Congress Conquered

We have returned from the Congress...and I'm tired..as I'm sure my showmanshippers are. We did have a finalist in the Novice Am Showmanship who got just a touch nervous at the end of her pattern on the 2nd go.
None of the patterns this year were "out there" with outlandish things like squares last year...that was ODD... the patterns were challenging w/o being outlandish...in the next few days (as I DIG the patterns out), I'll go over the weak spots I watched many exhibitors make in the two patterns that we did (novice and select)...
Until then...keep practicing!

Prepping for your BIG day

Back in "my" day we didn't get patterns weeks before to practice...as luck would have it, we had them the night before...and well, we practiced, but we didn't practice our horses into the ground. We didn't drill the pattern over and over again, we ran the pattern once and figured out our weak spots. Then we practiced that part of the pattern until it became 2nd nature...then we'd put the pattern back together again to see if we "really" had it, and usually there was another part that needed some polishing, so we'd practice JUST THAT part. And after we had it "perfected" and ran a perfect pattern, we'd mix up the pattern a little bit so our horses didn't anticipate that pattern. This way they were fresh for the next day.

Then we went and TRIED to get a good night's sleep...nerves always seemed to get the better of me the night before. Counting sheep never worked, so I put my insomnia to work. I thought about my perfect pattern, over and over and over and over again. I visualized myself walking into the arena, totally dressed, everything perfect and I ran that perfect pattern step by step in my mind, over and over and over again.

Ya know it worked...I've got the buckles to prove it (wink!)

Congress Patterns are Posted!

Ok, first things first...Congress patterns are posted! You can download them for free from http://www.horseshowpatterns.com/ just follow the Congress symbols.

I know I have been neglecting this poor blog lately...I'm sorry, it's futurity season and we've been on the road and something has to give...LOL...anyway, right now my focus is shifting towards Congress and getting our Congress horses to prime AT Congress. We'll be gone from October 10 through 25th...so needless to say, this blog will be REALLY quiet during that time.

I do not plan on going over the Congress patterns until Congress is OVER (some things need to remain with me for my clients best interest, but I promise I will share when it's all over!). I will give you a few insider tips on preparing yourself and your horse for your "big" day...whether that's Congress, the World's, the National's, County/State Fair...whatever the "big" day is for you and your horse. I'll post this in the next few days. Until then, keep practicing!

The Quarter Horse Congress

Whether you are attending congress or just wishfully thinking, you can see all the patterns on line even BEFORE Congress starts. They will be available October 1st! You can find them on horse show patterns website http://www.horseshowpatterns.com/
These are always great for practicing!

Pattern 30, Novice

Findings:

• Walk briskly from cone 1 to cone 2. Leave yourself enough room to pivot at cone 2 before you set up from cone 1.
• Stop with your hip in line with the judge and the cone (this is where my students had a hard time with, they needed to stop with their hip on that invisible line from the cone to the judge). Typically it was 3 steps when their body passed the judge to where hip placement was.
• Do not over or under spin and trot straight to judge.
• Back approximately 5 steps (one horse length).
• Walk to judge, leaving yourself enough to room for the pivot after inspection.
• Set up (under 3 seconds), perform inspection, upon dismissal, perform 270.
• Glance at judge and trot straight away.

Pattern 29, Novice

Findings:

• It's important that you start in line with the judge (and if you're the first to go in the pattern and the judge is not standing there, to make sure you have enough room at cone 1 so when you stop and pivot at cone 2, you don't run over it!)
• Trot from cone 1 to cone 2, stopping with your horse's nose at 2, perform your 360, looking up at the judge towards the end of your turn so that you don't over or under pivot.
• Walk from cone 2 to cone 3, picking up the trot at cone 3 (make sure you are asking your horse to trot off with you BEFORE you get to cone 3, so you aren't late in your trot off).
• Stop with your horse directly in front of the judge (1 1/2 arms length away).
• After dismissal, back 5 steps, pivot 90 (you may have to pull your horse slightly forward so that it doesn't pivot on the incorrect foot) and walk away.
  

Pattern 28, Advanced

Findings:

• Start with a brisk trot, you will need this because as you begin turning horse to trot to cone 3, they will automatically want to slow down and possibly walk.
• Slow to a walk, making it a smooth transition, do not stop, practice until it becomes automatic for both you and your horse.
• Walk a tight circle around the cone, making sure you are looking up and for the judge for your trot off approach.
• Make sure you stop your horse in front of the judge, at 1 1/2 arms length away, back straight and walk back, again stopping 1 1/2 arms length away.
• Upon dismissal make sure your horse is paying attention to you so you don't catch your horse sleeping and off guard for your 270...spin, a quick glance at the judge and trot straight away.
  

Pattern 27, Advanced

Here's a pattern I found in my archives that we practiced before Congress (like 2 years ago...LOL)...thought it could be a fun pattern for practice!



