Tips: Showmanship & Controlled Riding June 7, 2008 Rockie Mountain Saddle Club By Karin and Kalinda Livingston (Hit “Enter” or click left mouse button to advance.)

Getting ready for the day … Kalinda’s advice: Make sure you leave enough time to check yourself and your horse over once more before the first class of the day. It can come up pretty fast!

Showmanship: Entering the arena … Kalinda’s advice: Judges are already making judgments on contestants as they enter the ring. Don’t stop showing from the moment you enter the arena to the moment you leave it. It’s insulting to the judge and the other contestants, as well as a waste of your time.

Showmanship: On deck … Kalinda’s advice: Here Kalvin and I are watching the judge and working our quarter system even though the judge is still finishing with the previous contestant. You would be amazed what judges can see out of the corner of their eyes!

Showmanship: Walking out … Kalinda’s advice: Walking in sync with your horse can be very difficult and takes lots of practice, but the end result is very polished. This arena was very deep that day and therefore hard to move in, so be aware of your movement and your horse’s. You don’t want to trip over each other!

Showmanship: The 360-degree pivot … Kalinda’s advice: As with everything involved in showing horses, pivots take lots of consistent practice. You can’t walk into the arena and expect your horse to do perfect 360’s without preparation!

Showmanship: Moving out at the trot … Kalinda’s advice: Practice at home with your horse until you can pick up the trot from a halt with ease. At a competitive show, even just a few steps of walking in between can knock major points off of your score.

Showmanship: Approaching for inspection … Kalinda’s advice: Normally, you want to stop at a point where, if the judge took one step forward and reached out, they could touch your horse’s nose. DON’T run over the judge; that tends to put them in a bad mood! Here we didn’t quite get close enough, because Kalvin thought the judge might eat him! (I should have trimmed my number and pinned it on straight!)

Showmanship: Using the quarter-system during inspection … Kalinda’s advice: Again, this is something you need to practice at home first. Get a friend, and switch off being the “judge” so you both get practice. Many judges like to mess with you and stop right before they switch quarters to see if you’re a little too quick on the trigger, so be prepared!

Showmanship: Returning to the lineup … Kalinda’s advice: So close to the end of the class! But don’t get too relaxed just yet, always check over your shoulder, back to the judge, about every three - four steps. And remember to turn your horse away from you when you return to the lineup.

Controlled Riding: Normal trot … Kalinda’s advice: Many horses get dull with Controlled Riding because the patterns are the same at every show, so get creative at home when practicing. Put parts of different patterns together or ride them backwards so your horse is listening to you, not anticipating the next maneuver.

Controlled Riding: Normal trot on the Figure 8 … Kalinda’s advice: Riders can also get overly comfortable and fall into bad habits that they don’t even notice while riding, which I have done right here. Make sure to keep your eyes up! Even though I can feel that I’m on the correct diagonal, I am looking down to check in this picture. Be self aware!

Controlled Riding: Normal trot, exiting Figure 8 … Kalinda’s advice: Dell is getting a little strung out coming out of the trotting Figure 8 and entering into the cantering Figure 8. Make sure your horse drives with his hindquarters into the bit, don’t just try to pull their head in.

Controlled Riding: Downward transition to halt … Kalinda’s advice: Practice makes perfect, and although this stop isn’t entirely perfect it is much improved. What I would still like to improve? Well, I’ve moved a little ahead of Dell here, I should be sitting back in the saddle, and Dell is taking a little too much time to stop. I’ve found the best way to improve halts is to back after you halt at home. Just don’t overdo it or your horse will start backing when you don’t want them to.

Controlled Riding: Pivot on the hindquarters … Kalinda’s advice: Look where you want your horse to go. I’m overdoing it a little here, but the slight tuning of your torso will help your horse understand where you want to go.

Controlled Riding: Canter … Kalinda’s advice: Canter pickups from the halt are very frustrating for many riders. The best thing you can do is prepare your horse for the transition by making sure they are set back on their hindquarters so they will have the power needed to move forward, and have them collected so you don’t end up at a strung out trot, trying to kick your horse into a canter.

Controlled riding: Simple lead change … Kalinda’s advice: Although the Colorado 4-H rulebook no longer requires that simple lead changes be performed in Controlled Riding, some local shows that run the class still do. Be sure to check with show management if the pattern is not specific and you are unsure.

Controlled riding: Downward transition to halt … Kalinda’s advice: Sit down and ask for a halt! While this is almost the end of the pattern don’t expect your horse to stop just because they’re tired! Many shows run the pattern so that you are facing the in-gate at the end and you don’t want your horse to just leave!

Controlled Riding: Back in a straight line … Kalinda’s advice: If you have trouble backing in a straight line and always end up heading the wrong way somehow, practice backing your horse in different shapes. This will give you the control to change you horse’s direction if they start to back crooked. You’re done!

Colorado 4-H horse show patterns are available by purchasing the state 4-H rule book. Call the CSU - Larimer County Extension Office at for more information. Interested in joining 4-H? Visit the Larimer County 4-H Horse Project site: Sponsored by Poudre River StablesPoudre River Stables Back to HoofPrintsHoofPrints