I plan to take my thoroughbred mare to a 2022 Hanoverian inspection in September, and will also be participating in the Mare Performance Test, both ridden and jumping portion.
I had a previous thread going where the COTH collective helped me decide on a bridle. I think I’ll go with the Lumiere, unless there’s some serious changes of hearts! Bridle for mare inspection
This thread is to chronicle all the lead up to the inspection, my preparation, etc.
I have been in contact with the host of the inspection to get the distances for their jumping chute, and plan to start refreshing my mare’s memory on that this weekend. I have free jumped her 4’+ in the past, and she’s very bold through a chute. I just haven’t done it in awhile. Every picture I see has white boots on the horse, which I don’t own. I’ll probably purchase an el-cheapo pair for the day of so I don’t stand out for the wrong reasons.
I have also worked briefly on teaching her to lift her neck and “pose” when stood up. Because I can’t run very fast (stumpy legs!) I am contemplating having one of their professional handlers do the inspection portion. I do have concerns that they won’t know how to get her to pose nicely with the cue I’m training in… any thoughts?
The ridden portion of the MPT I am honestly not concerned about. She can already do the movements required, I will just continue to develop her as I have been to make it bigger/freer. I’ve also been taking her to schooling shows so she gets experience in big environments off property. She typically settles nicely within a few minutes, so I don’t anticipate any problems for riding.
I’ll keep posting our progress as we go along - perhaps I’ll try and video our “inspection triangle” this weekend and post for critique.