Show Tips

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topnotchminis

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Hi everyone! I started a miniature horse herd a year ago, and am wanting to show next year. Can you give me any show tips? Clipping tips? Here are the 2 horses I am going to show. I am wanting to do halter and driving.What do you do to condition them? Thanks.

This is my stallion Buck Suede. He is 2 years old. This is him unclipped, and unconditioned, just in the field.

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Here is my filly Black Satin she is a yearling. Here she is as a weanling(from MCA miniature horses)

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Here is Buck,Satin, and Foxy together last winter.
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Well, I clip my donkeys mid Spring, Make sure you have a sheet for them (your mins) if the nights get cold, Don't clip them too close to the show, becasue if you screw up you can fix it. When we were going to show our minis we clipped Aura two weeks before the show, and by then everything blended in. Make sure you tack is Clean, Your horses are dust free. Mane and tail our conditioned and healthy. Before you go in the ring, you can put Baby oil on there muzzle and around there eyes. With the donkeys i put it on there Dorsal stripe, it just makes them stand out more. hoofs should be polished.
 
Well, I clip my donkeys mid Spring, Make sure you have a sheet for them (your mins) if the nights get cold, Don't clip them too close to the show, becasue if you screw up you can fix it. When we were going to show our minis we clipped Aura two weeks before the show, and by then everything blended in. Make sure you tack is Clean, Your horses are dust free. Mane and tail our conditioned and healthy. Before you go in the ring, you can put Baby oil on there muzzle and around there eyes. With the donkeys i put it on there Dorsal stripe, it just makes them stand out more. hoofs should be polished.

Thanks! I really appreciate it. I really want to do well next year.
 
one thing that helps with showing go alto easyr is to make sure that the horses are pro's at loading, it's less stress full if you have to worri about loading the horses.
 
When I am getting ready for a show I clip about a month before the show. I use a T-84 to strip the horse to the knees. It looks like they have BIG FUR BOOTS ON. Then when I get to the show after a bath I clip with a 10 on the body and legs a 30 on the face. O use a bit of baby oil gel on the muzzle and around the eyes and you are good to go.
 
To start, in the spring--usually at least 1 month before the first show, we clip the horses--head to foot--with a #10. that way we can find any --we call them eebbee jeebbees--stuff that is going on under the winter fuzz. We have had some lice, rain rot, and just scaley, scabby stuff that we at least had a month to get cleared up. then about 1 week to 10 days before the first show we will bathe and clip again with a #10. The day before the show (for local shows that are 2 days long) we will clip bridle paths, ears, muzzle, around the top of the hoof with a #30 or #40. making sure to get the muzzle neat since we don't shave the muzzle. We then also clean the hooves. Sanding really rough spots and getting them neat. If we are going to put hoof black on them for show, we will put one coat on at that time also.

Oh, and this fall, we will braid and wrap the tails with vet wrap and open and rewrap every 3 or 4 weeks. We will try to keep the wrapped all show season as well. We never put the up until they are totally dry after a bath. I don't like the way they smell if they don't completely dry first.

The morning of the show--at the show--we will look them over for dirt spots and clipping we may have missed. We will apply another coat of hoof polish. We touch up the show halters. Put them on under their stall halters so they are ready if we happen to miss something and get late. Close to show time, we will put liberal ammounts of fly spray on them. Nothing worse then having flys bite in the ring. We then put some hair gel on the mane to keep it in place. How much really depends on the horse. A little gel will keep that fly-away look on the tail in check as well--just don't make it goopy--just a touch will do.

then I will put baby oil gel above the eyes and on the muzzle. I do use a bit of black chalk on some of the horses with the baby oil, but it is better to put no black on a horse than too much--that is my view. Hubby will make sure he has a bit of grass or hay, a treat and possibly some noisy paper to get the horse's attention in the ring.

Then, last, but not least, have someone look at you or look in a mirror and make sure you don't have a dirt smudge on your face or that your hair is falling where it shouldn't. That is something I see many people forget.

Hope this helps

Angie
 
Hi again

Just went back and reread your original post. Didn't see you wanted to see how to condition. We let all of our horses be horses from now until Feb of next year. The only exception to that is the ones we want to break to drive and they get to go out to pasture after we work them in the morning and on the days we don't work them. We get them into stalls each evening to be sure they aren't getting too fat or loosing too much weight. With winter fuzzys, you need to actually feel (love on)them several times a week at least to be sure that doesn't happen. Then sometime in Feb--depending on weather--we start keeping them in and dividing into exercise groups. We do from 2 to 5 in a group in the round pen because we do all in the barn. We usually have about 20-25 to do. Some are show horses, some are for sale and the rest have to work doing pony/cart rides for parties and such so all need to be in shape. We start with easy trots around the pen for about 8 to 10 min 3 times a week with free play for another 30 min after (time to clean their stalls :) We work up to about 20 min each group 3 times a week with the same 30 min free play. We will watch them closely at this time for weight changes and adjust their feed accordingly. Also during these couple of months, we will stand each show horse several times a week. we want them to stand for about 15 to 20 min without stepping around so they will stand easier in the ring. use caution with treats as this will make some walk up every time. Some will know that if they stand until you allow them to move they will then get the reward. Each horse is different. Have someone watch you stand the horse or take a photo now and again so you know how he will look when you look to the side. If you get an idea how he is supposed to look from the front while standing for show, it is easier in the ring.

Again good luck and have fun

Angie
 

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