Anyone who has ever donned boots, tight pants, and a glittery jacket, pulled their hair back in an unforgiving bun, applied a beauty queen’s amount of makeup, and did this all after bathing at midnight and getting up to school the pattern at 4:00 am, all to RUN beside their horse instead of riding him…is a Showmanship junkie. Showmanship is not...
Read More
Learn how to control your horse’s speed and direction with subtle cues. When competing in events like horsemanship, you must sit quietly while guiding your horse. There’s no room for wildly flapping legs, heavy-handed reining, or exaggerated cues. That said, no ma er how sensitive your horse is to your cues, you can’t be a mannequin propped up on top of...
Read More
Yes, men’s show pen fashion really is a thing, and nding the perfect show pen look for a man is just as important as for a woman. Like most things in life, the rules vary regarding men versus women, but the rules of quality fashion always apply. Professional Jenny Jordan, of Denton, Texas, decodes fashion do’s and fashion don’ts for men...
Read More
Conquer this showmanship pattern by breaking it into parts to learn it. When I first saw this showmanship pattern from the 2014 Adequan Select World Championship Show, I thought it was an easy pattern. But the more I looked, the more the tricky details popped out at me. Our wonderful customer Anne Wilson really worked hard and won the world championship in...
Read More
Pro Robin Frid teaches you how to use feel and communication to keep your horse from breaking gait. Does your horse tend to break gait? Does he drop from a lope to a trot, or from a job to a walk on his own, without having asked for the transition? If so, you know how frustrating and irritating it can be...
Read More
Working on trot serpentines Our end goal for a trot serpentine trail maneuver is to be able to go through it almost in a straight line, where you go forward and almost sideways over the poles as you go over them. The ideal horse is fluid and forward in his movement, and he stays square in his body and up in...
Read More
Use your legs, hands and voice to perfect your pivots. Show horses need to be able to turn around. It's a foundation skill that they will use in all events, including showmanship, horsemanship, trail, equitation, reining, cutting and working cow horse. You can improve your horse's pivot by sitting squarely and applying these principles every time you ask your horse to turn...
Read More
Improve your horsemanship-pattern cornering technique with this simple turn-lane exercise from top trainer Robin Frid. Event appeal: Horsemanship, equitation. Goal: To learn to ride your pattern corners such that your horse remains in straight-body alignment-upright and balances-throughout the turn, rather than leaning into or bulging out of it. You'll do so by using a "turn lane" consisting of ground poles. Benefit: When your...
Read More
Stirrup - Length Savvy What's the correct stirrup length for you in a Western saddle? It's the one that allows you to securely lengthen and wrap your legs around your horse's sides—without sacrificing your ability to drop weight into your heels, or to keep those heels aligned with your hips. 1. In American Quarter Horse Association horsemanship competition, the emphasis is on...
Read More