Findings:

• Trotting from 1 half way to 2, make sure you have a complete stop and wait 1 breath before continuing on.
• Make your circle around cone 2, keeping your horse up with you.
• As you round cone 2 on the south side, make a glance at the judge for your positioning, your horse will need to stop dead center of the judge...this is why this pattern is so difficult...stopping dead center can be hard!
• Back smoothly and straight.
• You will back into your pivot, you may have to pull your horse slightly forward to keep it's weight on it's pivot foot...remember to look up at the judge before you end your pivot so that you don't over/under pivot.
• Walk to judge (smile on your face, of course)
• Set up.
• Nice smooth pull turn, glance at judge and trot straight away.
  

Pattern 26, Novice

Findings:

• Start far enough away from cone 1, so that by the time you perform your 270, you can complete it on the correct side of the cone.
• Practice your trot to walk, so that you perform this smoothly and seemlessly...you don't want your horse to stop or worse, continue trotting while you are walking to cone 3.
• Back your horse straight and stopping your horse's pivot foot is in line with the judges left shoulder, this puts you dead on with the judge after you perform your 270.
• Your 270...you've just backed and your horse's natural inclination would be to suck back and pivot on the incorrect foot...make sure your horse is pivoting on the correct foot and pull your horse slightly forward if needed.
• Trot straight to judge and stop leaving plenty of room (1 1/2 arms length away) for stopping and setting up.
• Upon dismissal, peform a full 90, look back at judge and walk away.
  

Go Show

I have heard lots of excuses for not showing a horse. He/she's not ready, I'm not ready, the weather is too hot/cold/rainy/whatever, it's too expensive, but why am I not placing when I do?
The fact is, the more you show your horse the better you will BOTH get. You will learn a lot about each other and that's what makes good teams...knowing each other through all the little problems and how to correct those little problems before they become HUGE problems.
When you do show, take mental notes of those competitors that do very well, how do they prepare before they walk through the in gate? You can learn a lot in the warm up pen.
Watch those that are the next step up for you...are you novice? Watch the youth or amateur group, see what it takes to do the next step up. Observe other exhibitors practicing with their trainers, you'll be certain to catch a handy tip here and there.
The point is, the more you show, the better you will get faster. You'll learn how to deal with your nervousness (if you are) and possibly your horse's nervousness (if they are).
Do you have a green horse? Take them in the class with small goals, ie. 3 second set up, nailing the spin, etc... and be proud of that accomplishment and make a mental note of the next goal to set for yourself and your horse.
Are you green? Make yourself a small goal, ie. looking up and smiling at the judge during your approach, nailing your crossovers, feining confidence.
Basically, get your rear in gear and go show, you'll get better, your horse will get better and before you know you'll start placing higher and higher!
Until next time, see you in the arena!

Pattern 25, Advanced

Findings

• Start by being ready for the judge, and trot briskly, making sure that your horse is keeping up with you.
• Make both of your arcs equal, making sure that cone 2 is large enough for cone 3, since cone 3 is an inside turn (your horse is on the inside and you are on the outside). You want your arcs large enough to be sure that your horse doesn't walk around cone 3.
• Trot straight to cone 4, stopping with enough distance to make your 450 without hitting the cone.
• Back until your hip is even with the judge (practice this until you have it perfected, this is all about knowing your horse).
• Perform your 90, walk to judge, stopping at 1 1/2 arms length away.
• Upon dismissal, perform a 90 turn and trot straight away.
  

Pattern 24, Novice

Findings

• Be prepared to go at cone 1 as the person in front of you exits.
• Trot briskly, make sure that your horse stays with you around the circle and to cone 3.
• Stop at cone 3 with your hip even with the judge.
• TIP: Practice with someone and figure out how many steps YOU take after you pass the judge to where your horse's hip lands...the majority of my students were between 2 and 3 steps.
• Complete a 90 turn, do not over or under turn.
• Look up and at the judge as you are walking to the judge.
• Stop in front of judge, leaving 1 1/2 arms length between horse and judge and set up for inspection.
• Upon dismissal, perform a 270 and trot straight away.
  

Pattern 23, Intermediate

Findings:

• Start with being in line to the judge at cone 1.
• Trot off briskly (remember also that you are running on the outside of the turn, so you might have to step it up a notch so your horse doesn't walk around cone 2) and stop with enough room at cone 3 so that you may perform your 180 w/o having to go around the cone.
• Finish your 180 trot to cone 4, have a nice, crisp stop.
• Back smoothly and without pivoting until you are straight with the judge.
• Walk 1/2 way, perform a 360, looking up and at the judge towards the end of your spin.
• Walk briskly to the judge and set up for inspection.

Pattern 22, Novice

Findings:

• Trot briskly from cone 1, around cone 2, making sure that your horse is keeping up with you as you make your turn around cone 2 (you may have to slow yourself a bit or push your horse on, so that your horse doesn't fall behind you) to cone 3.
• Stop nicely.
• Back an arc to cone 4, your horse's tail should be in the center of the cone when you have completed your back. Perfecting this manuever is just a matter of practice and learning how your horse backs and how to turn your horse while backing. For those that have never backed an arc, as you are backing you will be pushing your horse's head AWAY from you to move their hip towards you. (also see exercise backing figure 8's for perfection!). Your arc should be smooth and without pivots.
• After completing your arc your horse should be centered on the judge, walk briskly, stop, perform a 360, looking up at the end of your 360 at the judge so that you know when to stop pivoting and walk to judge.
• Set up and wait for your dismissal...and remember to exit to the right (keeping yourself between the horse and the judge, unless otherwise requested by the judge).

