This saturday will be my first schooling show and i have alot of ocnfidence in what my pony can do its just we are doind hunter jumper and he sometimes resists jumps ia m plannig to wear spurs or use a crop.
Answers:
Do all you can the day before to get ready, so you are not rushed the day of the show. Leave plenty early, to make sure you have time to get in the arena to look the course over. Don't skip breakfast, but eat something light. It may be too hot to wear your show clothes with something over them, too, but that is a good idea if it possible. Otherwise, triple check that you have everything, and that it is clean. Make a list. Then when you get to the grounds, find where you will change, unless you have a place in your trailer. I'd try to take a supportive friend that is not showing that can be your go-fer for the day.
As far as the actual class is concerned - it is a schooling show, so no one expects miracles. Do what you do at home. If he messes up, correct him quickly and kindly. If you mess up, forgive yourself (your pony will!) and move on. To do your best, make sure you are entered at a level you are comfortable. Before you ride the course find a quiet place and imagine yourself going through the perfect round, fence by fence. Picture yourself with a perfect seat and hands, and flowing softly around the arena - all the way out to the applause for a perfect round and the blue ribbon. Do this several times, and you will increase your chances of it happening, honestly! This works for all professional athletes, and all riders in all disciplines.
Some people like to watch the other rounds, but for your first show, I'd focus on myself. I have seen other riders that would make a mistake, and then others repeat it, at the same fence.
Or worse, have someone come out of the arena making a comment about a trouble area, and then you go in expecting trouble. Chances are you already saw the problem when you walked the course, or it isn't really there.
The main thing is have fun, and learn something, It is not high stakes, even though you wish to do your best. If you can have someone tape you, I would. Then if you win it can go down for prosperity - if not you will have a better chance of seeing what you can do to improve. Good Luck!
Crops are cruel!
smoke a cigarette, lol no dont do that just be confident in your horse and your self
Take a deep breath and relax. Have confidence in yourself and pat your pony so he knows what a good boy he is and also to give him confidence. Do this and you should do fine. Even if it's not the best it's not the end of the world. Just go home and praise him for what he did right. Good luck!
if he resists jumps, then you should probably practice a bit more, and don't end your practices until it ends on a good note. and this is your first show, so no one expects you be perfect. if you are nervous, your horse will become nervous, and then you will become nervous wrecks. just breathe, relax and have quiet time right with your pony right before you start. good luck, and i hope you do awesome.
When I had my first show i went with some of my friends. We did two things that helped me so much and I even placed! One is my friends and i would sing a song that was upbeat and you could scream it if you wanted to! it helped get me stoked and ready. Now for when you are riding this is what helped me the MOST. It may sound weird but i sang to my self a song that i heard on the radio, you could also do you favorite song. For me it helped me stay less stressed and it helped me concentrate on only my horse and nothing else. When you are about to do the jump just pretend its you own arena and this fence is just like the fences at home. Right before the jump just squeeze and maybe do Little kiss. I know you will do fine! Good Luck!
O.h Also I dont recomend the spurs and crop if you never practiced with them before. If you use them at the show it could be a new experience to him and he may not like it. He may remember that "Oh no a show, moms going to use a crop or spurs on me, I dont want to do the fence now" And so them it can turn into a bad experience. I think you will do just fine. Just do what you practiced
Just have fun. It is your first show, make the best of it! I show a lot and I started hitting a "rough patch" where every show I went to- I did terrible. I got mad. I wasn't having any fun and that made it get worse! You should enjoy every minute of it and be proud that you can show. Just remember to warm up enough and have everything tightened/adjusted, etc. Take deep breaths and don't forget to SMILE! It can make you happier and everyone else around you! Good luck to you!
When you get to the jump imagine yourself going over it, yes it sounds weird but trust me it works. Have confidence in your horse and she will have more confidence. I you are nervous your horse will in turn be nervous. As for staying calm, just pretend that you are in a lesson. Or that your not really competing against anyone. Don't worry, you'll be fine.
Stay relaxed and dont let him refuse jumps, squeeze when you get to them, and tap him lightly with your crop!
