Tips to Know Before a First Show

[Sarah616]

I am organizing a “parent clinic” for the riders I teach to be prepared for their first horse shows. We participate heavily in IEA, local hunter and jumper shows, and ‘A’ shows. We have many riders who come from non-horsey families and even if we go over what to expect with the kids while they’re at the barn, the parents find themselves feeling pretty clueless when it comes to show day, no matter how I spell out in an email what they should do for the day.

I think it would be great for the parents specifically to be able to attend a presentation or “clinic” to answer their questions and get them prepared for what to expect on show day. So, what things do you wish you had known, either as a rider before your first show, or as a parent taking their kid to a first show? I’m compiling a running list from what I personally need them to know, what other parents have told me they wish they had had more information on, and what the kids in lessons tell me they wish they had known, so that we can make the upcoming show season as smooth as possible.

[Renn_aissance]

When I say that your kid is going to show at 10AM, your kid might be warming up for their class by noon.

In seriousness- how to check any online entry systems used by your local organizations and interpret whether any time estimates they have posted are still accurate, using 2 minutes per trip * X trips + 5 minutes per flat * X flats.

The difference between hunter, jumper, equitation, and IEA classes- who is being judged and what the judge asks for. If relevant, the 201 level of this class is the difference between an equitation over fences and a medal, and a hunter class, handy hunter, hunter classic, and derby.

If your local organization’s rulebook is digestible to parents, go through that and pick out key vocabulary words that parents would need to know so they can answer their own questions about what a Pre-Children’s Hunter division is compared to the Junior Hunters.

For IEA - expectations that you have of your team members (especially if they differ from another horse show in terms of time commitment and support of teammates.) You may wish to reinforce the importance of sportsmanship and being gracious about other people’s horses. You know, the Open division has 6 ex-big eq horses and then the one you draw is green and you have to do the add and you can’t touch it with your leg or it jumps up in the air, but you get off that horse and thank the handler for the opportunity, that kind of thing. Defining “point rider” and describing how you select that rider, if you wish to share that with the class. What a “re-ride” is and the circumstances under which you will ask for one.

For everything- how points work in different divisions and any opportunities to qualify for end of year finals or awards.

What you expect of parents when preparing for and at the horse show- supervising their children, assisting with grooming/tacking up, verbal assistance from ringside, etiquette.

[fivestrideline]

What level of show are these new parents doing? Or is this a combo intro clinic and refresher for parents who may have kids doing local, IEA, and/or rated stuff?

Having done all these, and also been the go-to person in the barn for questions, I’d say IEA needs its own session. It’s different enough to confuse horse showing veterans!

A rundown of what kid and horse need to show - outfits and gear, membership numbers where applicable, Safe Sport, etc. Then a rundown of barn fees, even if you just send out the fee schedule early and then take questions or go over “A vs local fees”. A sample show bill from a local and rated show is helpful - people don’t like money surprises so showing them what all the fees are and what to expect is SO helpful.

Basic terminology and class info - depending on your audience, explaining equitation vs hunter vs jumpers, flat classes vs over fences, and the judging basics is good (seriously simple: rider vs horse judged, leads and diagonals, smoothness, etc).

Lastly, a short “Day at a Show” breakdown: what does a day look like usually? Explain that estimated class times really don’t mean anything, explain what you expect from the parents, and stress the importance of being on time and keeping kid hydrated, dressed properly, and in the right place .

This would be a good time to organize an in barn swap meet for show clothes and gear as well!

[fivestrideline]

Adding on - it can be helpful at the beginning of the season to take a short time at the end of lessons with the kids planning to show to take questions from kid and parents. Give them a heads up to come prepared with questions and concerns.

Secondly, I used to help out at the shows by being the Kid Wrangler: basically I got the new kids to the ring on time, answered questions from parents, explained what was going on and why, and sometimes helped kids memorize courses and ran back for gloves/spurs/martingales . It helped the trainers focus on the riders and all 27,000 things they were trying to get done, and parents were able to get questions answered and feel prepared. Plus the kids got to the ring on time because I’m faster than any 11yo at tacking up a pony AND I know where the rings are . If you have a person like this, or can designate (with permission!) a person who can explain the ins and outs while at the show that’s super helpful.

[Peggy]

Great suggestions above.

• Checklist for things to do before the show.
• Timeline for the day of, relative to when they show.
• Timeline for the day of with your plans–when horses get to show, etc.
• Expectations for show office. Will you pick up numbers, or do they need to. Credit card or check? Open check (do people still do these?)? Do they need to check out at the end of the day. Do they enter online beforehand?
• Be nice to people–show office, back gate, announcer, anyone loaning a horse for IEA, trainer, groom, helper.
• How much you want parents to be involved during the day, or not.
• Who does what when–students, parents, trainers, helpers.
• Equipment/clothing requirements. No, you can’t use your hot pink pad in eq.
• Food, water, snacks.

Not part of a parent clinic, but have kids try on all show stuff in front of you, timing it so it’s not so early before the show that they might grow more, but giving them enough time to buy stuff if needed.

[Janet]

That they are not allowed to talk to the judge without going through the steward.

