painthorse girl can you give some tips on showing halter??

Question

painthorse girl can you give some tips on showing halter??

Answer 1

this is what i read when we started showing in halter, I hope that it helps. Very long, i'm sorry



First you will need to take a good look at your horse or pony. Is the conformation correct?



A judge once told me there are no perfectly correct horses. Each one will have some little thing wrong with their conformation. Perhaps the way the neck cuts into the body, size and shape of head, slant on shoulder, size of ears, muscles etc. and the list goes on. What the judge does is to look at the overall picture and structure and judge according to which horse is best "put together" based on all the horses he is judging at the moment.



Take a good look at your animal. Is there something you can work on? For instance, if his neck is a little thick you can lunge him with a neck sweat. Need more muscle in the hind end? Lunge him backwards. Now all of this needs to be dealt with according to age. (You would not lunge a young horse for more than 5 min. and gradually build up to 7 min. in any direction).



In training a horse (at any age) for halter you'll need several things.



1. A round pen for lunging (to build muscle mass).

2. Halter and lead rope with a stud chain.

3. Lots of time and patience.



First you will want to teach your horse to stand when you say whoa. Use a halter and a lead with a stud chain and loop it through the halter on the left side (near his muzzle), slide through the buckle under chin back through the halter and go up and snap on the buckle near the eye on the right side. Walk around and teach him to whoa. Go easy when pulling on the lead as the chain under his chin should get his attention. (Some people will slide the chain over the nose for more control and with stallions the chain will be slid under the top lip to make contact with the gums).



Teach him to slow jog trot with head lowered. This can be done with flexible tube reins which go across the back, through the front legs and attach to the halter (clip on sides of halter), you may also want to let out the halter so the nose band drops onto the nose to encourage him to lower his head. Adjust rein pressure so relief is given when his head is "set". These can be used while lunging, you'll be surprised how quickly they will collect into proper balance using these reins.



Next you'll need to teach him to allow you to lift each leg and position it. (This is not as easy as it sounds). You might lift his front legs and get them straight and then low and behold he'll move when you begin straightening his back legs. So lots of patience here. This is called setting the horse up. If you are having trouble you might want to back him against a wall, position his back legs and then his front. If he wants to cock one rear leg push or pull his hip to make him stand up straight. Give him lots of praise when it is done right. A tip for straightening the back legs is to pull the head either left or right. This causes them to move a back leg to get balance. For instance, if the rear right leg is too far forward, pull the head slightly to the left and gently ask for them to back slowly, they will then move the leg even with the other one. Opposite for other leg. When they are positioned, tell your horse to "stand". Once he is standing fairly square you'll need to get his head up and ears at attention. You might try having gum or peppermint in your mouth and gently blowing in his direction. This will get his attention and his ears will go up. When you are blowing try not to be noticeable. Some folks jiggle the end of the lead rope in front of the horse.



At the show you will walk your horse toward the judge, slow jog with horses head lowered, as you pass and then line up. The judge will approach each horse and go all around them. You will want your horse standing straight with head up and ears at attention. You will always be facing the judge with a bright smile on your face, moving from the left side to the right side of your horse as the judge moves. In the younger classes a judge will need to look into your horses mouth to see his teeth. Go to several shows and take your video camera and watch carefully what each competitor and judge does.



Go home and practice with your horse. Get others to bring horses and pretend you are in a class.



While you are training for show you should also remember your horse must look his best, after all - this is a beauty pageant for horses! The day of the show he should be slick and clean, muzzle, fetlock and ears shaved, mane banded and tail fluffed along with polished hoofs. In other words, looking his best. Begin to introduce him to the clippers on his muzzle and ears. You will need cordless clippers a gentle hand and lots of patience. Try to find the quietest clippers you can. If you are wondering why your horse overreacts to them just put it up to your ear! (Usually in the summer months a horses ears are not quite so hairy so a little Vaseline in the ear to rub the hairs together will work).



If you want to show your horse in winter months you'll need to blanket him with a hood and use a bright light 24-7 to keep his hair short year round.



If you will only be showing in the spring and summer you'll need to groom him everyday with a rubber curry to get the winter hair off. Use the clippers to trim fetlocks and around hoofs, muzzle, ears and halter path. Practice banding the mane.