You'll be ok, people wont pressure you to go fast or anything since its just a schooling show, their will probably be alot of people that htis is their first time showing.
Good Luck and Have Fun!
My best advice is to arrive early and give yourself and your horse time to relax with plenty of time for warmup. Dress in your show clothes (and put clothes over them to keep them clean) that way you'll be comfortable in your show stuff by the time you ride. BREATHE and try to stay releaxed but most of all remember to have fun! And smile it will make you feel better! Pay the shcooling ring fee if you can and go through the course. Hopefully you picked a class lower than what you ride at home?
If you ride with spurs at home use them at the show if not I'd stick with the crop so you don't accidently goose your horse.
GOODLUCK!
for one horse show I had to take a huge test right before and I got to the show with 15 minutes left before I had to go on. I didn't have time to think about being nervous!
(just breathe! it really works!)
Just concetrate on what you are doing and think of it as just another schooling lesson. Do your best and good luck!!
Make sure your ponies OK with jumping. Like try one jump at a time. If he makes the jump give him a special treat like a carrot (my pony loves carrots), apples, sugar lumps, etc and if he doesn't don't give him anything. But don't keep stressing over a show, go on a nice slow relaxed trail ride and let every worry free your body. When ever i have a big show coming up i totally forget about it and I'm fine! I just go for a ride with my friends or alone, its peaceful and calm (unlike the real world!) Hope this helps!
P.S DONT USE A CROP! UNLESS YOUR NOT USING IT
you can wear spurs but just dont hurt your pony with them!
During my first schooling shows, I would be a nervous wreck! So I can relate. ;) Just remember: the most important thing is not winning, it's having FUN. Remind yourself of that, and it will change your perspective. Try taking someone with you who makes you laugh-I got over my nerves when my best guy friend started coming to shows with me. He didn't really "get" the sport, but he enjoyed being around horses and was so much fun to be around that it would keep my mind off my nerves-I would enter the ring calm and collected.
One thing that always worked for me: the night before the show, and the morning of the show, visualize yourself riding. Sit or lie down in a quiet place with eyes closed, breathe very deeply and imagine your pony, you in your show clothes, and a brilliant sunny day at the show grounds. Visualize the two of you riding, and going over the jumps as one - a smooth, calm course. Just the two of you doing everything well, as best as you can. Just seeing yourself and your pony performing well, even in your mind's eye, will make you feel that you CAN do it, and will give your confidence a boost. Top athletes do this; that's where I got the idea. It really does work. :)
Sit and watch other people's rounds. You'll be able to see how the courses ride, and where the problem spots are (more than one rider will have problems at a given jump). It's also nice to know that no one is perfect: everyone misses a stride, ticks a pole, gets a refusal or falls off, sooner or later. It's also nice to see those perfect rides, too-you learn a lot by watching, and usually you'll be able to pick up ideas on how to make your ride as good as possible. I especially liked watching riders more advanced than myself-I would pick up little tricks to try later at home with my own riding, or ask my trainer based on what I had seen.
Don't worry about your pony refusing. Do your best and ride with confidence. Have you used spurs before on your pony? If you haven't, or don't have much experience using them, stick with just the crop-you have your spurs on the whole time you're in the ring-if you get nervous you could jab your pony accidentally when you don't need to, which could make him go faster than you want. Remember he's going to be spunky, too-you don't want him going any faster. I rode a 20-year-old athletic jumper for my trainer to keep him in shape. At home he was calm and laid back. At the show grounds, he was a hellion, behaving like a 4-year-old, and he'd shown for years! So I would stay away from the spurs, unless you've used them before and know how your pony will react to them (some horses will buck if they aren't used to spurs.) IMO, crops offer more flexibility and are more effective with stoppers because they involve sound (the loud "whap" the crop makes) as well as touch.
Remember to BREATHE. I would get so nervous I would forget to breathe, which makes you tense up and your horse feels this. Breathe, relax, do your best, and have FUN!
Hope this helps. Good luck in your first show! Schooling shows are the best! ^_~
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