On September 20th the Mojave River Valley Horsemen's Association held their final High Point Series show for the year.
A student of mine brought home unanimous first places under both judges in Arabian/Half-Arabian Halter, Walk/Trot-Leadline Showmanship 10 & Under, Walk/Trot English Equitation 10 & Under, Walk/Trot English Pleasure 10 & Under, Walk/Trot English Country Pleasure 10 & Under and Walk/Trot Western Horsemanship 10 & Under. She was second under both judges in Youth Halter 17 & Under, Youth Showmanship 17 & Under, Walk/Trot Western Country Pleasure and Walk/Trot Trail 10 & Under. The only class where she had trouble was in the Western Pleasure class, where she was fourth under both judges.
In addition, Alyssa won her Daily High Point Walk/Trot English 10 & Under and Walk/Trot Western 10 & Under unanimously...plus she wrapped up her Year End High Point Championship in Walk/Trot English 10 & Under and Reserve Championship in Walk/Trot Western 10 & Under!! This has been a circuit that's had VERY tough competition all year, with a thriving W/T division and we all could not be more thrilled!
On October 3rd the Sun Country Horsemen's Association held their final High Point Series show for the year as well.
I have been competing with a yearling palomino filly owned by a client, and we brought home a unanimous first in the Late Yearlings/Foals of 2008 class (along with wrapping up our Year End High Point Championship in that division), placed second and fifth in the Arabian/Half-Arabian Halter class (wrapping up our Year End High Point Reserve Championship in that division) and she won the Yearling Longeline Futurity Championship unanimously!!
Then, the student who was showing was 3rd/3rd in the Arabian & Half-Arabian Halter, 1st/2nd in the Youth Halter, won the Youth Showmanship unanimously, placed 1st/3rd in the Walk/Trot Pleasure, 1st/2nd in the Walk/Trot Equitation and 1st/2nd in the Walk/Trot Country Pleasure, bringing home the Daily High Point for the Walk/Trot 12 & Under division (this student is not going for YEHP at this show) ~ Western and English are combined here for the W/T, she showed Hunt seat English.
We are anxiously awaiting the Year End Awards Banquets for both Mojave River Valley Horsemen's Association in Apple Valley and Sun Country Horsemen's Association in Hesperia!!
~SFTS
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Getting it right...
What a week!!
Okay, lets hope to get this right this time, now that Fall is starting to settle in ~ with a post as close to every day as I can manage.
I will have results of the Sun Country Horsemen's Association show from October 3rd tomorrow, and I've got a plethora of topics to cover in the coming days, weeks, months.
Until then, stay warm and dry!!
~SFTS
Okay, lets hope to get this right this time, now that Fall is starting to settle in ~ with a post as close to every day as I can manage.
I will have results of the Sun Country Horsemen's Association show from October 3rd tomorrow, and I've got a plethora of topics to cover in the coming days, weeks, months.
Until then, stay warm and dry!!
~SFTS
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Post for Thursday, October 1st ~ What To Use On Your Horse?
This topic is about after the horse is clipped, bathed, clean and at the showgrounds when you're getting ready to enter the ring. For the sake of conversation, we have unloaded the horses off the trailer, pulled sheets or blankets and are in the process of grooming.
I have a great many things on my list of "gotta have's" for show ring finishing touches. One of them is Absorbine Super Shine hoof polish, used after cleaning with a damp rag and buffing, followed by using Ultra Hoof Enhancer spray.
Next I'll follow up a good, healthy brushing with a light spray of Ultra, Pepi or Grand Champion. These oil based sprays are NOT recommended for dusty showgrounds where the wind blows consistently, or for daylong shows where you're unable to wash the horse off between classes, because they attract dirt like mad.
Mane care depends on the horse, with Hunter seat English horses being braided, and stock breed horses being banded (which I'll do at home after preliminary pulling, followed up by trimming once the mane is banded). Pretty much the same goes for tails, minus the banding. Our Arabians (aside from those braided by necessity for the Hunter, Dressage and Sport Horse divisions) are mandated to have long, natural manes and tails. Sometimes a light spraying of Grand Champion, but again, like the coat, manes and tails will get full of dirt quickly, so it's best to avoid these products unless you have a means to wash the horse every so often throughout the day. ;)
Other than the actual braiding and banding itself, that's pretty much it. In future installments, I'll cover those topics as well. Happy showing!!
