Conference noted::equitation

    Dave how often do you show?  Try giving him some time off from halter
    classes and that should improve his attitude, too much showing
    will sour a horse.  Also too much training can make him ring sour
    as well.
    
    

< Note 639.1 by HERMES::GILL >

    So far this year I've been in four shows.  The first was in March, then
May (one in the beginning and one at the end, then one in June.
    
    Skip has always had this attitude about halter classes.  I have not seen    
it develope over time.  If he had changed his attitude I would agree with
your suggestion, but since he has, since I've had him, been this way I don't
think that it is because of going to too many shows.

   He acts like he does after a hard workout and I'm walking him around to
cool off.

   If I'm wrong about my going over board on the shows let me know.

		Thanks for the idea

				Dave.

    Horses have their druthers too, and it could be that Skip feels
    that halter classes are beneath his dignity.  Don't laugh, some
    times a horse will really hate what he is doing.  Some very famous
    steeplechasing horses first started out as flat racers but hated
    it so bad that they were tried at jump racing with great success.
    Every horse is an individual with particular likes and dislikes.
    Some horses are very agreeable in nature and will do what they are
    told to do and not wonder much about it (boring).  Than again others
    will let you know what is and is not acceptable, Skip might be one
    of these.
    
    regards,
    stephanie

    Dave,
    
    How old is Skip?  What shows did you show him at?
    
    I have a 3 year old Quarter Horse & we show in halter, my problem
    was that he would get bored and try to follow the judge around him
    and fidget when he didn't follow the judge. (I guess he's just too
    friendly)
    
    Last night I learned how to bait and keep my horses attention while
    keeping him quiet in the ring. Once he is squared up and standing
    quietly, (this is in practice at home only) I have a handful of
    grass, this does to things keep his interest and makes him look
    nice by raising the head alittle and stretching the neck out.  If
    you practice this at home and then do the same steps without food
    in the ring you'll keep his attention and his interest, plus make
    the judge look twice at you.
    
    I guess it must be boring to just have to stand there and be admired,
    wouldn't you like to be so lucky.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Lorna
    
    P.S.  What breed is he, I'm assuming he's a Quarter Horse with the
    	  name of Skip.  What are his lines?
    

    
    
    		i have a question for the author:
    
    		what do you do when you get ready for a halter class?
    do you get him ready then put back in the stall until your class
    is called? do you have him at hand waiting as much as 15 -20 at
    the gate? do you have his halter on and then run to the gate so
    you wont be late?
    or do you get him ready and stand til your time in the class?
    
    

	I finally got the time to get back to reading notes.  Lorna, Skip's
full name is Bright Bar Skip.  He is a quarterhorse, but because of the amount
of white on his legs and a white spot on his belly he could not be registered
as a palomino.  So he is a registered paint.  He is 10 yrs old.

< Note 639.5 by BAUCIS::MATTHEWS "i mite b blonde but i'm not stupid" >
                       -< how do you handle your horse? >-
    
>    		what do you do when you get ready for a halter class?
>    do you get him ready then put back in the stall until your class
>    is called? do you have him at hand waiting as much as 15 -20 at
>    the gate? do you have his halter on and then run to the gate so
>    you wont be late?
>    or do you get him ready and stand til your time in the class?
    
	Skip is being shown by both myself and my step-daughter who is 
eight yrs old.  Usually we get to the show in the morning, about an hour    
before it starts, this is after a 45 minute trailer ride.  We clean Skip up
and straighten away any problems caused by the trip, i.e. braids that have
come down, if he is braided, reclean his feet and get him ready for the show.

	If time is availiable, Crystal, my step-daughter and/or I will bring
Skip into the ring to practice squaring him up and getting him to trot without
having to pull him initially.

	After this we end up waiting for the classes to be called.  In the
first two shows we were in the first 4 or 5 classes, all halter, so one of us
would go in with Skip and we change handlers as needed.

	Skip's attitude doesn't change until we saddle him up.  Then he perks
up and seems to enjoy what is going on.

	This weekend we have another show.  This time Crystal will not be
showing, she is off on vacation with her father.  So I will get to see how
he is with only one person working him.  We have also decided not to put him in 
as many halter classes, maybe only one this time.

	I'll let you know how the show goes.

			Dave

    
    
    	DAVE: i have this idea. <YOu might want to try it.
    
    	after you get him ready. work on squaring and walking, step
    up for about 10 min.(do this away from everyone)
    then put him away. 5 min befroe the class put the halter on and
    walk out (fast) square him up. then get him to trot as fast as you
    can get him to. then just before get him charged up by trotting
    him real fast beside you, you might have to give him a swat with
    the lead shank. get him a little afraid (if you will)
    try that, sounds like he uses halter class to sleep, you'll
    just have to get after him.
    i know i was the before.
    
    		wendy o'
    

    Where is the show this weekend?  
    
    Another question, is he better in the first class and gets
    progressively more bored as they go on or is he the same way all
    the way thru?
    
    My horse tends to fidget when he gets bored, so I try not to take
    him out of his stall until 1 or 2 classes before his.  I don't want
    him to feel rushed just fresh.
    
    Since my horse is only 3 we have a lot of years left of halter classes
    so I try to make all of his experiences pleasent, that isn't always
    possible though. How exciting can a halter class be for a horse anyway.
    
    It also doesn't surprise me that he perks up for performance, there
    are new sites to see when they can move around fairly freely.
    
    Good luck at your show!
    

