As a rider of my whole life I know my way around horses. I’ve only been showing for 2 years, this as my third. I was not a pony kid who galloped around the 2’6 at thermal or has a house in Florida that I go to for the winter. I’ve had my horse for almost two years. At first you couldn’t get him around a course at all. Now we are ready for our first A circuit show. We do jumpers and medals. I know my way around horses, not the A circuit. I would greatly appreciate any insight I can get before diving in head first.
What kind of information are you looking for? What people are wearing, how to do it affordably (relatively speaking), what kind of competition to expect in your area? There are many threads on each of these if you do a search (plus some information in a catch-all bread stickies at the top of this forum.
My advice? Be early for everything, study your courses, listen to your coach, treat any barn help like the gold that they are, and get good sleep. Don’t forget to eat and drink (water). Work in improving round on round, and worry not at all about how you perform relative to others. Treat your first jumper trip like an equitation course, and concentrate more on smart turns and lines than on speed. Help others who know less. Watch (like a hawk) others who know more. When you’re not riding or caring for your horse, or helping bar mates, find a spot on the rail and watch more experienced riders go.
View this first A-show as a learning experience. If you come home with a little piece of satin or two, that’s just gravy.
Be shameless in asking your trainer (or others around the barn, depending on the subject and if you feel comfortable) EVERYTHING. Ask who you’ll pay, how (cash or check?), how much, and when; what you should expect to do at the show vs. what grooms/trainer will do (supplements? meds? morning hacks? lunges?); what turnout is expected (especially in the jumpers, this will vary by your level, the show, and your trainer’s preferences.) I’ll assume you’ve seen an itemized price estimate at this point - if not, make sure you do that as the little things can be much bigger things at the A’s. Know what classes you’re going in, make sure you feel confident at that level, and talk about expectations with your trainer beforehand.
And make sure you have fun! 
Be prepared to pay more for everything 
Depending on the show, they are generally run better and have better course design but not always. Some show management can still be a cluster…
IME courses are usually set more solid.
Dress conservatively, especially in the medals, but even in jumpers.
Be polite and make friends with the back gate people; check your ring throughout the day to see if its on time. If you have a conflict let someone know ASAP.
Ride “defensively” (not crazily but don’t continually get pushed off if you’ve been waiting) in the warm up ring and know proper ettiquite.
Read the rules on tack (ie no martingale in the flat class), etc.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I’ve found most people really nice and helpful when I am clueless.
Treat your horse kindly, it will be new for him/her too.
Scope out where you need to be the day before. See if the show puts out a schedule the night before. At bigger shows they let trainers go around early to group their students into a rotation–know where you’ll fit.
Bring snacks and water and gatorade.
Have fun and good luck!
Go and watch your divisions at an A show prior to your actual show date. Look closely at the details–how the horses and riders are turned out, how they enter the ring, how they handle problems in the ring, etc. Much will be similar to local shows, only at a higher level at a nicer venue and with a lot more polish. Be sure to check class counts the night before and check in at your ring in the am so you have a good idea of when you will be showing so you can plan out your day. Go study your courses early in the day so you aren’t nervously trying to remember them as you warm up.
[QUOTE=BeeHoney;8246699]
Go and watch your divisions at an A show prior to your actual show date. Look closely at the details–how the horses and riders are turned out, how they enter the ring, how they handle problems in the ring, etc. Much will be similar to local shows, only at a higher level at a nicer venue and with a lot more polish. Be sure to check class counts the night before and check in at your ring in the am so you have a good idea of when you will be showing so you can plan out your day. Go study your courses early in the day so you aren’t nervously trying to remember them as you warm up.[/QUOTE]
This! I always felt the atmosphere at A shows to be a bit more formal; however, it’s been my experience that A shows can be much friendlier than some schooling shows. When we first started going to A shows, I remember befriending our stall neighbor- very nice lady and her adult daughter. Super nice- turned out to be a fairly BN judge/BNR combination.
Unless you yourself are a professional braider, if you are showing in the hunters/eq, hire a professional braider. Nothing gives you away as “an outsider” like an amateur braiding job. Other than that, echoing what everyone else has said and that if you are polite and friendly, you never know who you will meet that will be helpful. I had a few BNTs offer golf cart rides at WEF.
Check in with the in-gate several times a day to see what time your division goes and where you are in the order. At some shows announcements to the barns will be frequent and helpful; at others, you really need to check the gate almost hourly. Be very nice to the person working the in-gate; they are literally your in.