(To band a mane you'll need banding rubber bands which can be purchased at any tack store or catalog, buy a color that matches your horses mane, or with a black horse white bands will really stand out).



To band a mane first trim to about 41/2 to 5 inches (you'll trim shorter before showing). Beginning at the end of the halter path grasp 1/4 inch of hair. While holding hair down on neck (this is the secret to nice straight lay-down banding) wrap the rubber band around the hair 4-6 times. Grasp the next 1/4 inch section and continue all the way down the neck, keeping all bands in a straight line.



Once it gets warm enough you'll be ready to bathe your horse. He must be able to tie and you should bathe him somewhere other than the grass. (it will get muddy). In the early morning fill up 2 large buckets with water and stretch the hose out leaving them in the sun. (This will warm the water slightly). Lunge him later that afternoon until he is really hot.



When you bathe a horse for the first time don't use a spray nozzle just a nice trickle from the hose, gradually you can introduce the nozzle. Tie him and start wetting him on his front legs first gradually working up to his body and neck. (I use this method on all our babies and it works great and they love it!) Watch his body language, you'll know when he is not enjoying it.



Lather him up with any shampoo. If you have a paint horse and the white is stained or yellow you will need to use a special product. I like "Shimmering Lights". This is a people product that I have found works great on our paint horses. If the horse's white is really stained it will take several treatments. (After he is dry and is still yellowish try patting some corn starch or baby powder on the white parts)



Use the special whitening shampoo only on their white hair, regular shampoo on the rest, for a mostly black horse try a product formulated for blacks. Once you have scrubbed their body don't forget the mane and tail and rinse well. If you have him accustomed to water in his face rinse well to get dirt at skin level. If not use a towel for face, ears and nose. While they are tied you could use a disposable razor on their muzzle if you have not been working with the electric clippers. Cut the halter path (remember, hold his ear back, end the cutting with the length of his ear). Finish off with the clippers.



Next use a sweat scrape to get off excess water and condition mane and tail. Comb out tail and braid - end with a rubber band. (it is much easier to braid the tail while it is wet). Next comb out the mane and trim. Remember not too short, you can always cut more later.



Now walk him around and let him dry. Once you put him back into the stall you know he'll roll around in the shavings! Keep plenty of shavings and keep the stall picked up and clean.



If your horse fades in the summer sun you'll need to keep him stalled during the day with a fan on him. Horses that usually fade are: Black and Palominos. If your horse is black and their mane and tail have turned reddish just go to the store and buy black hair coloring. Be sure to also buy heavy duty gloves, the little plastic ones that come with the hair dye don't work very well. Regarding Palominos, I have never owned a Palomino but I have learned from others who show at halter a little trick about keeping that deep golden coat. 1 tablespoon of Paprika at each feeding. I know sounds crazy but they say it works.



For the show:

You will need a leather show halter with silver bars (these can be purchased at any tack store or catalog), and a matching lead. When fitting the halter to the horse remember to have the throat latch strap behind the jaw to show off their jaw and head. You may have to adjust the halter slightly, silver tips can be taken off and straps cut for a better fit.



Use this on your horse occasionally so he can get used to it. Be sure you take care of this halter and clean it thoroughly as they can be quite expensive.



Check back on the video as to what the competitors are wearing. Remember styles change and weather dictates what to wear. (summer attire will be different from winter). Look at everything, their hats, boots, pants, shirts etc.

Once you have all of this you'll be ready to go to the show!



Day before the show:

Lunge and bathe your horse (bath if necessary), clean him really well, don't forget to shave his muzzle, also check wispy hairs at the fetlock joint, cut or shave. If his ears are hairy you might try the clippers (if you have been working with him). Braid his tail and forelock (thin forelocks don't have to be braided) and band his mane. Walk him around to dry. Some people use a stretch hood which goes over the face, down the neck and connects at the girth area to keep the mane in place and clean (can be purchased at tack stores). Make sure your farrier has trimmed so his hoofs are in top shape.



Day of the show:

Brush your horse (remember those wood chips he rolled around on.) Pick out his hoofs. Polish his hoofs (hoof polish can be purchased at the tack store). You must have a steady hand and keep the polish off the hairline of the hoof. Allow hoof polish to dry before he goes into trailer. We use a gloss black.