Happy Practicing!

Pattern 21, Novice

Findings:

• Trot from cone 1 to cone 2 briskly, stopping with hip at cone 2.


• Pivot slightly, making sure that you do not over or under pivot, you may need to practice this, I found that it was about a 1 1/2 step pivot.


• Trot directly to cone 3, stopping with hip at judge and your horse's nose in line with the cone.


• Perform a nice 270, trot directly to the judge stopping 1 1/2 arms length away.


• Upon dismissal, back at least 5 steps, perform a 180 making sure that your horse pivots on the correct foot, you may have to pull your horse slightly forward to perform the pivot correctly.


• Trot briskly away and past cone 3.

Pattern 20, Intermediate

This is a simplified version of the Gordyville Shoot Out Pattern.

Findings:

• Trot crisply from cone 1 to cone 2, stop squarely with your hip even to cone 3, so that after you perform your 630 turn you will be able to back straight to cone 3.
• Stop with your tail at cone 3, trot briskly away.
• Look up and around your turn around cone 4, so that you don't over or understeer.
• Stop with enough room in front of the judge to complete your 180.
• Make sure you do not over or underspin as this will make your horse crooked in the setup to the judge.
• Watch the judge carefully during inspection, many exhibitors botched the crossovers because it's backwards than what everyone's use to.
• Trot off nicely, pouring the speed on from cone 4 to cone 3 and stop cleanly at cone 3. Make sure you don't have so much speed your horse starts loping.

Happy Practicing!

Pattern 19, Advanced Novice

Findings:

• Be READY at cone 1 when the judge acknowledges you, trot away crisply and with purpose.
• Have a nice stop at 2, landing your hip in line with the judge, so when you complete your 270, your horse can walk straight to the judge.
• Have a nice set up, watch your cross over inspection, remember to check your horse's feet with each cross over ending with a look back at the judge.
• Upon dismissal, back at least 5 steps.
• Watch your 180, you've just completed your back so your horse's natural motion is going to put all their weight on the LEFT (incorrect) hind foot, pull your horse slightly forward if it is an issue for you.
• Upon completing your 180, look back at the judge and then trot away, making sure you trot PAST cone 2.
  

Gordyville's Shootout Showmanship Pattern - Advanced

I have never attended a Gordyville Shootout and had a student qualify for this fun class. So I thought today I would put up the shootout pattern. It was set up similar to a trail pattern and while I don't think this is a new "trend", it was great to think outside (errr, inside) the box and was really fun to watch all the shootout qualifiers. I'm glad I didn't have to judge it, because it was one great pattern after another.

Findings:

• When trotting into the box, (it was about 20' by the way) make sure you give yourself plenty of room when you stop so that you can make that 1 3/4 turn.
• Upon finishing the 1 3/4 turn, let your horse settle a moment before performing the pull turn.
• Walk into L, stopping with your horse's nose at the end of the pole, back a smooth L (ie. don't pivot).
• Back until your horse's hip is even with cone 2, perform a pull turn, walk to cone 2, leaving yourself enough room to perform a 90 pivot.
• Trot off and make your circles even around each cone.
• Look up and around cone 3 as this is a blind turn.
  Stop with enough distance between you and the judge so that you may perform a 180 without coming close to hitting the judge with your body.
• Set your horse up for inspection and watch those crossovers carefully.
• Trot away, as you round cone 4, pour on the speed, however not so much that your horse starts loping.
• Stop with a nice even stop.

There really wasn't any "tricks" to this pattern, speed, accuracy and poise are what won...fantastic pattern and one I think we'll practice sometime this week with the broker horses. Enjoy!

Verbal Cues, Can the Judge Hear You Before They SEE You?

Most of us are guilty of it, verbally cuing our horses. It starts simply enough when you are training them to move, go forward, go backwards, spin, move their feet, a cluck here, a kiss there, here a cluck, there a cluck, everywhere a cluck, cluck. However, after they are trained, do you quit verbally cuing your horse? Or are you a chronic clucker? It's a hard habit to break, but most judges dislike overly done verbal cues. One cluck, ok, but the entire pattern...mmm...not.
This is a bad habit many exhibitors fall into the habit of and just don't fall out of, even AFTER their horse no longer needs it. So, practice with someone who will call you on your clucking and challenge yourself to discontinue your verbal cues. (and for more information about Judges opinons, see my link to the left on Judges opinions...that'll clue you in).
I'll be gone for almost a week at Gordyville's shoot out, hopefully I'll come back with some great new patterns!

Pattern 17, Novice

Findings:

• Trotting from cone 1 to cone 3, make sure you keep your horse with you going around cone 2, many tend to lag.
• Nice crisp stop at cone 3, and an easy back (make it look easy).
• Stop with your pivot foot at the judges LEFT shoulder, this insures that as you complete your pivot, your horse will be centered on the judge. Make sure also, that you glance at the judge before you complete your pivot so that you don't over or under turn.
• Look at the judge and walk to him/her, stopping 1 1/2 arms length away.
• Quick set up, smile and watch the judge.
• When dismissed, a nice 90 (no over or underturning) slight glance back at judge and trot briskly away.
  

