my horse doesnt preform properly at shows?

Question

my horse is 7 am i am 16 years old. when i take my horse 2 a show she will jump all the fences but she will only trot up 2 them n doenst want 2 do them. i try my hardest 2 get her 2 canter but she only dus wen goin 2 the gate. i do get round the ring eventually and even tho i have gone clear my time is relli bad she is on racing mix 2 pick up her speed bt tht hasnt effected her. i can tell that she doesnt enjoy the shows bt i know that her old owner used 2 hit her if she didnt do wat she was told in the ring many people have told me n i think that myt have sumthing 2 do with it. i havnt had her that long n we are gettin on just fine its just when it cums 2 a show she is stubborn bt i thought it just myt be the ring bt i hired it out n she flew round i dunno if it is when the other horses am there or that she is in season or that she is shy. i really enjoy the shows and i want her 2 aswell so can any 1 tell me how i can make her go faster in the ring n make her enjoy the shows thank u

Answer 1

Give her time, take things easy and slowly she needs to know she can trust you and rely on you for support and instruction, this does not come automatically just practise at home and when she does it how you want make a big fuss. always try to finish on a good one so if she gets it right make a fuss and leave it. slowly she will come to trust you. also vary the work do different things she could be board.

Answer 2

Get some riding lessons with an instructor. Watch how the instructor gets her to jump fences. Thinking that she will not canter, can be communicated to the horse, you maybe tensing up etc and she is receiving these signals from you. Some horses like showing some do not..... just like people. We have had some really pretty arabs.... that just don't like to show off in the ring... and we had one who unfortunately was just not up to standard.... but loved to pose for the camera and be admired and charge around tail over his back just for fun.... he had the right temperament for the show ring... just not pretty enough. We found him a great home..... the only "problem" his new owner had was that if she went along the road to get to the park, George just had to stop at any front garden with someone in it.... just for the attention! It was "a fault" his new owner didn't mind.

You could also try getting someone to video your show ring performance, watch what you are doing on the horse, and again get some professional advice.

Answer 3

Some horses get really fired up about performing in front of an audience, and will give a sparkling performance when there's a big crowd, others detest the whole thing. It's the same with showing dogs.
From your horses reaction it sounds like she's enjoying her work at home but is disgusted by shows. If she has been like that from the day you got her then it's likely that this has been caused by her previous owner, and that's the reason she was sold on.
We act differently on a normal day to how we act when we show; we get tense and uptight. So our nerves are stretched to start with. Horses pick up on this and for some its a pick me up. They perk up and are raring to go.
Unfortunately, some people feel that if the animal performs badly it reflects on them, and instead of analysing their own performance, they blame the animal. They become sulky and bad tempered if they don't get placed. They put pressure on the horse, they act differently and the horse picks up on this.
Your horse has come to associate the whole show experience - the crowd, the noise, the waiting around - not just the ring - with a negative experience. I'm guessing your horse is sensitive to her riders emotions, and this acts in your favour at home; she'll be more rewarding to work with and not give a 'robotic' ride; but this same sensitivity counts against her at shows.
I'm very sorry to say that it may be impossible to cure her of this problem. She has a fixed attitude to shows, she knows how she feels, and she 'goes dead' as a response. Changing her feed won't make any difference; you need to find some way to change her attitude towards shows.
If she is fine to box, there's no problem there. If she doesn't react with fear or aggression at the show, then the only problem is she is not enjoying herself.
The problem is if you hire a ring and tannoy, she may become disgusted at home too. You'll be making home like a show, and she's happy at home. Plus its not the same because you are not in the same emotional state - you'll be more tense at a show. Its that pressure that she's reacting badly to.
There is very little you can do to help a dog that is ring shy, and I have yet to hear of anyone who has genuinely managed to cure this problem in a horse. I have heard of horses being retired from showing because of it.
The only thing I can suggest you try is to forget about winning or being placed. You have to relax and just go for a pleasant day out. Be really pleased with her just for finishing and remember to reward her for her performance. But its like racing or any other discipline; most people are on a horse that can do it, the winners are on the ones who want to be there and give that bit extra.
Try making a big show of leaving the whip in the box when you go to the ring. If she can see you're not carrying one it might make a difference.

Answer 4

thats heartbreaking when a horse carrieds on like that! Well if you think that its a mental block from being hit by her old owner - you need to erase this from her memory.
My advice to you would be to continue hiring the showring - use it on your own first and get her confidence up and reward her when she goes well with an apple or something. Then when shes quite happy with that ask some of your friends to ride around the ring as well - obviously there will be far more horses at a show, but having to jump around with even two or three horses in the arena might get her confidence up.
If all else fails, Id bring in a horse instructor and ask them for advice. Best of luck with it - these horses just break our hearts in one way or another dont they!!!

Answer 5

Before you even go to another competition take her to an arena and put a few people in the spot where your judges usually are and set up the jumps take her through the course at a walk and do this until shes relaxed when you take her through the course and then at a trot and canter. If she messes up just correct her but let her make mistakes. After you master it with just your "judges" put more people in there and have them make commotion and start over until you get her back where you want her.

Answer 6

ive got a horse like that, at home he will jump anything at shoes he gets very fast and has a habit of showing off in front of other horses. as soon as i being him in the arena on my he gets very tense and fogets to listen to my leg. i think its just lack of experience and im gonna rent out an arena, maybe do a couple of group lessons in different yards so the horse learns to work with strange horses in strange enviroments,maybe a few private lessons too. help bring up her confidence at shows by doing babyish classes and nothing demanding. but most of all she has to enjoy them otherwise there is not point going at all. hope this helps

Answer 7

when a horse doesn't perform it is usually down to the rider. try lunging her over jumps, andf maybe get a private instructor. You need to practice on other horses and see if you have the same problem. maybe get someone else to ride her as they may be able to find the problem

Answer 8

first learn your spelling and grammar as you should know this by 16 years of age, then maybe i'll help ya out with the horses!

Answer 9

Ive got a ***** like that, she insists its lack of respect