Gather your supplies:



Bucket for water (If you can bring your own water your horse will be more likely to drink at the show).

Hay and feed (depending on how long you will be at the show)

Grooming brushes

Hoof Pick

Corn Oil (more about this later)

Corn starch (for the white on paint horses)

Show Halter and Lead

Your attire

Baby wipes



At the show:

Once you and your horse are registered, take him off the trailer, brush him well, take out the rubber band in his tail and fluff. Use a baby wipe to clean him if necessary. Put on the show halter, use the corn oil on a baby wipe and rub around his muzzle and eyes, taking care not to get any in his eyes. Check his hoof polish, touch up if needed.



If you are not already dressed do so and go have some fun!!!

Answer 2

One of the most important things that she needs to do is go to a few small shows to get her and the horse use to a show ring atmosphere before trying to compete at the breed shows. Please also keep this in mind. There are going to be kids in APHA that have spent thousands of dollars on their halter horse. And it is hard to compete against a World Champion and win with an average horse. My daughter has shown in halter for a lot of years. And she is happy with just getting a ribbon. BUT she also gets to to a lot more with her horse than just halter. He kicks butt in Western, English, and Roping. So she gets the fun of competing in more than one event. I bought her a "true" halter horse and she and I won two World titles. But it was not as much fun as doing all of the other events. We sold this horse and went back to promoting our all around horses. Just remember that it is suppose to be a fun family event. Win or lose, if your daughter is happy with the way her horse performed for her, then that should be enough.

Answer 3

find out your pattern and practice if at all possible. Practice squaring up lots!!! lso make sure the horse transitions well. your daughter should also act like she's good and knows it and smile alot! Attitude is everything! hope it goes well

Answer 4

I won't go into depth answering this question as you've already had some good, detailed answers! But I have several books I can recommend - they are current and have photos showing all the things different people have mentioned such as 1)grooming your horse 2)How to teach your horse to set up 3)Your arena presentation 4)What the handler wears, etc

If you're lucky you may be able to pick up these books on eBay or Abebooks, otherwise they should still be available through any Equine bookstore.

The first book is "Understanding Showmanship" by Laurie Truskauskas. You probably understand that showmanship refers to the class where the handler is judged on his ability to show a horse in halter, while a halter class is judged on a horse's conformation. But this book will still be very helpful because it has many chapters on grooming, what to wear, how to train your horse to set up, how to perform the quarter method (the way to move around your horse)

The second book is "Winning at Halter" by Denny Hassett. It explains how fit and show any of the Western stock breeds, which certainly would include Paints. They cover topics such as proper feeding, excercise and fitting to prepare your horse, how to select a winning halter horse and show pen strategies.

The last book is "Grooming" by John and Cindy Weaver, it is a Western Horsman book and talks about banding, tail care, etc.

Good luck. It takes alot of work and effort to succeed in the show ring, but it will be worth it.

Answer 5

Daring O covered a lot of stuff, but there were a few things she left out.



We always do all of our clipping the night before, and leave the bath until morning. That way you do not have to worry about keeping the horse clean for as long.



Clip the long hairs around the coronet band of the horse's hooves to keep the hoof black from wicking up into the hairs. If your horse has all four hooves white, you can either use clear polish (the hooves must be immaculately clean for this) or if one is black, then use black polish on all four. Do not use some clear and some black... pick one or the other.



Banding the mane is pretty easy once you get the hang of it, and it looks really neat. The trick is to hold the hair's flat against the neck and pull downward the whole time you are wrapping the band. Never try to band more than a half inch section at a time, and always use bands that match your horses mane until you get the hang of it. Once you get the mane banded, you can grab a few hairs from the underside of each ponytail and pull on them to get them to lie a bit closer to the neck and lie flatter. Here are some step by step instructions on this: http://www.statelinetack.com/global/articles/article_detail.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673323003&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696504123&bmUID=1178889315666&No=48&In=Western&N=2024175+4294966953&Ne=427

Do not let your horse put it's head down to graze once you have banded the mane, as when he picks it up, you will have a MESS.