Pattern 16, Intermediate

Findings:

• Make sure you are set up and ready for the judge's nod while waiting for the previous exhibitor to finish their pattern.
• Trot briskly and have a crisp stop at cone 2.
• Backing the arc proved to be more difficult and took several practice tries for all of my students to master. You will need to practice this over and over until you have mastered your horse's body, so that you don't over or under steer.
• Walk your horse straight to the judge, stopping an 1 1/2 arm lengths distance away so that you can perform your 360 without bumping into the judge.
• After your 360, set up for inspection (most of my students needed to practice this as the pivot foot will be still slightly turned inward, so that their horse would be square quickly).
• Perform a 90 (do not over or under spin) and trot briskly away.
  

Show it like you want it.

This was part of what I picked up at Brad Kearns clinic I attended a few weeks back.

Show your horse like you want to win. He said as a judge, he can generally tell which exhibitor WANTS to win. He knows by their smile, the way they walk and present themselves. They walk to the judge with confidence, they look up (not at the ground), and present themselves and their horse crisply, confidently.

Do you tend to look at the ground? Does looking AT the judge as you approach make you nervous?

TIP: Look at their forehead or the brim of their hat, they will not know the difference and it will make YOU LOOK CONFIDENT!

I tend to tell my shy students to do their best "cheerleader" impression and they go from looking like wall flowers to confident showmen...which is EXACTLY the look we want.

Hope this helps all the wall flowers out there! Until next time, keep the brim of your hat clean, and practice, practice, practice!

Pattern 15, Advanced

Findings:

• Start your pattern by being straight with the judge (if you don't start straight, the entire pattern will be off!).
• Back smoothly and straight.
• Perform your 630 push turn (that's 1 3/4 turn by the way), don't over spin!
• Perform your 90 pull turn, look up and at the judge approximately 2 steps before you finish your turn so you know when to stop (this is an error that happened lots!)
• Walk to judge briskly and remember to smile.
• Stop at 1 1/2 arms length away.
• Upon dismissal perform a smooth 90, again look up at the end so you don't over or under spin.
• Trot straight away, stopping with your horse's nose at cone 2.
• Look back for acknowledgement.

Stopping in front of the judge

I actually had a seasoned showmanshipper tell me the other day she never knew how close she should stop before the judge.

One and a half arm length's away.

You need that much space to do your inspection without bumping into the judge, and if you need to do a spin after inspection, that gives you plenty of room also!

TIP What happens if I midjudge it and accidentally get too close?
Easy enough, back into your setup, that'll give you the space you need later in your pattern, you may get a few points taken off for stopping too close, but if you're smart and back your horse into it's setup the judge my overlook that slight error.

And as always, remember to smile at the judge...make it look like you're having fun!

Pattern 13, Intermediate

Findings:

Much to my amazement, lots and lots of people botched their spins (which should be fairly easy), however not so. So let's go over this, step by step.

• Walk briskly halfway (most people were just under, so I told my group to take an extra step further than they thought). Stop and let your horse settle for 1/2 second, before you begin your spin, assess your horse's body position BEFORE you ask for the spin, is your horse bunched up where you will need to pull him slightly forward? Is your horse stretched out where you will need to push him slightly backward as you spin? Make your adjustments as needed during your spin.
• As you hit the 300 degree mark in your spin, look up to see where you want to STOP spinning...those that didn't, over spun by at least one step and it was VERY noticeable.
• Trot off briskly and keep your horse at your shoulder as you round cone 2 and make a nice stop next to cone 3.
• Again let your horse settle for 1/2 second, assess your situation and perform the 225 turn (how much is a 225? basically they wanted you to walk straight at the beginning of your arc, so look up BEFORE you finish your turn to make sure you know where to stop).
• Walk a nice brisk pace, making your arc large enough to give you a straight line to the judge upon finishing, but not so large that it takes you a long time to get there.
• Stop an arm and a 1/2 lengths away, upon dismissal peform your 180, look up for your stopping point at about 160 degrees and look for a point at the end of your arena to trot straight away to. Many people under turned and trotted off canted to the left...if they had looked up and finished their 180 and found a spot on the wall to trot to they could have avoided this error.

The most important piece of clothing on your outfit

What is the most important part of your outfit?

Your HAT!

Spend the most you can on a GOOD felt hat (the more X's the better the felt, a 20X hat is a better hat than an 8X and thus more expensive). Your hat sends a statement to the judge...you want that statement to be I'M A WINNER!