~SFTS
I have a great many things on my list of "gotta have's" for show ring finishing touches. One of them is Absorbine Super Shine hoof polish, used after cleaning with a damp rag and buffing, followed by using Ultra Hoof Enhancer spray.
Next I'll follow up a good, healthy brushing with a light spray of Ultra, Pepi or Grand Champion. These oil based sprays are NOT recommended for dusty showgrounds where the wind blows consistently, or for daylong shows where you're unable to wash the horse off between classes, because they attract dirt like mad.
Mane care depends on the horse, with Hunter seat English horses being braided, and stock breed horses being banded (which I'll do at home after preliminary pulling, followed up by trimming once the mane is banded). Pretty much the same goes for tails, minus the banding. Our Arabians (aside from those braided by necessity for the Hunter, Dressage and Sport Horse divisions) are mandated to have long, natural manes and tails. Sometimes a light spraying of Grand Champion, but again, like the coat, manes and tails will get full of dirt quickly, so it's best to avoid these products unless you have a means to wash the horse every so often throughout the day. ;)
Other than the actual braiding and banding itself, that's pretty much it. In future installments, I'll cover those topics as well. Happy showing!!
~SFTS
Post for Wednesday, September 30th ~ Getting Your Tack and Show Clothes Ready
Oooops, I did it again. By the time I got in from the barn last night, too tired to post on the blog, so here we are again belated. Sorry!! :)
This time around we're discussing getting ready for the big day, horse show day, by making sure everything other than your horse is clean, prepared and all set to be packed up.
For me, I have certain products I use on my tack, just like I do on my horses. My mainstay is Lexol, but Ko Cho Line, Horsemen's One Step and Oakwood are other favorites. First I want the leather clean, and that means using a good cleaner and really getting down into the tooling on Western saddles, for instance. That can be a tough order, let me tell you! I use a fairly stiff toothbrush and several soft rags, which do the job well. Then it's time to condition the leather, leaving it soft and supple.
If you need to rejuvenate, darken or supple up your leather, Neatsfoot Oil is the ticket ~ soaking will produce the best results, but you must remember to wipe off the excess oil, then clean + condition as usual or risk staining both your horse and your show clothes. For my Western saddle suede seats, as well as suede chaps, I really like the KIWI Suede & Nubuck cleaner.
Moving on, I wash my bits in an anti-bacterial dish soap, followed by rinsing them well and both towel and air drying fully before beginning the polishing process. For stainless and chrome, I use English Custom Polish's products. Expensive, but worth it. On my silver, my preference is Hagerty's Silversmith Spray. Been using it for many years, and it's still the best. Lightly spraying on a soft rag, wipe the silver, let it dry and then buff it, your silver will gleam like never before.
Another essential is ensuring your show clothes are clean, pressed and ready to roll. If you need to have anything dry cleaned, get them in long before you need to be packing!! Depending on the item of clothing, I will either hand wash in Woolite or machine wash on the "gentle" cycle, and hang to dry. Remember, this includes your boots (which need to be cleaned and polished ~ I use KIWI Parade Gloss) and your hats (which I will take to the dry cleaner, too)! Investing in a good hat cleaning sponge as well as a higher end lint roller is a must, too.
Make sure everything is spic and span, up to and including your horse's blankets and other horsewear, so that you'll arrive at the big event looking like you belong.
~SFTS
This time around we're discussing getting ready for the big day, horse show day, by making sure everything other than your horse is clean, prepared and all set to be packed up.
For me, I have certain products I use on my tack, just like I do on my horses. My mainstay is Lexol, but Ko Cho Line, Horsemen's One Step and Oakwood are other favorites. First I want the leather clean, and that means using a good cleaner and really getting down into the tooling on Western saddles, for instance. That can be a tough order, let me tell you! I use a fairly stiff toothbrush and several soft rags, which do the job well. Then it's time to condition the leather, leaving it soft and supple.