Here are some pics of what type of clothes you should wear http://www.statelinetack.com/global/articles/article_detail.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673361643&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=9852723696507715&bmUID=1178889258736&No=24&In=Western&N=2024175+4294966953&Ne=427



You can buy glossing products to use in place of the baby oil on the muzzle and around the eyes that are not as sticky (baby oil attracts EVERYTHING and also stains your clothes), One of them is Face-Glo by Dr, Groom. It comes in black, red and clear.



All of the products she mentioned have an equivalent at Dr. Groom that are a little more reasonable in price... It is their Silverado line...

http://www.drgroom.com/silverado_products.htm



And their hair moisturizer is the BOMB (for your horse or for you) http://www.drgroom.com/hair_moisturizer.html



Also, if your horse has any markings on his/her lower legs, you can buy a product called French Chalk that will make the markings look ultra-white. It won't cover up a grass stain, but it will make the slight yellowing most horses have on their lower legs blend away (actually though, we clip the white markings on their legs to clip away the yellow) This is the exact brand we use http://www.coastalpet.com/products/product_output.php?Item_Number=W764

You might could get it at a dog groomer's too, because they also use it.



As far as clipping the bridle path, the easiest way to judge how long to make it is to lay your horses ear down along the top of his mane behind his poll. Wherever the ear ends, that is how far you clip back.



And finally, she suggested clipping your horse's mane... DO NOT, DO NOT, do not use clippers for this! You will end up with a mane that stands straight up every single time, and that is uber-hard to band. Get a small comb, and after the mane is completely brushed out, gather small sections and backcomb, then pull out the longest hairs. Do this all up and down the mane, until the whole thing is uniform in thickeness and all the hairs that are left are about 2-3 inches long. It will lay neatly, and band MUCH easier. Here are some pictures of the process... http://www.newrider.com/Library/Horse_Care/pulling_a_mane.html

If you don't want to actually pull the hairs out, then you can do the whole process, but instead of pulling the hairs out, you use an old clipper blade to slice through them, continuing again until all hairs are uniform in length. Either way you get a much more natural looking mane than if you cut it off with scissors or clip it.



At the show in the ring, most judges will also want to see the horse's teeth... You have to be able to put your hands on the muzzle and part the lips enough so that the judge can see tops and bottoms... they are looking for a defect called parrot mouth, which if your horse has it will get you DQ'd (disqualified). You have to practice this, because your horse MUST stay set up while the judge is looking at him.



One last thing... using your hands to set up the horses legs one-at-a-time is okay when you are just starting out, but you will be marked down for it. Your daughter and the horse both need to learn to set a horse up on shank pressure. This is where you use the chain of the halter and varying moves to let the horse know which leg you want moved. It is advanced training though, and is best taught to horse and your daughter by a professional. It is actually much, much safer all around, because you never have to leave the horse's head. The way I do it is to pick one back leg and set up all the other legs to that one. Pick the back leg that is the closest to where you want your rectangle to start... I say rectangle, because once the horse is set up you want his feet to look like this : : , with one hoof on each corner of the "square". Once you have picked your leg, then pull back on the shank using a down and back pressure, plus if the right leg needs moving, pull slightly to the left, and if the left leg needs moving, pull slightly to the right. Once both back legs are square, then use an up and back pressure to move the fronts in the same way, if the right needs moving pull shank to let and vice versa. On a halter horse, this is fine tuning, and looks awesome... makes you look much more professional. It is required training in showmanship, but serves well in the halter ring also. We also use a kissing noise when backing up a leg, and a clicking noise when asking for a leg to come forward in unison with the shank cues. Also, you will want your horse to stretch his neck just a bit to make his throatlatch look trim, so after he is set up, step back from him a step, and gently ask him to extend his head. Many green horses will step forward at this point, and you just have to practice, practice, practice!



And sweating... to really do well, you are going to have to sweat your horse's neck and throatlatch daily. Use a mixture of equal parts glycerin, witch hazel, and liniment under a neoprene neck sweat while you are exercising him... let him wear it for about an hour, then remove, rinse WELL and condition the neck using Mane And Tail or the moisturizer from Dr. Groom.

Answer 6

maybe a leather halter

Answer 7

Wait, is the 2 yr old the daughter or the horse? Assuming it's the horse:



Get the horse used to being clipped, bathed, brushed, and just generally groomed to within an inch of its life. Also get your horse used to traveling places in a trailer. Depending on the age of your daughter and the temperament of the horse, I would suggest taking the two of them to a few open shows i your area just to walk around and get your horse used to the idea.



