What do i do to help my horse?

Question

i show my horse in 4h and in the practice ring she is perfect with her face in a head set and her speed is perfect but when she gets in the show ring she goes really fast and her head is all over. i dont know what to do? what do i do to make her act like she does in the show ring?!!!!?

Answer 1

Well, you do need to try and relax a little. I am really bad like that on the trail. I have had some bad experiences and when I take a horse on the trail and there is another horse that she sees, I get pretty tense and the horse senses it. So you need to just sit on the horse like 'a sack of potatoes' with good posture of course ;P and relax.

If it is not you, and you are perfectly relaxed, just try to work him a little beforehand in the practice ring. It will get him used to everything and maybe ask some family to come and watch you and maybe bring some other horses in. Just to get the horse used to the surroundings.

Also, it may be all the other riders (if any) so maybe you can take the horse on the lead line and walk him/her around a few times a day with people in it and ribbons, bows, other horses, etc.

If your horse ever tries to be stupid with you, turn him/her in a tight circle and he will stop.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Are you nervous when you are in the show ring? That could be the cause of her troubles. If you are nervous, it travels through all of your aids (you may grip harder with your legs, hold the reins tighter, etc.). If you are nervous, just work on relaxation. Do some deep breathing and stretching. You need to keep calm to keep your horse calm.