[MHM]

In addition to all the other good suggestions, I would stress the importance of good sportsmanship from all parties at all times. The kids, the parents, everybody. Win, lose, draw, fall off, get eliminated, win every class, whatever.

No temper tantrums, no grousing about the judging, no grousing about the other people in the class, no grousing about the horses, no grousing, period.

At the show, be a good sport regardless. They can complain when they get home if they must.

[paintedpony]

For the parents who have no horse/show background a review of unacceptable parent behaviours.

Park in designated areas.

No alcohol. Sadly it seems necessary to explain that beers at the pony ring are a no go

Where they may stand/sit (will they need a folding chair?)

Where they are not welcome such as ingate or warmup ring

Explain the success of the day can be measured in many ways that do not include ribbons

No scolding your child to tears over a mistake. Makes me crazy when I observe this.

Feed and water your child.

Assure child visits restroom. Child: “not needed”, but we all know as the class is called…

Celebrate everyone.

Reminder: You never know who is standing near or how far a voice carries.

Parents are not to approach officials with complaints. Speak to coach.

Horses are living creatures. They have off days. They get injured. Sometimes they are not able to finish the day even if that means your child misses out. Yes, you still pay.

Address the dog issue.

Educate regarding footwear as the uninformed show up in flip flops

Explain railbird actions that are possibly dangerous: leaning over rail and suddenly pulling off sunhat/flapping program as rider is alongside, toddler launch of sippy cup into ring striking a horse or deciding to pop up that sun shelter mid class.

Project costs, explain potential extras. I have experienced show bills that were twice what I expected. Not fun if the budget is already stretched.

[LCDR]

Easy one for me. My daughter’s first hunter show was at the Hippodrome in North Augusta, South Carolina. It has a covered arena, with seating in tiers of seats. I had not yet started riding, so my only exposure to horse shows was through television shows and movies, where everybody was neat and clean, immaculately dressed, and sitting in ringside chairs courteously applauding the riders. So that is what I was ready for, wearing nice clothes, street shoes, and such.

Well, it was freezing, had recently rained, and the grounds were muddy, the covered arena was being used for a Western competition taking place at the same time, and the hunter show was outdoors. Few times in my life have I ever been so cold and miserable. There were no seats, which was OK because I discovered that the bathroom was heated and I spent as much time as I could in there.

So let the parents know how they need to dress, whether they need to bring folding chairs, and such.

[ZuzusPetals]

Bring a board game, knitting, a deck of cards, work laptop — something to occupy your time. Think stuck-at-the-airport type of waits. No one needs people wigging about time delays.

[lintesia]

Show the parents (and the kids!) how to read a day sheet. A lot of questions about what class is going when can be answered there.

Also maybe explain about how multiple “cards” can be open at the same time. That way they’ll know why riders are going in the ring two or three times but no results are announced.

[HipNo34]

You can never have too many towels. In a variety of sizes.

That is my TED Talk.

[MHM]

Accurate.

[Bristol_Bay]

I would suggest parents need to be ready with water, energy bars, and a microfiber towel to watch the warm up and help Susie be ready to go in the ring.

Learn how to hold a horse while Susie runs to the bathroom.

Be prepared to be ignored after the classes are over so Susie can hang with barn friends and debrief their round with the trainer.

Bring treats and water for the groom (if they have one) and cash to tip. Ask trainer how much to tip.

[Foxglove]

All great ideas --I would add a printed out list of “What to say when your child does well,” and “What to say when your child is disappointed with his/her ride.” One reason I had trainers for all my kiddos, sometimes just a HS student who aged out of 4-H --was I never knew what to say after a class or show.

And, in the 40+ years my kids and grandkid showed, I heard some pretty dreadful things come out of other parents’ mouths --blaming the judge, the horse, the child --worse, other children in the class for a disappointing ride. And yes, I was guilty of an astonished, “I can’t believe the paint horse won, the judge must be blind!” statement as I was sitting in the stands, only to find out the people directly behind me were the child’s grandparents!

Good grief! And don’t comment on the soundness or suitability or training of other people’s horses --everyone in our saddle club KNEW Debbie’s grandma was letting her ride grandma’s dressage horse that beat Totilas, but Debbie rode the test correctly and was proud of her blue ribbon – just say congratulations and move on. One thing horse showing teaches is that life isn’t fair and the best thing to do is your best regardless of what everyone else is doing.

[MissMillyMolly]

A cheat sheet they can have for show day- “you are not ready until you have your black gloves, garters on, black crop (or spurs), hairnet or bows in place, clean boots, number, belt on and shirt tucked and a clean towel to take to the ring”. Or something to that effect. Parents are great at getting their kids outfitted, but often forget the details in the rush to get to the ring. Having something to refer to on show day makes it less likely that little things get left behind.

Also explain how a trainer’s day works, and what that means in terms of hand holding and visibility. Parents often get flustered by not having the trainer with them the entire time from the barn to the show ring- they often don’t understand that the trainer is working at multiple rings and may just swing by for a warm up and to get the rounds in, then will quickly disappear. Be really clear about how that works, and who is responsible for getting the pony to the warmup ring and when the kid should get on (or not) while waiting for the trainer. Also when to take the pony back- sometimes they may be standing waiting to flat, other times they (or a groom) should take the pony back quickly to rest.

