Popped into my head after reading Pony Finals thread…
I will attend the TIP champs again this year and they offer an in hand class. Last year I also attended and my guy placed 10th in his section of 20+ (I would guess). But I’m wondering if there is anything I can do to help him place better?
Last year we just showed up after our CT classes and wasn’t really sure what to expect. Trying to see if there are any hints or tricks to come home this year with a ribbon again.
Watch videos of in hand classes then practice, practice, practice and practice some more. Not in looong sessions though, just stand him up for a few minutes at the end of every ride when he’s a little tired and standing still will be easy. Pay attention to where you stand when the judge is closely inspecting him. Watch those videos.
Gradually increase the time you ask for him to pose and stay still. Also practice letting him relax then resume posing, no horse is going to make like a statue through the entire class but they should be able to stay quiet while the judge inspects others…that takes practice.
See if you can’t get somebody to work with you on this, even a single session will reveal what you need to work on then you just need to practice a little every day working it in to your routine so its not a novelty at the show.
Thing with these classes, they are judged on the conformation of the horse. You got what you got. But by properly presenting and setting the horse up, keeping him posed and still while staying out of the judges way then staying quiet while others are judged you can certainly showcase what you do have.
Goes without saying (or should) spotless, well fitted bridle, well groomed horse including mane and tail, clean and neat clothing.
There are people who like to turnout in hand/halter horses, see if you don’t know one who can give you some hints. Its not hard, just detail oriented. Mind you, won’t move you up from 10th to 1st but might bump you up a few places against horses with similar conformation or give you an advantage in ties.
Those are very useful skills in horse handling and management anyway. Worth the time.
Is the class run as a halter/model class or on the triangle? If it’s run on the triangle USDF has some videos that are more helpful than models vids
Halter/Model.
All horses stood up while judge walks around and looks. Then one by one we ran (horses trot) down the center of the arena. Then stand up again. So more similar to the Halter/Model. Shown in a bridle.
Takes his top 12, reorders, and then places the top 10.
More info, we were originally in the 8th spot when he took the top 12, but then we got bumped down to 10th after 2nd inspection. I think my guy was more relaxed, head lower originally and then when it was narrowed to the top 12, he lifted his head more and wasn’t able to show off his neck as much. I guess I should get some help and see what he looks like in each position and figure out what shows him off the best?
Also need to practice jogging in tall boots in arena footing. I think that was the hardest part for us. Hahaha
Yup. Get some knowledgeable help. And practice so you can be comfortable and be at you best too.
my daughter’s horses were shown on the triangle courses, she had practiced the two year old on an exact sized course here at home, got him to the Morgan Nationals where they had flowers set at each corner of the course, he was really interested in those flowers
two years later she picked up her new weanling at Nationals so had him entered in the same class and again the weanling was really wondering why there were flowers on the corners
we have photos of both looking in wonder at those flowers
You can wear khakis or dark pants and a nice button down shirt and paddock boots. As others said clean clean clean. And if anything need to be ironed do it or send it out
It could be that, but more likely if the horses weren’t close together in the original line up, the judge just got his memory refreshed. If it’s a big class chances are they are grouping that top 12 in thirds or quarters so their first cut is to make sure that they have the right 12 and that the line up is mostly correct. So yes, you never want to stop showing your horse, but in a big class like that I would expect shuffling even if you are really experienced at showing in the line.
@clanter that reminds me of the video of the wee pony child showing her Welsh pony in an in hand obstacle course, a course with a lot of decorative ferns and flowers. All of which were destroyed by a determined point looking for something edible!
This is what I thought, but wanted to see if there was anything else that should be done to make more competive.
TIP champs are interesting because it is all english displines and the inhand, everyone competes agaist eachother.
I am (or attempt to be) an Eventer and we compete in the CTs at TIP. Should I try to blend in to the majority that is hunter styled, or should I stand out?
