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first show ever

1K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Toricuteness15 
#1 ·
I am preparing for my first ever show. I want to do jumper style and would like some courses to practice that will test our turns, but be realistic (in terms of length, difficulty, etc).
Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Not entirely sure what you are asking, but if you are looking for course ideas you could google 'show jumping courses' and you will get a lot of ideas.

For actual jumps, if you don't have proper jumps, make use of bales of hay, tyres, drums, banana boxes, hedges can be made with pallets and scrub brush, a false 'water' jump can be made with a small tarpaulin. Basically, as long as its reasonably safe.

If you can introduce various colours to give variety, often horses faced with colour for the first time will baulk (and yes i've heard they are supposed to be colour blind). I had one horse would spook at anything blue, including painted marks on the road.

Bending exercises can be done using cones or drums as well. Ideally, don't jump every day because your horse can get sour of it. The same jumps can become boring for him and/or they can become sore, so vary your training exercises.
 
#3 ·
My advice on this will vary a bit depending on your background. Have you had instruction from a reputable trainer in jumping? Has your horse? If you haven't worked with a trainer, I would strongly advise that you find someone who is able to safely and correctly teach you the basics before you start to specialize in a discipline or prepare for competition.

If you do have experience jumping and are just new to showing or to the jumper ring, I'd recommend setting up gymnastics and short exercises that address specific skills you will need in the jumper ring. Exercises set on a half stride that allow you to practice adding or leaving one out in a line, short courses that require making an inside turn or tidy rollback, etc, will benefit you much more than just jumping around a complete course over and over.

You can also do things in your flat work to make sure your horse is prepared for the jumper ring. Make sure you can do transitions within gaits, practice keeping him balances and straight through turns, get him consistently in front of your leg and listening to your cues.

I wouldn't recommend jumping more than two times per week, use the rest of the time to focus on flat work, or practice skills using ground poles rather than true jumps.

As far as difficulty level at a show, I would recommend talking to a trainer or experienced friend about what shows in your area would be suitable for someone at your level. Most schooling shows will have jumper classes at 2' or even 18", often without oxers or difficult courses that can be a great place to start if you don't have experience in that ring. You may also want to attend a show just to spectate to get an idea of what attire is expected, how the show will run, etc.
 
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