If you need to rejuvenate, darken or supple up your leather, Neatsfoot Oil is the ticket ~ soaking will produce the best results, but you must remember to wipe off the excess oil, then clean + condition as usual or risk staining both your horse and your show clothes. For my Western saddle suede seats, as well as suede chaps, I really like the KIWI Suede & Nubuck cleaner.
Moving on, I wash my bits in an anti-bacterial dish soap, followed by rinsing them well and both towel and air drying fully before beginning the polishing process. For stainless and chrome, I use English Custom Polish's products. Expensive, but worth it. On my silver, my preference is Hagerty's Silversmith Spray. Been using it for many years, and it's still the best. Lightly spraying on a soft rag, wipe the silver, let it dry and then buff it, your silver will gleam like never before.
Another essential is ensuring your show clothes are clean, pressed and ready to roll. If you need to have anything dry cleaned, get them in long before you need to be packing!! Depending on the item of clothing, I will either hand wash in Woolite or machine wash on the "gentle" cycle, and hang to dry. Remember, this includes your boots (which need to be cleaned and polished ~ I use KIWI Parade Gloss) and your hats (which I will take to the dry cleaner, too)! Investing in a good hat cleaning sponge as well as a higher end lint roller is a must, too.
Make sure everything is spic and span, up to and including your horse's blankets and other horsewear, so that you'll arrive at the big event looking like you belong.
~SFTS
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
We've Talked About This Before...
...but revisiting because I find it such an important topic. :)
Getting the horse prepared is really a simple task, it just takes elbow grease. Plenty of good grooming leading up to the day before the show, then it becomes prep time.
Clipping, hoof sanding and bathing are the three big "to-do's" on that list, and are a must do for your horse to look his or her best. Now, before someone goes on another rant about sanding hooves (and I have no doubt there are a few who will ~ save your comments, unless they are productive and constructive, please), nothing harmful or debilitating to the horse is done when we sand. I have heard it all before, I am not concerned about my horses' health being compromised and they are all healthy, sound and happy.
For clipping, I like to begin with legs, trimming the coronet band upward to take off the hairs that fall over the hoof itself, then run the clippers downward on the pastern and fetlock. Some folks prefer to shave the leg up to the fetlock or even the knees/hocks, but I want my clipping to look as natural as possible. Trim the longish hairs at the back of the knees, over the hocks and any strays you notice, so that the legs are smooth. Then I'll move to the head, where I'm going to drop the halter around the horse's neck so I can smooth the jawline and sides of the face. All of the above is done with a size #10 blade. After that, I make a "diamond" pattern on the horse's forehead, shaving with a #15 blade. Unlike some, I do NOT shave outside the eyes or below the cheekbones, I merely blend. To me, it looks far better and I like less sharp lines. I do use a #40 blade to clip the bridlepath, muzzle and around the eyes, but on the muzzle and eyes I spend more time blending than anything, looking mainly to remove the long whiskery hairs. Finally, I use a pair of small cordless finishing clippers for the ears, shelling them totally inside and then rimming the outside edges, leaving a small, diamond shaped tip with fuzz. My clipped ears have been called masterpieces by more than a few folks...I think that might mean I'm doing it right. ;)
To the controversial topic of sanding hooves, yes I use a power sander (quarter sheet) and prop the hoof on a hoof stand like a farrier uses, beginning with lightly taking off any roughness with a 60 or an 80 grit, whichever I have available, then lightly running a 150 grit and a 220 grit over them before finishing up with a 400 grit. Afterward, I very lightly buff with a fine steel wool and finish the hooves off with a coating of Kiwi shoe wax, black for the dark hooves and neutral for the light hooves. It's not as if we are taking layer after layer after layer off the hoof, literally grinding it down to nothing ~ the entire process for four hooves takes maybe 10 minutes per horse. On show day, cleaning them off with a wet rag, buffing with steel wool again and wiping with a clean, dry rag before applying hoof polish and a spray enhancer makes for stunning feet on your horses.