Be really explicit about the grooms’ responsibilities and how to stay out of the way. Explain that they are skilled professionals and should be treated and compensated as such.

Finally explain that it is a sport based on traditions and it’s really important to stay within the parameters your set. Yes, that is a lovely color of pink, but no, your buttons on your hunt coat cannot be that color. Yes, pony looks adorable with sparkly feet, but no, you cannot show until I figure out a way to get that goop off her hooves.

[fivestrideline]

@MissMillyMolly

Also explain how a trainer’s day works, and what that means in terms of hand holding and visibility. Parents often get flustered by not having the trainer with them the entire time from the barn to the show ring- they often don’t understand that the trainer is working at multiple rings and may just swing by for a warm up and to get the rounds in, then will quickly disappear. Be really clear about how that works, and who is responsible for getting the pony to the warmup ring and when the kid should get on (or not) while waiting for the trainer. Also when to take the pony back- sometimes they may be standing waiting to flat, other times they (or a groom) should take the pony back quickly to rest.

This x1000. I think this and the show bill are the two biggest surprises/stumbling blocks for people new to showing!

[Sarah616]

Thank you all for some excellent suggestions. I have a minute to go through them now and also give some examples of what and how I have communicated with parents (and riders) in the past.

I LOVE to have things in writing, so in years past, and I will again this year, I have sent out two newsletters. 1 for IEA and 1 for our local hunter and jumper shows, which is what most of our younger riders will be attending. I think the ‘A’ rated shows would need to be another subject altogether so as not to overwhelm some of these first time riders.

In looking at my local show newsletter, I have provided the following information:

• The VERY BASIC difference between hunters/jumpers/equitation, and which classes they will see at each of our local shows. (Hunters = judged on the horse’s way of going, equitation = judged on the rider’s position and control, jumpers = don’t knock the jumps over. Very. Basic. I elaborate more for the kids in their lessons or when they attend our horse show camp)
• What the rider and horse need to wear, with pictures and links
• General locations of where we may go, as well as the dates for the shows we host
• Breakdown of cost, which looks to be pretty accurate within about $20 (some shows have a higher stall price, sometimes shipping is a little more, etc). Details horse lease fee, training, shipping, and what costs are owed to the horse show itself
• How to sign up for shows at the barn (we take care of entries for them, whether that’s an advantage or disadvantage I don’t know, but it’s what works for us)
• Where to register the horse and rider (with the show series to accumulate points) with a link and cost

My IEA newsletter includes much of the same, as well as a link to the IEA website so that the parents can read more indepth about what IEA is all about. I have always held an IEA meeting at the beginning of the season and go over most of the information above. We absolutely emphasize good sportsmanship and being kind to everyone and the horses. I have also made the point as someone mentioned above that there is to be no alcohol at shows… much as you might feel like you need a drink by the time your kid goes! I also include a section regarding Safe Sport as well as Social Media presence. I actually emphasize this very heavily because we had a situation in the past of some bullying and unnecessary drama in the barn. Since I have made a point to really go over this and give a no tolerance policy, we have had no problems (that have been brought to my attention, anyways).

I also send out an email (or multiple) with VERY detailed time information for everyone. For the shows we host, I am pretty good at setting a time schedule and sticking to it. I usually start the email with “I have rider and horse (with show name) entered in XYZ classes”. Then I tell them where they can pick up their number, exactly what time they need to be on in order to school in the morning, what tack they need to wear and what they need to be wearing during schooling vs showing. I include the estimated time schedule and give them an approximate time that the rider will need to be on in order to prepare to show.

Now, even with all these written instructions I get questions from parents or kids that surprise me. Often times it’s about what time they need to be there or what class they’re doing, at which point I just refer them to the email. But recently one mom told me that one thing she didn’t know how to do last year was how to velcro the straps on the show pad around the saddle flap. This isn’t something that had occurred to me to explain, because I usually cut those off of our school show pads and just use the girth straps. But this rider had bought her own and didn’t know what to do with those long straps. So that is something I have added to my list.

We don’t typically have parents in the barn learning how to groom/tack/hold the ponies because we teach the kids what to do and try not to have too many parents trying to “help” explain things, so I’m thinking about doing a brief demonstration of “this is what you can do”, including making sure keepers are tucked in, how to do hoof polish, how to polish kid’s boots…
Three of the biggest things that I am going to be sure to demonstrate are how to tie on a number, how to do garter straps, and how to put the kids’ hair in a hair net and in the helmet.
I think printed, maybe laminated hand outs of a “week before/day before/day of” checklist, what to say, what not to say, etc would come in handy.
I typically like to keep parents away from the kids while the kids are on the horse so that the kids are focused on the trainer. I will be sure to explain that, as well as when would be appropriate times to offer a sip of water, a snack, etc (for example, NOT in between two back to back pleasure classes…)

Again, thanks for all of your suggestions. I think I have a pretty good list of things to start with, but if you have any “surprise” details (like the saddle pad example) feel free to share more!