Preparing the horse for the ring: I'm assuming your paint horse is quarter-type; most are. Ours is, so I'm going from this assumption. I've shown her at halter several times, all just for fun/her own experience. The instructions below are for fairly intensive showing, many things can be skipped.



(all of this the day before)



1) Bathe your horse.



2) Clip the horse. Standard halter ring clip is the insides of the ears, a short bridle path, fetlocks, and shave the muzzle. Personally, I hate shaving the insides of the ears because I think it exposes my horse to insects; a nice compromise is folding your horses ear in half and trimming the hair that sticks out, then doing some cleanup to make the inside hair neater. (Please note, if you are clipping the horse for the first time, you might want to take it slow and skip scary areas like the ears.)

2) Brush the mane and clip it to about 2-3 inches long, I suggest looking at some pictures online. This clipping is a lot trickier than it sounds. Years ago, I tried to do so and make it even...we ended up roaching the horse's mane. The reason for the short clip is to highlight the horse's neck. If your pony has a beautiful mane, consider doing a sort-of french braid idea so the mane lays down along the neck (I would just have to show you that one, sorry), or a hunter braid. If you DO clip the mane short, you aren't done. Next comes banding. Banding is a *****. Bands are tiny little rubber bands (match the color band with the color of the mane) available at most tack stores. You then tie about 1 inch sections of hair into tiny ponytails lying as flat as possible along the neck. (I suggest looking at more pictures). There are many kits that try to "help" with this. May I suggest getting a wide-toothed comb and going solo. After you're done with the mane, brush the horse's tail and braid it up.



3) Paint the horse: Yeah, I know, but it's pretty common. Clear or black hoof paint is available in most tack stores. While you're there, I also suggest getting a product called "show sheen." It's amazing.



4) So by now your horse should be bathed, clipped, banded and painted, also thouroughly pissed off and emotioally tired. Time to shock him again! Now that you've cleaned the filthy creature, he has to stay that way the WHOLE NIGHT, and we've all seen a horse run out after a bath and get as disgusting as possible, just to spite you. So get ahead of the game: preferably, put your horse in a freshly cleaned stall that has enough straw or cedar shavings to keep him from touching the ground. DO NOT LET HIM LEAVE, HE WILL ROLL. Further or alternate insurance (preferably further) is a product called a "sleezy." It's a bizarre lycra hood/neck/chest covering thing that protects your horse from dirt for the night before the show. I recommend combining this with a regular lycra sheet (blanket-shaped) or fly sheet. Before you put this gear on, spray your horse over with show sheen. However, do not spray show sheen if you plan on riding it in the next day or two (or just wash it off). It's a spray to keep your horse's coat slick, shiny, and dirt-repelling. It works.



Preparing yourself:

Wear your hair up, usually in a bun, under the hat. Halter attire (for western, for women) is usually a pair of cowboy boots, either nice trousers or black jeans, a dress shirt, or dress shirt with blazer, and a cowboy hat. See what the others are wearing on some of your reconnaissance. The horse wears your nicest halter, or a special show halter. Show halters are leather with worked silver bars. Most leads at shows have stud chains on the end. If your horse has never experienced this device, the day of the show is not the time. Loop the chain over itself through the bottom ring of the halter and clip it back to the lead, just be sure not to tie your horse up using this configuration; if he pulls, it will snap.



In the ring:

First, please practice this outside the ring. When you enter the ring, the judge will give you directions; all are a little different. You will usually begin by trotting your horse towards the judge. Work with your pony, some don't like to trot with you, others think it's time to bolt. Practice! After trotting him towards and past the judge, you will continue a little ways before turning either left or right, where you will be placed into a lineup. You will wait there until all the horses are in the ring, and the judge will move down the line judging each individually. Most people will have their horse in a stance; a quarter-type is supposed to "square up." This means that all legs are squarely under him, the front legs lined up together, and the back legs lined up together. Not easy. Again, practice. Your horse should be able to stay at "whoa" while you move all around him, placing his feet. Pick up a foot, and position it where you want it, this works best with the front legs, but at first he will probably be disinclined to put them where you want them. Just pick it up gently, put the toe firmly on the ground, and push on his knee until it locks into place. Obviously, this doesn't work on the hind legs. Try to back your horse into place with those, and do your best with placing (you can't puch to lock though, so get creative). Another trick, if your horse is relaxed, and standing with one leg ****** ( a two year old at his first show probably won't make this an issue), go around to the back of the horse and pull the tail towards the resting leg, he will put his wieght back on it. Back to the judge:

