Hello, My daughter has been riding for several years but we are new to the AA rated show world. We will be attending PIN OAK CHARITY HORSE SHOW next week and I have questions!!! Are there any trainers or very knowledgeable people in here that wouldn’t mind answering some questions for me?
What are your questions?
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My daughter is showing in the pony division. (sm/med green pony) Specifically in the classes that could potentially qualify her for pony finals. I see that there is a model class included in this division…Do the points from this model class contribute to the overall division scores?
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How do I add a warm up round for the over fences rounds? I do not see it anywhere on the class list.
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How can I tell what the total costs of the classes that we have registered will be? (horseshowsonline)
4.Can a pony complete in the greens division with one rider and in the regulars division with a different rider?
im sure I will think of more…
- Yes, the model will count towards division points that will calculate champion/reserve and who will qualify for PF
- I’m not sure about Pin Oak in particular, but most big shows have ticketed rounds on Tuesday, where you can pay a fee to jump around in the show ring before the official show starts. If you get the daily schedule in the office, it will tell you if there’s warm up classes for that day. Some shows don’t have them, though. You can always do the USHJA divisions that are usually held Wednesday/Thursday if you want more schooling in the ring.
- Division fees for the rated ponies are usually around $250-$300; it’s more expensive because it’s an AA rated division and you can usually get prize money. Obviously, this will be more if you do add warm ups, ticketing, etc.
ETA 4. I believe they can have 2 different riders in the greens and regulars.
Hope she has a blast and best of luck!
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Here is a link to the show’s website - you’ll find the schedule and class fees here
https://www.gswec.com/gswec_events/pin-oak-charity-horse-show-i-iii-usef-premier/
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For sure, the same pony can have different junior riders in the green pony and regular pony divisions. Or within the same division, for that matter, with different junior riders in different classes.
Any junior can show in the green division, but the rider must have a show age of twelve or younger for the regular small division and a show age of fourteen or younger for the regular medium division, except for the model and under saddle classes.
Good luck!! And welcome to the BB! 
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Thank you! This is very helpful!
One more question…on the o/f classes…one is labeled (conf)….Will this round be any different than a regular o/f round?
Also…we are open to any and all suggestions, tips and tricks for the model class! This is not something she has done before.
The conformation class is run the same as the other classes, except that the ponies come back in the ring in hand after they jump to be judged on their conformation, which counts for 25% of their score.
So they come in, the judge looks them over, and then might either leave them in the same order or change them around, depending on how they look. For that part, the pony should be cleaned up again with no dirt or sweat marks on it.
One big thing for the model class is to make sure the pony knows how to jog in hand, which is a requirement for the class. That might take a little practice. The pony should trot brightly, not drag its toes behind the kid, or run over the top of the kid, or take off bucking, or what have you.
I have not watched this video on how to model, but I would think it will be useful for your daughter.
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Make sure your daughter has practiced standing the pony up properly before you go to the show. I’m sure the video just posted will be helpful. Make sure the pony is wiped down and gleaming, no saddle or sweat marks visible, wipe down legs and mouth, fresh polish on hooves. It can sometimes take a while for the judge to go down the line, so she should practice circling out and resetting her pony. Practice, practice, practice!
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Wow! We would’ve been totally lost without this help! Thanks y’all! This may be a bust but will be a learning experience for sure. Lol
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That describes just about everything involving horses. Lol.
My classic piece of advice to everyone is: If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.
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Welcome to horse showing!
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The other important thing that a lot of kids forget is to leave enough room in between ponies for the model class and the conformation part of the jump class. The judge needs enough room to walk around the ponies, in between the ponies, etc., etc.
The ponies should not be so close together that anybody can get kicked or sniff the other pony or what have you. Safety first.
I’m going to add one more piece of pony advice. If the kid is wearing hair bows, the hair bows should never, ever, ever obscure the rider’s number. At all. Ever. Ever!
Trust me on this one. Lol.
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Thank you!! Very true! She will be there with her pony and her very best friend so it will surely be a great weekend.
One more question! For this confirmation round….saddles off and just bridals on? Can the child carry a crop?
I haven’t watched the video, so this may already have been mentioned, but in the model class tell your daughter not to pose the pony and make it hold its position for the whole class. It only really matters what the pony looks like when the judge is looking at it. If she attempts to look perfect the entire time, the pony will get tired and probably disgruntled. So let it stand nicely enough until 2-3 ponies before its turn, and then reposition it for the judge to see.
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Saddles and martingales off, bridles on for the model class and conformation phase of the jump class. The kid can carry a crop.
Many kids will also carry a mint or treat in order to get the pony to put the ears up and pay attention while the judge looks at them.
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Will your trainer be working with your daughter on standing up the pony? My daughter’s trainer did a few ground lessons on this before her first time showing rated ponies. She also recommended the above video, which my daughter and her friend who was also moving up to the pony hunters watched, but they found it somewhat confusing - the ground lessons were much more helpful.
Either way she’ll want to experiment with what will make the pony perk up and put their ears up without getting them so excited they walk forward. Sometimes a treat is too much and they don’t stand. My daughter had good success with a piece of paper to wrinkle - it sound enough like a treat to make her pony take notice, but not so much like a treat that he decided to come get it.
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Make sure to talk to your trainer before you go to go over if you’ve got all your paperwork in order. You’ll want to be certain you have the pony recorded with a measurement card and your child’s memberships done correctly so your points count. Also check the dates on your coggins and your flu/rhino record and have those documents handy.
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Also, if your daughter ends up doing the regular division in addition to the greens, one of the classes in the regular division will be a handy round, which might include something like a trot jump or a hand gallop jump or a tight turn. The green ponies do not have a handy class.
They might have a classic, which is optional to enter. The way that works is that there is a designated class in the regular division which counts as the first round of the classic, and then the riders come in and jump a separate course for the second round of the classic. The scores from those two rounds are added together to determine the placings in the classic.
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We have all of this! Thankfully! Thank you so much!
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