Here are some hat tips:

• Felt hats are "in season" year round, straw hats are "in season" from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• Your hat should always been clean and shaped (no tortilla looking hat brims!)
• Always handle your hat by it's crown NEVER the delicate brim.
• Purchase a hat can for your felt and transfer your hat to a climate controlled area as much as possible to keep it looking it's best.
• NEVER store your hat in a plastic bag, the moisture of your sweat and the heat will warp your delicate brim...this is the same for plastic "hat savers" on the rainy days, the moisture and heat from your head will get trapped in the plastic hat saver, warping your hat...opt for your straw or your felt and then dry it out later.
• Look through magazines to find out what type of shape you want your hat to be and take that to the shaper.
• Bobby pin your hat to your head on windy days (nothing says unprepared like a cowboy hat bouncing across the arena on a windy day!)
• Your hat fits properly when you put it on and can not shake it off, even if you do a hand stand!
• Remember to keep a hat brush on hand for last minute touch ups before you enter the show pen.

Follow those tips and you'll look your best every time you enter the show pen!

Pattern 13, Intermediate

Findings:

1. Make sure you find that exact halfway point from cone 1 to cone 2 and that your trot off looks seemlessly easy.
2. Make an effortless circle around cone 2, you might have to encourage your horse slightly forward and you slow down slightly so that your horse does not lag behind your shoulder.
3. Continue on to cone 3 and have a nice stop.
4. This back can be tricky as you are stopping at an angle and must back an arc towards the judge.
5. You will need to practice this back arc for accuracy, many exhibitors over or under judged where they needed to be at the end of their arc. Many exhibitors did not end up straight either.
6. Those that backed into their setup as they approached the judge had the fastest set up times.
7. Watch closely as the judge walks around for inspection and make sure that you are in the correct quarter.
8. Trot straight away, many exhibitors leaned left (especially those that did not get their horse backed straight to the judge), look up, find a spot at the end of the arena and trot off in that direction, by keeping your head up and finding a spot straight in front of you, you are more likely to trot straight, making your pattern seem easy.
   

We've returned after 8 days at a horse show...

...and I've got some pretty good patterns that I will put up over the 4th of July holiday as I have time. The patterns ranged from easy to fairly difficult and I'll be sure to get them up and discuss them. I also attended a clinic given by Brad Kearns which I will discuss in length later. Until then, keep your eye on the judge and a smile on your face!

Exercise: Backing a Figure 8

I teach all of my horses to back figure 8's for several reasons, the first obvious...you're going to have to back a circle or semi-circle at some point in your showmanship career, so let's perfect it and it also teaches the horse's that my subtle body cues can straighten out a crooked back up when I'm trying to actually back a straight line in a pattern in the show pen.

I usually use 2 cones just to give myself something to back around and I start with my horse in the center of those two cones and I back equal circles so that my eight looks like two circles OO and not an X that is rounded (X) on the ends.

What you need to remember when backing circles is that your horse MUST NOT PIVOT! It should take equal steps all the way around the cones.

Circle to the left (your horse will be closer to the cone than you), you need to remember to pull YOUR BODY away from the horse's head so that your horse has ROOM to move it's head...which should (in theory) move it's hip...now sometimes (especially with green horses) you might need to tap your horse's hip with your lead or a dressage whip so that it understands when you move to the right (getting out of your horse's way) it needs to move it's head to the right and it's hip to the left. Thus making a circle to the left. (see illustration below)

Circle to the right (you will be closer to the cone than the horse), you will actually use your body to move your horse's head, you will not be touching your horse with your body, but more like using it as a block to guide your horse, and when the head moves (in theory) the hip should move. See illustration below.

What this accomplishes is smooth arcs and circles during patterns and if you need to back a straight line and notice your horse is moving it's hip in one direction or another, a slight change in your body by either moving away or into your horse should correct your error and straighten out your horse.

Pattern 12, Intermediate

Findings:

1. Start so that your horse is dead on with the judge.
2. Trot briskly and stop square, you'll have problems with your pull turn if you horse is not square when it stops. Most individuals I watched needed to pull their horse slightly forward or their horse would pivot on the incorrect foot (should be the horse's left rear foot as the pivot foot in a pull turn).
3. After set up, take a good look where the judge is standing...is the judge standing at your horse's hip (they should be), make sure you are in the correct quarter for inspection, many exhibitors did not cross over to present their horse and their placings fell significantly.
4. Backing should be easy and not a drawn out, excruitiating watch, as you round cone 2, be sure to move yourself to the right of your horse, so that you give your horse enough room to move it's head, which it turn gives your horse the room to move it's hip around that corner smoothly and quickly.
5. Back far enough past cone 2 so that you can do your pivot without running into cone 2.
6. Trot away and have a nice stop, turn and look at judge after the stop for dismissal.
   

Pattern 11, Novice

Findings:

1. Wait until you get all the way around cone 2 before you begin your trot.
2. As you round cone 3, look up and around so that you can judge how tight or loose to make that turn. Lots of people had a problem with this pattern because the judge was standing further away than expected, so lots of crooked trots to him/her.
3. Make sure you stop an arm and a half's length away, you will have to perform your 270 after your inspection, so leave yourself enough room.
4. Do not over or under turn and trot straight away.
   

Pattern from a quarter horse show this past weekend.

Crossover for Inspection

As I watched from the sidelines this weekend at a local, open show, I was amazed at how many exhibitors in the open class did not know where to stand as the judge walked around to inspect their horse. Now I know that several were nervous or had set up problems and their attention was on their horse and not the judge, but there were several that just had NO CLUE!