Example:
Brown Coat
Blue Coat Example: https://img.smartpak.com/images/product/highres/27861_aviationblue-1.jpg?width=510
White or beige breeches?
Theres no real “ right” answer but conservative is always correct so khaki breeches for sure and I’d probably go brown coat for an in hand class in the afternoon. White breeches are considered more formal but rarely(if ever) seen in breeding/ in hand classes. And wearing white anything while leading a horse and standing by it for some time is a sneeze away from disaster.
Go with the flow here, blend. Less is more, show the horse, not yourself.
Typically one shows in khakis, jacket and paddock boots, etc. or some variation on that theme when showing on the line. That’s what I would stick with unless you don’t have time to change. It’s not a dress code class so you have some latitude to design your outfit to harmonize with your horse. I’m taking my fjord to the NFHR evaluations next month and I’m wearing my FEI “jog outfit” (I recently practiced halter at a local show and got about a dozen compliments from the Western peeps and they are DOWN with that color coordination thing so that’s a win… which is NOT what happened when a lifelong Western breed judge saw a Fjord in his class full of NotFjords lol 
). As an eventer you can think along the lines of what would I want to jog in? Although not as extravagant as some of the bigger jogs in the sport! But if you think it will look elegant/classic in a photo, it’s probably going to be ok on the line.
Pic of mine included. I did the hat band myself. It was a table ornament prize at a banquet, all the hats were decorated as super tacky for fun and after I pulled off all the garish flowers/band and gave it a redo, it’s been my favorite hat other than “The Ladies” (driven dressage fancy hats a la derby style). The jacket is one of those mesh jackets I use for dressage, ridden and driven. More recently I found a neck scarf that matches the hat perfectly. I opted for black jeans over khakis and I’m glad I did, they compliment him more.
If you are pointing towards eventing your horse will probably be leaner than the hunter crowd and that fine. But fat hides faults as the saying goes, so there’s a reason why they call hunter breeding classes the “feed and lead” division. You don’t want to compete with that aspect, just expect that if you have an eventing fit athlete the flaws will be a bit more obvious than the same horse with another 100+lbs. A really good judge can see the structure of the horse regardless of weight, but not everyone judging is a really good judge.
This is from the entry, so I think it prefers we stick to traditional show attire, which works for me after a day of showing in traditional attire. It’s a free entry class with another entry, so why not do it for fun, and maybe come home with an extra ribbon.
My guy is a thicker built TB, probably could be a hunter, but I like ride times of the eventing world. Hahaha. Maybe that’s why I was surprised with his placing.
Your outfit is super cute! I love the green! (my XC colors are lime & navy, so love your outfit!)
A piece of advice…make sure your horse/pony actually walks and trots out. No pokey walk, and shuffling jog.
The trot should be lively and ground covering. Handlers wearing tall boots aren’t able to run
well beside the horse/pony, so wear closed toed shoes you can run in. At the trot the handler’s stride matches the stride of the horse’s front legs. If the horse gets in front of you at the walk or trot, and he turns his head in towards you, you’re going too slow. Speed up (or take longer strides) to keep up, or ask him to slow down a bit.
Judges want to see the horse move out, and they’ll remember an alert and nice moving horse that
was being shown well.
Ok, now THAT IS IMPRESSIVE. 
And, yeah, most horses move like crap in hand if you are poking along. Move it. Unless you are leading a 10 in confo and movement, you need to do everything you can to accentuate the positives and not highlight the negatives. More things to practice.
that is what daughter did with the weanling she had bought, he was delivered to her at Nationals so why not enter him in the Sport Horse In Hand Class after all he is there so why not let him experience event. Daughter and the breeder where surprised when he at five months old beat the other 33 head seasoned show horses (he was was not phased by all the attention, his brother had won the same class two years before)
OMG, any Western Pleasure or Halter queen would kill to get that purple on a buckskin/dun. I’m impressed.
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