First show to stall at

[appendix100]

New mare, going to our first show that we are planning on stalling at rather than hauling in. She gets along well with the guys in her herd at home, but I have no idea how she will be at a show w/ a strange horse in the stall next to her. She isn’t horrible, but she is definately not as la de da about things as my old gelding. I am going solo, so I will have a tack stall for a buffer on one side

Any suggestions? Was planning on asking for the end 2 stalls if possible, then there will just be one horse on one side rather than 2, but I don’t know how likely it is to actually happen.

[Demerara_Stables]

Most show stalls are set up so that the horses can’t touch noses (doors are on one side so they can’t lean over the door and reach each other). Unless she’s particularly tall and decides to stand up in the corner and look over the partition, you’ll likely be fine. If you get the two end stalls (definitely request this ASAP as many shows give end stalls to trainers with set ups), you can put her on the end and then have the tack stall between her and another horse.

I always bring extra, extra hay. You can bring it home if you don’t use it, but it keeps them occupied so they worry less about what’s going on. If she’s food motivated you can also get her a hanging treat ball/toy if she’s the type that would enjoy that.

Other tips for showing away from home from my mare that lives on 24/7 turnout are:

Hand walk as much as you can/as much as she wants. I take mine for a spin around the show grounds on move in day, then again at night check each night, and my mare won’t eat breakfast without a morning walk first.

I also bring extra feed and if she’s not the food motivated type, something yummy that will keep her calories up. For instance, my mare sometimes gets a treat of soaked Timothy pellets at home. She all but completely goes off her grain at the show, so I bring pellets along to get something into her.

If she’s aged, wrap legs every night to ward off any inflammation/stocking up.

When you do night check, make sure the lights are off. It might take some hunting to find the switches (do that in the daylight). Lots of people leave the lights on and it drives me nuts. Show horses often are sleep deprived and if she’s used to being home, she’ll need all the help she can get sleeping in a new place

Have fun!!

[showy]

What about putting up plywood if the stalls are more open than you would like?

We do it for a well behaved stallion just to keep his eyes to himself at a show with open bars between stalls. Takes some manpower and zip ties to get up. Prep it before you go.

[endlessclimb]

I wouldn’t over think it. She might be a little wound for an hour or so, but I bet she will settle. Give her a chance to be “normal” before you ask the show for special accommodations.

If she’s the anxious type, I have found end stalls to NOT be helpful. My late mare would obsess over looking outside. Inside, even if “busier”, there wasn’t the unknown of what’s going to come around a corner next.

[red_mares]

I agree with endless climb. The one ‘accommodation’ I would bring with me is a pair of kicking chains. If your mare starts pawing or pacing, they discourage it VERY quickly. Most of the squirrely horses in my barn are goofy because their owners accommodate their quirks. When the horse is ignored, they behave just fine. They really are fine standing in a stall most of the day.