The walk around inspection is such a basic...like setting your horse up square. I have put together a diagram to help those that are confused on WHERE to stand when the judge walks around you.

A quick run down is that your horse is divided into quarters, imaginary lines are drawn from nose to tail and shoulder to shoulder (see diagram). You should always be ONE QUARTER AWAY from the judge. An easy way to remember this is, if you can't see or have to STRAIN to see the judge, you're probably in the WRONG POSITION! As the judge crosses the imaginary line, cross over to the next position, however don't be too anxious (judges, for example MAY stop at the middle of your horse's tail...now what? Stay put until they actually pass that imaginary line.) Same as when the judge is in the middle of your horse's head, either wait for them to make your move or acknowledge you (for dimissal or completion of pattern), THEN crossover (if necessary). Confused? Feel free to put a comment here and I'll do my best to answer them! Here's the diagram, enjoy!

Pattern 10, Advanced Novice

Findings:

1. Walk from cone 1 to cone 2, begin your trot AT cone 2, not before or after.
2. Make sure you have plenty of trot because your horse will be on the inside turn around cone 3.
3. Look in plenty of time as your round cone 4 so that you are straight coming to the judge. You also don't want to fish tail as I watched a lot of exhibitors do.
4. Stop square with enough room to perform your 270 upon dismissal.
5. TIP: Stop with your horse's hip even with cone 3 so that upon completion of your 270, you back straight to cone 3.
6. Trot straight away and continue to trot until you meet the ring steward.

This is a slightly modified version of Michele Tucker's pattern.

Pattern 9, Advanced Novice

Findings

1. Trotting around cone 2, you must make sure you don't cut to close to it otherwise when you stop, you will not have enough room to perform your 360.


2. Stop at your horse's should between the 2 cones.


3. Walking around the curve, make sure you are looking up and around so that as you make that turn, you come straight to the judge (you may have to practice this several times as this was an unexpected difficulty in this pattern).


4. Back, perform your 180, right before you trot off, give a courtesy look over your right shoulder and trot straight away.

Pattern 8, Intermediate

Directions

1. Walk from cone 1 to cone 2
2. Trot around cone 2 and stop
3. Perform a 360 turn and trot to judge
4. Stop and set up for inspection
5. After dismissal, back 4 steps and perform a pull turn and walk away

Findings

1. Begin with your horse in line with the judge at cone 1
2. Trot an EVEN circle (difficult to do, so practice this lots!) around cone 2, stopping so that you are in line with the judge
3. Be sure to complete your turn before trotting off to the judge
4. After inspection back straight and begin your pull turn, remember after you've done your back, that you may have to pull your horse slightly forward so that your horse's right foot crosses over the left foot correctly and the left pivot foot sticks (again, another thing to practice until you get it).
5. Do not over/under turn and walk away briskly

Show Nerves

Let's face facts, showmanship is a very up close and personal class where ONE PERSON is staring at you, you can't HIDE like you can in a rail class, you are under scrunity and up close, so yes, it's natural to be a little nervous! Here are a few pointers that might help you get those butterflies under control:

The more you show, the easier it get's (really!)

Practice your pattern until you feel comfortable with it

Quit worrying about WHO's your competitor and concentrate at the job at hand, even world show level competitors can have bad days, being a world show competitor does not equal invinciblity, they are human and can make mistakes also. I know from first hand experience when I quit worrying about so and so showing against me and put my energies into my performance, my placings starting getting better.

Envision your perfect pattern over and over again

Do mom/dad/husband/trainer/helper make you nervous right before you go in? Nicely tell them you need some time/space to concentrate on the job at hand before you go in and you'll see them at the gate AFTER the class.

If you are able to, watch a few go's to get a feel for the pattern, are the cones tight? How close is the judge? How is the judge walking around for inspection?

Give yourself plenty of time to get to the warm up area before your class, don't rush yourself

Watch what you eat/drink that morning, it probably is not a good idea to order that extra spicy breakfast burrito from the snack shack, you don't want anything that will upset your stomach.

Watch the liquid drinking, have some, but don't overdo it, you want your attention on your pattern/judge and not wondering when the next potty break is!

And remember WHY you are doing this...it's all in fun...right?

Pattern 7, Novice

Directions

1. Walk from cone 1 to cone 2, stop.
2. Perform a 360 turn.
3. Trot to judge, stop, set up for inspection.
4. Upon dismissal, back 4 steps.
5. Perform a 90 turn and walk away.

Findings

1. Start at cone 1 far enough away so that you may complete your 360 at cone 2 without running into it or going around it.
2. As you complete your 360, at about the 270 mark start looking for the judge, so that as you are completing your turn you don't over or under turn.
3. Trot straight to judge, stop an 1 1/2 arm lengths away.
4. Upon dismissal, back straight, using and object in the background for alignment and back 4 steps.
5. Perform a 90 turn and walk briskly away.
   