Now, baths vary depending on whether the horse is light or dark, and their markings. Grey horses, Pintos (or Paints) with a lot of white, Palominos or any of the dilutes and all white markings get a whitener shampoo like Quik Silver. For the rest of the horse, I use Salon Care shampoos from Sally's Beauty Supply. They have neat "flavors" like Wild Cherry, Passionfruit, Luscious Kiwi and Apples & Pears that make your horse smell fabulous in addition to clean!! I will wash the mane and tail first, then scrub the body, down to the legs and finish off with the face, using a harder scrubber for the body, a soft scrubber for the legs and a soft sponge for the face. After rinsing, I liberally apply conditioner (I generally use TREsemme` instead of the Salon Care, because I use far less of it and like their "dry damaged hair" formula) to the mane, tail and forelock, followed by a final rinse. After scraping excess water off, I'll towel dry the horse and ultimately spray the entire horse with Show Sheen, avoiding much contact with the back of a performance horse. Then once the tail is nearly dry (though still with just a hint of dampness) I'll wrap up my tails, and blanket/hood the horse before putting him or her away.
At that point, my horse(s) will be ready for the big show day, and I can concentrate on cleaning tack and getting the truck and trailer packed. More to come in the next few days!
~SFTS
Getting the horse prepared is really a simple task, it just takes elbow grease. Plenty of good grooming leading up to the day before the show, then it becomes prep time.
Clipping, hoof sanding and bathing are the three big "to-do's" on that list, and are a must do for your horse to look his or her best. Now, before someone goes on another rant about sanding hooves (and I have no doubt there are a few who will ~ save your comments, unless they are productive and constructive, please), nothing harmful or debilitating to the horse is done when we sand. I have heard it all before, I am not concerned about my horses' health being compromised and they are all healthy, sound and happy.
For clipping, I like to begin with legs, trimming the coronet band upward to take off the hairs that fall over the hoof itself, then run the clippers downward on the pastern and fetlock. Some folks prefer to shave the leg up to the fetlock or even the knees/hocks, but I want my clipping to look as natural as possible. Trim the longish hairs at the back of the knees, over the hocks and any strays you notice, so that the legs are smooth. Then I'll move to the head, where I'm going to drop the halter around the horse's neck so I can smooth the jawline and sides of the face. All of the above is done with a size #10 blade. After that, I make a "diamond" pattern on the horse's forehead, shaving with a #15 blade. Unlike some, I do NOT shave outside the eyes or below the cheekbones, I merely blend. To me, it looks far better and I like less sharp lines. I do use a #40 blade to clip the bridlepath, muzzle and around the eyes, but on the muzzle and eyes I spend more time blending than anything, looking mainly to remove the long whiskery hairs. Finally, I use a pair of small cordless finishing clippers for the ears, shelling them totally inside and then rimming the outside edges, leaving a small, diamond shaped tip with fuzz. My clipped ears have been called masterpieces by more than a few folks...I think that might mean I'm doing it right. ;)
To the controversial topic of sanding hooves, yes I use a power sander (quarter sheet) and prop the hoof on a hoof stand like a farrier uses, beginning with lightly taking off any roughness with a 60 or an 80 grit, whichever I have available, then lightly running a 150 grit and a 220 grit over them before finishing up with a 400 grit. Afterward, I very lightly buff with a fine steel wool and finish the hooves off with a coating of Kiwi shoe wax, black for the dark hooves and neutral for the light hooves. It's not as if we are taking layer after layer after layer off the hoof, literally grinding it down to nothing ~ the entire process for four hooves takes maybe 10 minutes per horse. On show day, cleaning them off with a wet rag, buffing with steel wool again and wiping with a clean, dry rag before applying hoof polish and a spray enhancer makes for stunning feet on your horses.
