So I have just started competing with my horse, we are on the lower levels and are all about getting the showing experience and routine in. I am wondering how you guys plan you’re week before a show?
I’ve been showing Training level this week. A typical show week looks like this for us (usually we haul in morning of the show):
Day 1 - Dressage lesson.
Day 2 - Homework from lesson day before. (or switch with day 4)
Day 3 - Horse gets day off.
Day 4 - Poles or small jumps, for cross training and variety. (or switch with day 2)
Day 5 - Dressage lesson / final test prep. Might go through entire test, or just practice elements from it.
Day 6 - Light hack, usually walking around the property, go into the dressage court for ~15 minutes for a little trot work, then a bit more walking around the property. Then bathe horse, clean tack, and pack everything in the trailer.
Day 7 - Show day!
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Sounds like a good plan, I hack two days a week, and normally no jumping.
i am always worried that we do to much sandbox time
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If you figure my shows were typically Friday/Saturday/Sunday (Trailer out thursday) I would:
Sunday before: Day off
Monday: Light hack (trails if accessible, but would also put a jump saddle on and hack out in the cross country field)
Tuesday: Lesson. (Run each test no more than two times to “polish” it - identify “problem spots”/rough spots for each test I need to keep an eye out for)
Wednesday: Lightly school those problem spots (don’t run the tests in sequence at this point - construct exercises or transitions that replicate any last minute polishing necessary. IE: 10m. circles need some polishing, do a 20m circle and circle out of it to a 10m circle at the top. Stuff like that. Understand you absolutely cannot “teach” anything new at this point, but you can help instill mindfulness in your own riding which I found helpful.) Keep actual work to a minimum - I was a fan of going on a nice walk after schooling some things just to stretch out.
Thursday: Trailer out to show, school on grounds. Run each test in the show arena if it’s an option, but for the most part, just do some light stretching exercises. Walk around the grounds.
Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Show.
Sometimes we’d throw in a jumping lesson (in which case I’d have a hack on sunday, jump monday, school on my own tuesday, dressage lesson wednesday), but typically the week before a show I personally left out the over fences type of cross training. The schedule above worked with my horse - the longer rides were low impact (trails, lots of walking through fields, etc) and everything else was kept quite short. It worked for us as he never really got “more” energetic with lighter work, and what was always optimal to our success was a good headspace where we could both be relaxed and calm (working on stretching long/low, working over his back, regardless of what type of self carriage he would be going in at the show). The more work we did emphasizing long and low prior to shows, the better off we were.
That said, the adage “man plans, god laughs” is particularly apropos for horses. Fighting a horse to do a thing on a certain day because “it’s the schedule!” has always been less productive in my opinion than going “okay that’s not in the cards right now, we’re going to reevaluate and change things up.” Being flexible, within guidelines, is ideal.
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Assuming you show is Sat and Sun, I’d work up to a competive ride on Wed, give thurs off, ride lightly on Fri emphasizing the weak links in a pleasant way, and then ride Sat and Sun. This way, you have a fresh horse who may or may not sleep well at the showgrounds.
if you need to practice your test, I’d do it the week - weekendend before, maybe Mon or Tues, and that’s it. Horses will memorize frequently ridden exercises and often will not perform those exercises well if they know they’re coming. “OK, I’m going across the diagonal soon so I’ll cut this corner and just lean on my inside shoulder cuz it’s easier than holdlng myself up…”
What I recommend for you (I did this many, many times) is to lay out index cards to mark the arena letters and then walk the test in your living room, solidifying in your mind what aids or corrections you have to think about to perform the next movement. Always think that the movement you’re currently doing is setting you up for the next movement and memorize the aids you have to give WITHOUT your horse. This sort of exercise helps you think on track if something goes wrong (like your horse is spooking massively at the ice cream vendor). You are prepared to fix things if things need fixing, and you are prepared to ride a lovely test if your horse is totally listening to you.
Good luck!
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I rode him yesterday(thuesday) in a lesson where we went through the test etc. To day a lady is riding him for me, and she i also hacking him out friday. Should I ride him on thursday very lightly or give him a rest? The shows are saturday and sunday.
I was a kid athlete and we were always tapered before big swim meets. I like to do this with my horses. I’ve found over the years that my geldings do well with work the week prior. Mares do awesome with zero work the week prior.
I’m in the middle of two shows, currently. I did have a training session to just run through the tests on Tuesday. I didn’t ride her again until Friday night. Then showed yesterday.
I have a bigger show coming this weekend. I plan to hack on Wed. Walking, on the buckle.
So Marsie is feeling good and fresh.
Normal show week:
Tuesday - lesson, light work/stretching
Wednesday - lesson, practice test or schooling ride with trainer
Thursday - off or hack at walk
Friday - ship to show, lesson (light if possible)
Saturday/Sunday - show
If this is not your first show, what have you done before and how did it work? If it worked great, repeat. If it was meh, switch things up. This is a great opportunity to get to know your own horse better, which will only improve the partnership. You might even consider taking notes so you can review for trends.
Have a wonderful time!
I’ve got an older, slight “crunchy” OTTB so he doesn’t get as many days of work as a younger horse would. He also doesn’t hack so he just gets days off instead of hacking… My week prior goes like this:
Sunday: end of the work week for my horse, so it will usually be either touching on the lateral work or suppling exercises
Monday: off
Tuesday: work on all the hard movements in my test, break them down and pick them apart
Wednesday: touch on a few things that need some cleaning up, keep it easy and playful
Thursday: off
Friday: lesson at show with my coach
Saturday and Sunday show!
I think the routine would depend on the temperment of your horse and how confident you feel. If you horse has been to shows and done it all before with previous riders ask them for a few tips on how they used to school and prepare him. If you are worried that your horse might get hot or worked up at the competition venue, or that your nerves might affect him, i would be inclined for the first 2-3 shows to increase his workload for the week proceeding the show so he is not fresh and overly reactive at the venue. Schedule your rides so that show day is maybe the 3rd or 4th ride in a row. Once you have a more experience competing with him and know how he reacts to a new venue, with new horses, sights and sounds then its easier to adjust your routine to suit both of you for future shows. Your horse might be better off with show day being his 4th riding day in a row because he is listening more and focuing on you , or he could be cranky, tired and uncooperative! It really is trial and error to find the right kind of workload that suits you both. As for show prep the week prior to a show i find it handy to use a itemised packing list and to pack your show clothes, show bridle and saddlecloth etc bascially as much as you can the weekend before. And write out a to do list and include all washing, clipping, plaiting etc so you can see what you need to do and how you can schedule your time to do it! 