The "Confident" Look

From my general observations on the rail during a showmanship class, many exhibitors get all the elements of their showmanship pattern correct, but don't have the look of a confident showman.
You are trying to sell yourself and your horse to that judge on that day. Think about it this way, if you were purchasing a used car, would you buy from someone that wasn't confident in their product? Me either...and neither will the judge, so here are some tips that will help you look confident (whether you actually are or not)

1. Smile (seems like a small thing), but really, it works, it needs to be natural and not glued on, but remember to smile at the judge, make it look like you are having fun! Isn't that why you are showing in the first place? Because it's fun....
2. Stand up, no slouching!
3. Look up, look where you are going, quit looking at the ground...I once had a trainer tell me that if I stared at the ground long enough I was going to end up there!
4. Know where you are going, look around your corners, find your straight lines.
5. Look AT the judge when you approach him/her. A little too nervous about looking in their eyes? Look at their forehead or the brim of their hat.
6. Walk/run confidentally and naturally. Run as though your jogging after your wayward dog, walk as though your going to your mailbox to get the mail. Neither is slow, or overly hurried.
7. Make a mistake? Don't beat yourself up, keep showing. There's another class later or tomorrow or next weekend, it is NOT THE END OF THE WORLD! You also don't know who will make a mistake bigger than yours...and who knows, the judge could have been looking at their clipboard instead of you!
8. When setting your horse up, keep YOUR feet together.
9. Cross over with confidence.
10. Be ready at the first cone (start point) when the judge looks at you to start your pattern, nothing will annoy a judge faster than waiting on YOU! So when it's your turn, be ready to go!

Now you know some of the insider secrets to LOOKING confident...even if you don't FEEL confident. Next article I'll discuss what to do with your show nerves.

Pattern 6, Moderately Difficult

This is a pattern my MIL did at a horse show today and then came home and showed me, so if this is your pattern, please email me and I'll be more than happy to credit you for this wonderful pattern!

Directions:

1. Walk from cone 1 to between cone 2 and cone 3 and stop.
2. Perform a 270 turn.
3. Trot a serpentine around cones 2 and 4, to judge
4. Stop at judge and set up for inspection.
5. After inspection, back 6 steps, perform a 90 turn and walk away.

Findings:

1. Stop with your horse's nose at cone 2.
2. Depending on the space given between cones 2 and 3, you may have to start close to cone 1 to allow yourself enough room to perform your 270 without actually stepping on cone 3.
3. The trot off is going to require an immediate inside turn (this is going to be a blind turn and will come up FAST!)
4. Note: Make notice of how close cones 2 and 3 are to cone 4, do you need to make a super tight turn or is there a little breathing room? Also, if everything is close together, don't run over your judge (that would be bad)!
5. Make sure your lines are straight at this point, there should be no widening of your arcs on either end (around cone 2 or 4).
6. As you approach cone 4, make sure you are looking up and around for the judge. This way you know how to space that very important turn so that you are trotting straight for the judge!
7. Stop 1 1/2 arms length away from judge.
8. Back straight, find a place on the rail or fence and make sure that the dock of your horse's tail is in that zone for straight backing.
9. Do a nice 90, do not over or under turn.
10. Do not hesitate, walk away (chances are the judge is looking at the next person).

Keep On Showing

Great showmanship exhibitors have that attitude, confident, smiling and a sense of purpose. If something goes wrong, they fix it and go on, they don't let that mistake rain on their parade, they keep showing!
Have you ever noticed that there's always that ONE person at every show that can do no wrong under the judge? They may not have the best pattern, but they win an awful lot. The one thing I've noticed with that ONE person is their ability to SHOW! Doesn't matter what goes wrong, they just keep on showing!
I'll give you a little true to life story that happened to me, many years ago. I was a greener than grass novice, but had practiced and watched quite a bit. The showmanship pattern started with a walk, had a stop to a trot off, so I had been drilling my horse in practice the stop to trot off (everyone knows how to walk right?). So when it was my turn to go, guess what? My horse trotted right off and we should have been WALKING! Now I could have quit showing right there and then, finished my pattern with my head hung low, but at that point I figured, oh well, I'll just do the best I can for my own self worth. So instead of FREAKING OUT, I slowed my pace, and my horse walked and we completed the rest of the pattern with precision. Now this was a fairly large class for me at the time (around 15 with all the people I had been admiring for a long, long time)...and I finished 2nd! If I had given up, I wouldn't have placed at all and I came out 2nd...that was a HUGE win for me at that time! I kept showing through my mistake.
Keep on showing no matter the mistake you make, you never know when someone else will make a mistake bigger than you!

Pattern 5, Varying Difficulty

Directions:

1. Trot from cone 1 to cone 2
2. Stop at cone 2, perform a 270
3. Trot 1/2 way to judge, break to a walk
4. Stop and set up for inspection

My Findings:

First let me preface in saying that this pattern can be really easy or really hard depending on how close the judge is standing to cone 2, the closer the judge stands, the more difficult it will be.