Individual inspection. Don't get in the way of the judge! Look proud to show your horse, and don't stand between your horse and the judge, this means a little awkward dancing until you get the hang of it. Don't try to place your horse and fix him while the judge is there, do it before he gets to you. Since you'll probably have to do it more than once, either start immediately, or start when the judge is looking at the horse jsut before yours. Also, you may not touch your horse anywhere except the legs or head while its in the ring, and any sort of punishment aside from a slight tug on a stud chain is forbidden. (No one cares if you pull on the tail if you're placing, though.) The judge will look at your horse, then ask you to show the horse's teeth. This is supposed to be done one-handed, the the index finer lifting the top lip and the thumb pushing down the bottom. Practice! And don't be afraid to use two hands for a while, if you need to. One more tip is to keep the horse's head up and looking alive and preferably at you.



So, it's showtime! Bring the following items: Your showclothes/horse's showclothes. Clean body brush/comb for the horse. (Seriously. Clean!) Also bring more showsheen, fly repellant if neccessary, more hair bands, baby wipes (use wherever the horse messed up his look) baby oil (I'll tell you why later) that hoof paint, if you used it, safety pins (for your number) and a regular halter. Once you're there, you as the parent will probably go register your daughter for classes and whatnot. She will get the horse ready for the show. Be advised and probably arrive an hour in advance for less stressful parking and registration. Lead the horse off, whip off its clothes, and see what it did to your work. Brush off the shavings, touch up the paint, wipe off any weird spots with the baby wipes, brush and brush the tail, and (weird thing!) wipe baby oil on the shaven muzzle, (carefully) over the eyes, and if you clipped the ears, get their insides as well. This makes the skin glow and look more healthy. Plus, it works for them like lotion, just don't overdo it. Then, you go change into your showclothes, just make sure someone is watching Pony. Lead pony over to the ring during the class before yours, he gets to see the ring, but isn't bored out of his mind by being in the area too long. Don't be first in! You've never done this!



Other tips:

Don't take it too seriously. Something is going to go wrong your first show, I promise. If your horse is groomed and you haven't forgotten anything, he will act like an idiot. If your horse is prepared, you've messed something up...you get the idea. Don't stress. There will be a few times you look like a moron. If he is misbehaving and not squaring up...don't bother. If he's freaking out, don't be afraid to leave the ring and try again after a few more training sessions. (lots less embarassing than being gated! People know when your horse is being a menace, and they expect you to remove it.) Just remember; patience! He's a baby and you're a newbie. Practice, give yourself time, and have fun! Your daughter will really get to enjoy spending the time grooming and working with her horse in preparation for the shows, and there's nothing like leading a pretty, immaculate animal into the ring. It'll be great!



In response to an answer below: I mentioned the teeth, I NEVER SAID use clippers for the horse's mane. God, don't even think of doing that! French chalk is really useful, as is shaving white legs, but it looks funny if you have a paint with a whole lot of white, face glo smells/looks great, but baby oil is a lot cheaper and looks the same. Also, we bathe the night before because it gets the mane and tail clean and ready for grooming (which you want to do earlier), and also because most halter classes are earliest, beginning around 9-10 in the morning.

Answer 8

the 'you'(s) are your daughter!



DO NOT !! be afraid of your horse.

Stand beside the horse's head as you lead them around.

Get PLENTY!!!! OF PRACTICE before you & your horse

get into the show arena.

This 'practice' includes

1. your horse being together &

2. watch others in an arena & how they perform.



your daughter needs to spend alot of time with this horse:



brushing, halter on & off, leadrope on & off, etc.



If your 2 yr old has good balance,

put her on top of her horse & lead 'em around.



After every 'good action' have your daughter give her horse a sugar cube. (max. 4-5 perday)

Answer 9

well first of all practise standing her up to your horse breed ( welsh square, arabs stretch with near hind in front)

Practise washing her(strange sounding)

learn the regulations regarding presintation