Not sure how competitive your smaller rated shows are, but your horse should be really quiet with excellent lead changes, at least in the show ring. Know how to make that happen and if you need a solid ride in the morning, make sure you have time for your horse to get bathed and look presentable again. The latest fad is bringing a yoga mat to the ring so you can do hoof polish without any dirt. This is why I do jumpers
[QUOTE=BostonHJ;8246815]
The latest fad is bringing a yoga mat to the ring so you can do hoof polish without any dirt. [/QUOTE]
Off topic, but…
What?!? Where have you seen this done??
[QUOTE=MHM;8246980]
Off topic, but…
What?!? Where have you seen this done??[/QUOTE]
That is lunacy.
WEF and VT - I thought they were as faux liverpools for schooling but I always see them going with horses done up as hunters with their tails done. Or are they still schooling decoration and my imagination is that good?! I am a bit sleep deprived at the moment
[QUOTE=BostonHJ;8247051]
WEF and VT - I thought they were as faux liverpools for schooling but I always see them going with horses done up as hunters with their tails done. Or are they still schooling decoration and my imagination is that good?! I am a bit sleep deprived at the moment :)[/QUOTE]
I hope it’s your imagination. I’ve got enough crap to carry to the ring as it is.
Strides count. Lead changes count. Look neat.
Generally left to left in the warm up ring.
Who is using hoof polish? Never saw that outside the Ayrab and AQHA breed shows…guess I need to get out more…they sanding the hooves yet?
[QUOTE=lmlacross;8246435]
Don’t forget to eat and drink (water). [/QUOTE]
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: Or a little something stronger if you’re the nervous type.
[QUOTE=BostonHJ;8247051]
WEF and VT - I thought they were as faux liverpools for schooling but I always see them going with horses done up as hunters with their tails done. Or are they still schooling decoration and my imagination is that good?! I am a bit sleep deprived at the moment :)[/QUOTE]
My guess would be A.) Schooling decoration, and B.) You need some sleep. :lol:
I was at WEF all winter, and I saw people with the yoga mats, but I never saw one used to paint feet. I would guess the people who have a yoga mat on the backpack just leave it there, regardless of which ring they go to during the day.
To the OP, if you know what you’re doing at a smaller show, it shouldn’t be much different at a bigger show. Maybe more rings and more horses, but the basic principles are the same. Be prompt, prepared, and organized, and have fun.
[QUOTE=findeight;8247259]
Who is using hoof polish? Never saw that outside the Ayrab and AQHA breed shows…guess I need to get out more…they sanding the hooves yet?[/QUOTE]
LOTS of people use hoof polish (shiny stuff applied right before you go in ring) at A rated shows. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. I find it an awful lot of bother…but we don’t have a groom so it kinda depends on whether one of us remembers to give the hoof polish bottle to trainer when we go to the ring.
It would definitely help to hear specific things that you would like to learn more about, OP!
Shows at all the levels can vary a lot from location to location in terms of what is normal (and the terminology used can vary greatly, too!).
I’ve tried to compile as many showing how-tos as I can think of on my blog (http://showringready.blogspot.com) but there’s so much out there that those of us who have been around the ‘A’ circuit for a while forgot that we ever had to learn.
If you have specific questions to ask (and even better, a rough location), you’ll have a much better chance of absorbing as much relevant COTH knowledge as you might need.
[QUOTE=inca;8247462]
LOTS of people use hoof polish (shiny stuff applied right before you go in ring) at A rated shows. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don’t. I find it an awful lot of bother…but we don’t have a groom so it kinda depends on whether one of us remembers to give the hoof polish bottle to trainer when we go to the ring.[/QUOTE]
Off topic- Do you mean hoof dressing? I think hoof “polish” is that permanent really shiny shellac in clear, black etc (black looks terrible in hunters IMO) that doesn’t rub off. Dressing is that magical stuff that immediately disappears in 2 steps Semantics.
I was speaking of the stuff labeled as Hoof Polish. It’s like fingernail polish for horses. Permanent, hard glossy coating available clear or black. It’s a breed show staple. Better then it used to be but its not Hoof Dressing that makes them shiny for 5 min and soaks in as a conditioner.
Both products attract some dust and makes sense to stand them on pavement or a mat to apply it. Back in the groom stall for the Polish that dries hard in 3 minutes, ringside right before going in for the Dressing.