1. Begin at cone 1 standing far enough away so that when you stop at cone 2, you can easily do your 270 and not run over/into cone 2.
2. You must also be aware of your hip when you stop, your hip needs to be in line with the judge, so that when you complete your 270 turn your horse is straight in line with the judge.
3. Reminder: make sure you do not over or under turn and thus lose your straightness.
4. Now depending on how close the judge is standing, is how hard or easy the trot off to walk is going to be. If the judge is close, this part will be more difficult because your horse will have to immediately trot off and come back down to a walk in a short distance. This is something you may have to practice several times to get down pat.
5. Remember to stop in front of the judge an arm and a 1/2's length away.

It's Hip To Be Square

Tonight, instead of putting up a pattern, I thought I'd talk about set ups. Snoring, snoozeville, yes, I know, BUT if you have a lousy set up, the rest of that "perfect" pattern means squat! Ok, so widely known, you should have the "perfect" setup in under 3 seconds, so we know quickness counts, but so does squareness. The front feet should be a mirror of the back feet, as well as the horse should not be too stretched out or bunched up, all under 3 seconds...sounds like an almost impossible task, doesn't it? However, consistant practice helps. I will say, when I'm "serious" with my showmanship, I practice over 50 set ups a day until it is automatic with my horse (read that to be about an hours practice each day). It will take anywhere from 3 to 6 months of consistant practice to get there. Now, with all this practice, take a moment after a set up and walk around your horse like you were a judge. Do all your feet LOOK square from ALL SIDES of your horse? What may look square to YOU the EXHIBITOR, many not look square to the JUDGE. Get that horse square to the JUDGE and then go back to the exhibitor set up stance and see how it SHOULD look to you.
Practice setting up from all facets of manuevers; backing, walking, spinning, pull turn, trotting, etc.. You will find your horse will easily set up with one manuever, but maybe not all, concentrate on the more difficult manuevers for your horse, so that they become easy and automatic. Be sure to practice doing different things while your practicing setting up...trot off, stop, set up, spin, set up, walk, stop, back, setup. This will not only keep you from getting bored, but your horse as well.
Who knew, it really IS hip to be square?

Pattern 4, Novice

Directions:

1. Walk from cone 1 to cone 2
2. Pick up at trot at cone 2 and trot a serpentine to cone 3
3. At cone 3 break to a walk
4. Walk to cone 4 and stop
5. Perform a 270 turn and trot to judge
6. Set up for inspection
7. Upon dismissal, back 4 steps and exit at a walk
   

My findings:

1. Make a mental note where cone 2 is, as it becomes a blind spot.
2. Be sure to make your trot brisk, because you will be doing more running than your horse around cone 2.
3. Your break down to a walk needs to be smooth, practice it exclusively until you get a smooth transition.
4. Pay attention to where your horse's hip lands with the judge, you want to be square on with the judge after your 270.
5. This pattern can be made more difficult the closer the judge stands to the cones.

Pattern 3, Advanced Novice

Directions

1. Walk from cone 1 to cone 2
2. Stop at cone 2 and back 4 steps
3. Perform a 90 and trot to cone 3
4. At cone 3 break to a walk and stop at cone 4
5. Perform a 270
6. Trot to Judge and set up for inspection

My Findings

1. Make sure you stop with your horse's nose at cone 2 to allow yourself enough room after you back your 4 steps for your 90 degree turn
2. Practice your trot to walk transition so that is goes smoothly and looks effortless. You DO NOT WANT a trot, stop and then walk.
3. When you get to cone 4, make sure you stop with your horse's hip even with the judge, so that when you perform your 270, your horse is dead on with the judge.

Pattern 2, Moderate Difficulty

Directions:

1. Walk from cone 1 to cone 2.
2. Stop at 2, perform a 180 turn.
3. Trot a serpentine to cone 4, stop.
4. Perform a 180 turn.
5. Back 6 steps, set up for inspection.

My Findings:

1. Make sure you are far enough away when you begin at cone 1 for the 180 at cone 2.
2. Be sure to start looking around cone 2 immediately as cone 3 can sneak up on those that aren't looking.
3. Keep a nice pace to make the inside turn around cone 3 (you will be the one doing most of the running here)
4. Make a sharp turn around cone 4, so that your horse's pivot foot is in line with the judge's right shoulder. You do this so that after you perform your 180, your tail will be centered on the judge.
5. Back a STRAIGHT line and use the sixth step to begin your setup for quickness.

Pattern 1, Difficult

Pattern Instructions

1. Trot from cone 1 to cone 2
2. Stop at cone 2 and back a serpentine to cone 4
3. Perform a 180 turn
4. Walk to judge and set up for inspection

Here's my findings for this pattern

1. Starting with my horse's front feet at cone 1, I trotted until my horse's hip was even with cone 2. This allowed me enough room to make a smooth first arc.
2. As you begin your back at cone 2, make a mental note of cone 3, because it becomes a blind spot. Do the same thing with the next cone.
3. At cone 4 (and this is the hard part) you need to make sure that your PIVOT FOOT is in-line with the JUDGES LEFT SHOULDER, because when you do your 180 pivot you want to be right in front of him/her.
4. Also note at cone 4, that you MAY have to urge your horse slightly forward for his/her spin because the horse might spin on the incorrect foot after all of the backing.