that is established, you can put the whole picture together. Walk her hind end into the correct position, then bring the front hooves forward to where you want them.

For stretching, I use a controversial method, and many people disagree with this, but it has been the only way to go for one of my mares because of the issues she developed from her previous years as a halter horse. I lean toward her as my woah cue to get her to rock back onto her hindquarters and "lock" her hooves in place, then I give a little "pop" with my lead (doesn't have to be hard, just enough to get her to lift her head and pay attention to you). I then put my whip, pointed down, in front of her, and give her food (carrots work best in my experience). Many people disagree with using food, but I have never had a problem getting great results with it and as long as you establish your respect boundaries, you shouldn't have a problem with your horse getting mouthy or nippy. After she finally understands the concept of reaching toward the whip for food, it was no problem at all to switch from having food in my hand to having no food and just the whip handle.

I'll also send you a link to an Arab forum that has a lot of halter enthusiasts that can help you more than I can probably Good luck with your mare! I want to see pictures of this girl

[Madi]

That helps a lot more then the other post LOL. Lucy already knows to halt, stand and not move a muscle until asked. So hopefully the hoof movement will be our next step. I had an experienced friend play with her at my agistment yesterday and she had her stacking up in less then 10 minutes. Of course, I don't expect her to remember it, I'm just happy she knows how to do it xD

[rachel_ariel]

I googled how to do it and I found these helpful steps

Step 1
Make sure that your horse can trot on the lead, has a healthy respect for your space, and will stop and pay complete attention to you. Before you can make any training for halter stick, all the basics must be in place.

Step 2
Teach your horse to trot on a long, loose lead. This will need to be done as if the horse is on the long-line and they know to stay at shoulder level with you, but a good 10 feet or more away. This is important, as it allows the judge to see them moving. You must also be quite fleet of foot in order to make a good showing of your horse.

Step 3
Teach the horse to "whoa" from the trot, and pay complete attention to you. It is often handy to train them to stop and then back up several steps as you walk toward them. Then, have them jump right back into the trot from the stop. The judge will want to see your horse lively and animated, so make sure that he will move for you at a moment's notice.

Step 4
Ask your horse to walk towards you, then command him to stop with his hind legs one in front of the other. This will take some practice and timing on your part. You will then ask him to move one front hoof at a time by rocking his head back and forth until he takes one small step with a front hoof, then stop him again. You want his front feet to be even, and the back legs to be spread. This will take time and practice.

Step 5
Teach him to reach for the whip by getting down low, with a paper bag or other interesting or spooky object, and having him reach down in curiosity towards it. Praise him when he extends his neck, but do not allow him to move his feet. Again, it takes practice, practice and more practice. Eventually, he will follow your whip hand and "give" his neck when you ask him to.

Tips & Warnings

This takes time and repetition, practice, and lots and lots of patience.

Always reward your horse for every step he makes, no matter how small, so he knows what is good and what is not. Be consistent.

Found at http://www.ehow.com/how_4523373_trai...r-showing.html

There is also a site called The Amateur Halter Handler Association...not really an association just a group of amateur halter people. It's a great place to get help for this from arabian breeders and trainers plus they have step by step lessons....http://theammyarmy.forumotion.com/

Rachel and Aries (We're starting halter training too lol)

[Blondehorse]

Keep in mind, guys, that she's in Australia. I don't know if they expect as much 'animation' as is desired in American halter classes. Also, from the pictures I see of Australian shows in my Arabian Horse World, the hard stand-up appears to be much less common there than it is here. You still see the posing with the stretched neck, but it's much more relaxed than the hard stand-up.

The Australian way of showing Arabs, from what I can tell, is closer to that of the European shows, particularly British, than it is to the US shows.