Now, baths vary depending on whether the horse is light or dark, and their markings. Grey horses, Pintos (or Paints) with a lot of white, Palominos or any of the dilutes and all white markings get a whitener shampoo like Quik Silver. For the rest of the horse, I use Salon Care shampoos from Sally's Beauty Supply. They have neat "flavors" like Wild Cherry, Passionfruit, Luscious Kiwi and Apples & Pears that make your horse smell fabulous in addition to clean!! I will wash the mane and tail first, then scrub the body, down to the legs and finish off with the face, using a harder scrubber for the body, a soft scrubber for the legs and a soft sponge for the face. After rinsing, I liberally apply conditioner (I generally use TREsemme` instead of the Salon Care, because I use far less of it and like their "dry damaged hair" formula) to the mane, tail and forelock, followed by a final rinse. After scraping excess water off, I'll towel dry the horse and ultimately spray the entire horse with Show Sheen, avoiding much contact with the back of a performance horse. Then once the tail is nearly dry (though still with just a hint of dampness) I'll wrap up my tails, and blanket/hood the horse before putting him or her away.
At that point, my horse(s) will be ready for the big show day, and I can concentrate on cleaning tack and getting the truck and trailer packed. More to come in the next few days!
~SFTS
Monday, September 28, 2009
Putting Your Best Face Forward
This week I'm going to write a series of posts on preparing yourself and your horse to hit the show ring. I have an entire process I follow in order to get my horses (and students, too) ready for the show ring, which begins with working hard to get both rider (or handler) and horse in condition.
They likely will be short and to the point, but hopefully valuable to my readership!
Fitness we have covered here before, but it bears repeating that you need to make sure your horse is at his optimal condition and that he is physically ready and able to do whatever you are asking of him. The same goes for yourself, you've got to have enough stamina to last the day with a smile on your face until the very last class.
In addition to the conditioning aspect, grooming is imperative, lots and lots of elbow grease will show your fellow competitors that you mean business and you'll be the envy of those you're competing against. Hand rubbing on the coat, plenty of currying, conditioning the mane and tail (keeping the tail wrapped up and clean), hoof dressing and keeping the sweat rinsed off when your work sessions are done will have your horse looking fabulous in no time.
Along with the above comes knowing what you'll be showing in, and training both yourself and your horse for those classes is an important part of the equation as well. If you are showing Halter, be sure your horse will lead well at both the walk and the trot/jog. See to it that he's trained to square up without much fuss, and if he's an Arabian for instance, he needs to know at least a little bit about how to present himself. The same goes for any other class, and you need to study the rule book(s) for whatever divisions of classes you will be competing in.
Over the next four days we'll explore preparing the horse, cleaning your tack and show clothes, choosing products to use on your horse and packing for the show.
~SFTS
They likely will be short and to the point, but hopefully valuable to my readership!
Fitness we have covered here before, but it bears repeating that you need to make sure your horse is at his optimal condition and that he is physically ready and able to do whatever you are asking of him. The same goes for yourself, you've got to have enough stamina to last the day with a smile on your face until the very last class.
In addition to the conditioning aspect, grooming is imperative, lots and lots of elbow grease will show your fellow competitors that you mean business and you'll be the envy of those you're competing against. Hand rubbing on the coat, plenty of currying, conditioning the mane and tail (keeping the tail wrapped up and clean), hoof dressing and keeping the sweat rinsed off when your work sessions are done will have your horse looking fabulous in no time.
Along with the above comes knowing what you'll be showing in, and training both yourself and your horse for those classes is an important part of the equation as well. If you are showing Halter, be sure your horse will lead well at both the walk and the trot/jog. See to it that he's trained to square up without much fuss, and if he's an Arabian for instance, he needs to know at least a little bit about how to present himself. The same goes for any other class, and you need to study the rule book(s) for whatever divisions of classes you will be competing in.
Over the next four days we'll explore preparing the horse, cleaning your tack and show clothes, choosing products to use on your horse and packing for the show.
~SFTS
Sunday, September 27, 2009
We're Baaack!
Where to begin? It's been a while...mainly the hiatus on this blog began as trying to look into doing something different with it, trying a custom layout and such, but since I failed miserably, I got discouraged. Then, life got in the way and I neglected the blog. But, we are back in the business of blogging! :)
Last weekend was the final show of the year for the Mojave River Valley Horsemen's Association in Apple Valley, and we had a fabulous show. We only took one horse, and one rider, but brought home both the Western and English Walk/Trot 10 & Under High Points, wrapping up the Year End High Point in both Western and English Walk/Trot 10 & Under, with my student winning her Showmanship class, her Western Horsemanship class and all three of her English classes unanimously under both judges. What an accomplishment for this young lady!! Now we are on to the Year End Awards Banquet, which will be a blast.