    Lorna,
    
    You mentioned that you take your youngester out.  How often do you
    show him?  What was it like the first time out?  How did you prepare
    for his first halter show?  How did you manage to get him to stand
    in one place?
    
    curious
    stephanie_who_is_taking_her_youngester_out_for_his_first_time.
    

    Stephanie,
    
    I spent alot of time at home at first just making him stand still
    not perfectly set up just still at home.  Then worked with the back
    legs getting them square, and then the front all the time keeping
    the sessions short but not to short.  Our longest session at home
    was 15 to 20 at the very most.
    
    At shows its very different, at least for he and I. There is so
    much to see and hear that I found it hard to keep his attention
    on the task at hand (looking beautiful). Now after 6 halter classes
    on various weekends we are getting better, not perfect but much
    better then our first time out.  Don't expect perfection the first
    time out, they are nervous, and they do feel your nerves. 
    
    Brick is calm and cool at home, so aren't I, while in the ring I'm
    a bundle of nerves (even after showing for 18 yrs) and he feels
    it.  However, the last show he calmed me down, he was very well
    behaved and calm (too calm he decided that he didn't know how to
    trot).
    
    I think that you can keep their attention by talking to them and
    not making them stand perfect (I don't mean scattered all over the
    place, but alittle more relaxed) unless the judge is looking at
    them. The key with that is you have to be aware of where the judge
    is at all times. I like to try to get into the ring first or second,
    this gives me more time to set him up, while the other horses are
    entering the ring.
    
    As I said we are still learning, and he does get better with time.
    
    Good luck in your show, where & when is it ?
    
    Lorna
    

    It's the Arabian all gelding show in Springfield, July 30-31.  He
    will stand square at home, trot in-hand on que, and stay in place
    when I drop the lead and walk away from him.  I thought that I would
    let him look around when on the rail except when maybe in the begining
    to get his attention and when it came time for the judge to look.
    I just want him to stand up and leave all that neck cracking stuff
    out, not trample the judge, me or any competitors.  Is that too
    much to ask?  Seriously though, I hope that he finds it fun and
    not too scary.  I know that we will not do anything ribbon wise,
    but I just want to have a good time and him too.
    
    Thanks for your help
    stephanie
    

	Somebody asked where the show I'm going to this weekend is.  Well
it is in the bustling community of Pompey New York.
	This show is one of a series of five that they have at the Painted
Pinto Post Ranch.  It's not a biggy, but after going to the New York State
Breeders show I've decided that I enjoy this type of show much more.    

			Dave

    Thanks for the info on where the shows are.
    
    Dave, I think that I'll have to pass on the show in New York.  Do
    you show at any of the Mass shows (they have Paint/Pinto don't they?).
    
    Stephanie, I'm going to try and go to the Arabian Gelding show,
    time permitting.
    
    Thanks Again & Good Luck to Both!!!
    
    Lorna
    

    Lorna,
    
    Are you going to show?  If so, I have the prize list and stuff if
    you need it.
    
    In any event, look me up I will be in the Main barn with Hy Time
    Stable's show string.
    
    stephanie
    

	With my vast experience ( all of 1 year ) I have not gone out of New
York to shows.  I believe that there are shows I could go to in Mass, but I
don't have the time and money needed to go there.
	I would love to, because I grew up in Wilmington, Ma and until two
years ago I lived in the Hudson, New Hampshire area.  DEC didn't have a job
for me in New England so I came to Syracuse, New York to work for DEC.
	Well, time to clean my desk and tie up the loose ends of my tent
so I can steal away into the night.

				Dave

    Stephanie,
    
    I don't show Arabians, yes I know I have an Arabian but we don't
    show.  All I use Kelly for is trail riding and making babies.
    
    The horse that I show now is a Palomino Quarter Horse named A Gold
    Brick (what a name!).  He is at the trainers now till September
    so it looks like I won't be showing much for the rest of this year.
    
    I will be going to many of the shows around to watch though!
    
    
    Dave,
    
    I hope that everything goes well at your show.
    
    Please keep us posted on how you did.
    
    Good Luck to both,
    
    Lorna
    

	My show yesterday was dismal.  I usually win the jumping events at
this show, but yesterday Skip didn't want to do anything my way.  He did do
better in the halter class.

	I usually get either a fourth place or nothing at all in halter
events, yesterday I entered two halter events and got Third place in both.
I'm very pleased with that.

	But, because of the heat, I think, all of the horses were acting up,
and Skip was no exception.  All my trots yesterday were fast and Skip was not
listening to the aids, as he usually does.  The canters were even worst, I
had so much to do just trying to keep him down to a nice even easy pace that
I blew a couple of leads.

	I did suprise my instructor, when I did a flying change in one of my
jumping events.  Usually at this show the jumping is very simple with no
lead changes needed.  Yesterday, because of the heat and lack of interest in
one of the jumping classes, they changed the course and had us do a figure
eight around the jumps, so two lead changes.  They were allowing any type of
change you anted to do, even from a dead stop.

	So I had two good points and lots more wo ahead.

					Dave

    Stephanie...
    Who will you be stabled with at the Gelding Show?  Would like
    to drop by and see you.
    
    GOOD LUCK
    

    Congratulations Dave!!
    
    It was very hot and humid yesterday, so I would expect some resistance,
    from the horses.  I know it was all I could do to move yesterday,
    never mind show.
    
    Keep us informed on how you do this season...  Always like to hear
    about someone pleased with their results.  Doesn't always have to
    be blue to make you happy.
    
    Lorna
    

    I will be stabled with Hy Tyme Stabe (Mert Sarter), but I'm not
    sure which barn.  Please do drop by!
    
    stephanie