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).