Next Saturday we have the final show of the season at the Sun Country Horsemen's Association in Hesperia, where the beautiful palomino filly I have in training will be finishing up her year end points in Late Yearling Halter and Arabian/Half-Arabian Halter, the first of which she is leading the points and the second of which she sits in second place currently, just four points behind. She can win it, all we need is to place ahead of the lovely gelding who is leading right now, under both judges. But a Championship and a Reserve Championship is a fantastic way to start a show career!! Either way, we will be at that Year End Awards Banquet as well, having a great time. In addition to the pally filly's two Halter classes, she is entered in the Yearling Longeline Futurity, so wish us luck there. We also are taking the beautiful Pinto mare and her young rider that went to the MRVHA show last weekend, to compete in a couple of Halter classes, Showmanship and is riding the three Walk/Trot 12 & Under classes under hunt seat tack.
Also on Saturday, the third of October is the Apple Valley Equine Extravaganza, which is like a miniature, local version of Equine Affaire. I was asked to present an Arabian breed demonstration, and to present a training clinic on the topic of my choice. I chose Showmanship In Hand, because it's one of my favorite classes and essential to excel at if you are going to compete for high point awards. That's going to be a busy day for sure.
Then we're off to more horse shows, with a number of Arabian, Pinto, Palomino and Open shows on the slate for the remaining months of the year, including the High Desert Pinto Horse Association show on October 24th in Chino Hills, and the Temecula Valley Arabian Community show on October 25th at Green Acres Ranch in Temecula. We have at least one or two shows in both November and October, so we'll have plenty of results to report!
That's about it for right now, welcome to all our new readers!! Thanks for stopping by! :)
~SFTS
Last weekend was the final show of the year for the Mojave River Valley Horsemen's Association in Apple Valley, and we had a fabulous show. We only took one horse, and one rider, but brought home both the Western and English Walk/Trot 10 & Under High Points, wrapping up the Year End High Point in both Western and English Walk/Trot 10 & Under, with my student winning her Showmanship class, her Western Horsemanship class and all three of her English classes unanimously under both judges. What an accomplishment for this young lady!! Now we are on to the Year End Awards Banquet, which will be a blast.
Next Saturday we have the final show of the season at the Sun Country Horsemen's Association in Hesperia, where the beautiful palomino filly I have in training will be finishing up her year end points in Late Yearling Halter and Arabian/Half-Arabian Halter, the first of which she is leading the points and the second of which she sits in second place currently, just four points behind. She can win it, all we need is to place ahead of the lovely gelding who is leading right now, under both judges. But a Championship and a Reserve Championship is a fantastic way to start a show career!! Either way, we will be at that Year End Awards Banquet as well, having a great time. In addition to the pally filly's two Halter classes, she is entered in the Yearling Longeline Futurity, so wish us luck there. We also are taking the beautiful Pinto mare and her young rider that went to the MRVHA show last weekend, to compete in a couple of Halter classes, Showmanship and is riding the three Walk/Trot 12 & Under classes under hunt seat tack.
Also on Saturday, the third of October is the Apple Valley Equine Extravaganza, which is like a miniature, local version of Equine Affaire. I was asked to present an Arabian breed demonstration, and to present a training clinic on the topic of my choice. I chose Showmanship In Hand, because it's one of my favorite classes and essential to excel at if you are going to compete for high point awards. That's going to be a busy day for sure.
Then we're off to more horse shows, with a number of Arabian, Pinto, Palomino and Open shows on the slate for the remaining months of the year, including the High Desert Pinto Horse Association show on October 24th in Chino Hills, and the Temecula Valley Arabian Community show on October 25th at Green Acres Ranch in Temecula. We have at least one or two shows in both November and October, so we'll have plenty of results to report!
That's about it for right now, welcome to all our new readers!! Thanks for stopping by! :)
~SFTS
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