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Today's KZfaq video is 10 Tips for show day! Preparation is your KEY to a successful competition!
If you are planning on competing this season, be sure to SIGN UP FOR MY FREE MINI COURSE ON SHOW PREP
Plan Extra Time - to stay relaxed and focused, it is good to have a little extra time rather than not enough! There are a lot of little things that you need to remember on show day- fly spray, your number, white gloves, the list goes on… so give yourself a little extra time so that you can stay relaxed!
Hand walk in the morning - With ALL of my horses I like to get them out for a walk around the show grounds and if possible around the show arena the morning of the competition. This gives my horse another chance to see everything before competition time. Be sure it is focused and controlled hand walking - I practice halts and getting my horse to drop their head when I am walking them.
Visualize your test - find a quiet place and visualize your test from start to finish without interruption. Be sure that you envision every corner, every short side and exactly how you want the test to feel. When you visualize, it should take about the same amount of time as it does to actually ride your test.
“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst” - Of course you want to visualize the perfect ride, but the reality is that things often go wrong in the ring - maybe your horse spooks ad the judges booth or maybe you pick up the wrong lead in the canter. It is important to have a “plan b” for if things go wrong to know how you will handle these situations.
Set realistic expectations - most of us Dressage riders are very “type A” and tend to set unrealistic expectations. Showing takes practice - your first time out is NOT going to be perfect so don’t expect it to be!
Stick to your routine - establish a warm up that you follow daily at home and stick to it at the show. The warm up should always focus on the basics - rhythm, suppleness, and connection!
Give your horse confidence - remember to pet your horse and give them confidence at the show! If you are nervous, your horse feels it and will start to loose their confidence.
Take all of your horses boots off! Remember to get all of your horses boot off before entering the show ring - including bell boots! I got eliminated once from my Grand Prix test for having bell boots on! It was quite embarrassing!
Don’t change how you ride when you go in the ring - be sure to ride the same in the competition ring as you do in the warp up. Many riders suffer from frozen rider syndrome in the show ring - they freeze up and forget to ride!!
Breathe smile and have fun! At the end of the day, remember to be proud of your horse and how far you have come!!!
I hope these tips are helpful!
Good Luck this Show Season!