Ooh my…this all sounds very confusing! I’m going to read all of your suggestions many times in this next week…and probably refer back to this while we are there too! I wish our trainer had more experience with this! Kind of coming from the grass roots of the hunter/jumper world…my daughter will be showing her kill pen rescue that she has brought along all on her own-under the eye of her trainer.
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Is leasing a trainer for a week a thing?!? Lol
I think we may need to do that! 
Honestly, that’s totally an option and not a bad idea.
You can also peruse the USEF rules as well.
https://www.usef.org/compete/resources-forms/rules-regulations/rulebook
This website will also come in handy. You can click on the schedule and the ring status during the show to see how many entries are in each class, and also get an idea of what time the classes might happen, although that is always a ballpark estimate at best.
https://mobile.horseshowsonline.com/ShowBasic.aspx?ShowGUID=da498968-d6fd-49b3-82ed-e98a0fdfe444
Yes! Talk to your trainer and see if they can find you a barn to tag along with - mine did this for us with her trainer (the one she rode with as a junior) who did “bigger” stuff than we did. We stabled next to them and paid them a schooling fee in addition to what we paid our own trainer for the daycare and hauling and other stuff. Also, Facebook can be a great resource for this - clear it with your trainer first but don’t be afraid to put out a plea for assistance! Someone might just have the time (and the love of ponies and their kids!) to help y’all out.
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I’m from the eventing and dressage world so no advice. Just have fun and please let us know how it goes.
A picture of the lovely pair would also be most welcome! 
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Yes, please give us some pics! But mostly, have a wonderful time. I’m excited for your daughter and you.
Thank y’all so much! I will absolutely share pics!
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If you are really thinking of getting help from a trainer who is more familiar with the pony ring with an eye on possibly going to pony finals, it would make a lot of sense to try to find somebody who would also be going to pony finals as well.
If you think it’s a big adjustment to go to one AA show in Texas, you cannot imagine what goes on that week in Lexington, Kentucky. Lol.
Again, best of luck to your daughter. I hope she has a great time next week!
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I wish she were still in bows! Nope, my “big girl” had to have the tall boots and hair net. Shes 11 going on 16.
I hope the show went well!
All that you helped us went with great! We were infinitely more prepared and knew what to expect because of everyone’s help.
She had 5 in her group and placed 5th in the model…so not great…but It was the first time she’s ever done it so we didn’t really expect much. And I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for-but I’ve been told that the pony doesn’t have great confirmation. But we love her just the same! (Lol) We learned that having a treat in the pocket is too much. She just couldn’t stand there patiently once she knew it was in the pocket.
The o/f rounds were a TOTAL bust.
We arrived on Friday and schooled over the jumps in that arena and it went beautifully…Saturday morning when it was her time to shine…nothing. Ran out of the jumps every time. No matter how hard my daughter fought for it. (& my daughter is a pretty strong rider) Disqualified both rounds. Same thing on Sunday. She was so disappointed & embarrassed and I was sad for her too. Lily has worked so hard and really deserved to have some good rounds to show that off but cest La vie! …
On a positive note, she did wonderful in the flat! She came in 2nd. She placed higher than some others that were in the class that are already qualified…so that was a confidence boost for her!
When i asked her what she wanted to do with the pony moving forward….she seems to still be very determined to meet her goals with her. So I guess we will keep working on this and hopefully come back stronger.
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Aww. Well, the good news is it will probably go better the next time. Congrats on the ribbons!
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Cute pony! Well done both of them on a good flat ribbon.
Did I see that pony and kid don’t do rated shows often? Do the jumps at the shows you normally do look as dressed and fluffed up as the ones at the horse show? All those flowers and brush change the profile of the jump and can be intimidating to ponies and kids alike. It can throw off the rider’s eye to the jump a bit too. If that’s part of it, the Easter flowers will go on sale at Michael’s next week.
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Speaking as someone who suffers from horse show nerves, schooling is way easier than rounds that are being judged. There’s also a chance that the pony picked up on your daughter’s excitement during the classes and began looking for something to be excited about. (Ask me how I know. 
)
There is absolutely nothing for your daughter to be embarrassed about. Everyone falls off. The last time I fell off in a show ring I was 50 years old, had plenty of showing experience, and should have been riding way better than that. My horse had schooled beautifully the day before, too. Then we went in the ring, she stopped at the first fence and I went over her head. It happens.
Well done on getting the first show under your belt, and good luck with the next one!
Congrats, that 2nd is something to be proud of! That’s more than I came home with from my first show many years ago.
Sounds like your daughter has been soundly bitten by the horse show bug! Have fun and keep updating, I love seeing pics of happy kids and cute ponies.
Congratulations, that is a nice hack ribbon, I’m sure it was a very nice group of ponies! Both daughter and pony look very well turned out.
Stepping into the pony hunter ring for the very first time is intimidating, no matter how many times you’ve shown. It sounds like your daughter has the right attitude, it will be much easier the next time!
They both look wonderful! Your daughter is beaming with pride. That’s the win right there. Well done mom. Life lessons that will shine bright for her even after the ribbons fade.
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Awww they look great! As a junior we used to joke that we’d rather have a terrible schooling than a good one - somehow it always went better after a rough start. I think it was all in our heads; if pony was a tough ride in schooling I think it was easier to get a little western and not be so worried about perfection .
Sounds like kiddo has a great attitude - moving up (in height or show atmosphere) always comes with some trial and error, for rider and pony! That hack ribbon is something to be SO proud of - hang it somewhere special at home.
Good luck going forward, we all are cheering for her (and you!)
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No, not often. This is only her second one. I’m not sure about all the filler…it’s weird because she jumped them all perfectly on Friday. The same exact jumps in the same exact ring. She does jump over lots of artificial flowers at home. They did go heavy on the nature on the jumps though.lol…but I feel like maybe it was more the nerves than anything.
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