CHAPTER VI

THE SHOW RING

In showing horses under saddle, the mental and physical attributes of the rider have a greater scope than when riding under any other circumstances. Very frequently it is the rider who wins blue ribbons quite as much as the horse, and at every horse show one sees horses lose the ribbons which they should win because of the crude way in which they are shown. A woman, in justice to herself as well as to her mount, should not enter the show ring until she has become a thoroughly experienced and accomplished rider, and however well a woman may ride in the park or in the field, it by no means follows that she will be able to bring out the best points of a horse in the ring.

Just as there are horses which win countless blue ribbons in shows, but do not compare with other horses in the field or for general use, so, on the other hand, there are women whose only delight is the show ring. They hunt not, neither do they hack.

The experience which has been gained in ordinary riding will not be of very great assistance in showing “horse show horses”; that is, horses which are kept only for show purposes. These animals require most careful handling and a thorough comprehension of their individual characteristics.

The most important thing for a woman to bear in mind when showing horses is to be a cheerful loser. A feeling of good-fellowship should pervade and the spirit of rivalry should not be carried to extremes. Do not think that you have been unfairly treated when you have not won, or that the losing of the blue necessarily means that your horse is not good. Perhaps on this occasion he was not in his best form and perhaps at some other time, before some other judge, you will have better success.

One should always remember this: that the names of the judges are published in advance, and if one does not care to submit one’s horse to their judgment, one need not compete. If, by any unfortunate chance, the judges should be changed after one’s horses are entered, there are two courses open--either to stay in and abide by their decision or withdraw one’s horses and state the reason. Certainly, after having voluntarily submitted the horses to their judgment, it is most unsportsmanlike and contrary to the spirit of fair play to criticise the judges for their decision, and it has been my experience, after many years of showing horses, that the judges are fair and impartial and do their best to render their decisions upon the merits of the horses. One should also remember that the judges are usually men of very wide experience and thorough knowledge of the points of a horse, and that they see many faults and blemishes which would escape the eye of the spectator.

A horse presents an altogether different appearance when seen from within the ring to that which he presents from without. A horse that steps very high and has a flashy, all-round way of going and looks from without like a winner, may be seen from within the ring to have serious faults, such as dishing, paddling, crossing forward, or spreading too wide behind. Outsiders, of course, do not have the opportunity which the judges have to examine the horses critically, and all they can base their judgment on is the general effect which a horse produces at a distance. A horse which may appear to an outsider strong and bold may, on closer inspection, be seen to be coarse-necked and heavy in the shoulder or too big-boned for his class, and a horse with truer action and better quality, conforming to the standard of his class, may easily be overlooked by the outsider.

To prepare a horse for the show ring requires weeks and even months of work. He must be in perfect condition; his coat must be fine, his eye bright, and he must be neither too fat nor too lean, and his preparation must be so timed that, on the day of the show, he will be at the top of his condition. All this involves good feed, plenty of water, and quiet, systematic exercise.

It is most desirable that the person who is to show the horse should have ridden him several times before the show--the oftener the better--so that the horse and rider may know each other thoroughly, and the rider may understand all there is to be known about that individual horse’s training, and how best to bring out his good points.

I consider it a bad plan for a horse to come into the ring too fresh. Some people seem to think that horses must be saved up for the show. I think, on the contrary, that horses should be worked quietly and regularly for weeks before and during the show as well. In the first place, the music, the noise of the crowd, the strangeness of the scene, and of such a gathering of people, all tend to excite a horse and make him more difficult to control, so that this excitement will give a horse all the appearance of spirit that is needed. Besides this, a very fresh horse rarely shows good manners, and in all ladies’ classes manners count fifty per cent. By manners I mean that on entering the show ring a horse must not look as though he were about to make even a small, unharmful buck; he must not be inclined to kick at the horse back of him nor to bite the horse in front of him; he must not stop at the gate as he passes it, nor must he try to edge in toward the centre of the ring while going around or when changing; he must not hold his head either too high or too low; he must not seem to be taking too much hold on the bit, nor must it require three or four times around the ring to settle him down. In other words, he should not look as if he were being exercised rather than shown.

In England they have a very good method of showing horses in the ring; that is, they start them at the canter, then bring them down to the trot, and lastly down to the walk. In this way a horse is well settled down, has lost most of his freshness and excitement, and will usually walk quietly, as he should.

Here we start at the walk, then take the trot, and then the canter. Consequently many horses under the influence of the excitement of the music and noise will not walk or stop, but jigjog and side step, which condemns a lady’s horse at once. Were these same horses ridden in the English way, they would be quiet by the time they came to the walk and would win the blue ribbon which they deserve.

It is particularly desirable that this English method of showing horses should be adopted, now that the English type of riding horse--that is, a thorough or three-quarter bred--is becoming so popular in this country. This is just the kind of horse which will not start quietly at a walk in the show ring. Probably our way of showing came into vogue at a time when the ladies’ saddle horse was a much quieter animal, with less of the hot thoroughbred blood in him than he has now.

A horse should enter the ring at a quiet, easy walk, not inclined, as I have said, to jigjog. He must keep in line--that is, follow the horse in front of him--unless his natural gait is faster, in which case you have the right to pass and can swing into line when you see a space.

He must take both the trot and the canter from the walk at command. The latter is particularly important in the ring, as it is not permitted to take the canter from the trot. He must canter easily, right or left, according to the way he is going around the ring. That is to say, when going around to the right he must canter on the right foot, and when going around to the left on the left foot. Parenthetically I may remark that the reason for this is that, at the canter, a horse’s body is held diagonally to the line of the direction in which he is going and pointed in the opposite direction to the foot on which he is cantering; that is to say, when he is cantering right his body is pointed diagonally to the left and vice versa. From this it follows that the foot on which he is cantering must be on the inside of the circle or turn which he is making. Otherwise he is almost sure to cross his legs and very apt to fall.

It is very important, therefore, that a horse should be able to change his foot at command. It is always a strong point in a horse’s favor if he changes readily from the right to the left in cantering, and while a horse under the side-saddle should canter normally right, he must canter left when circling or turning to the left.

For the ring a horse must stand quietly, back and start readily, and, when the horses are lined up, he must be willing to leave the line and to show perfect manners up and down the ring.

Fortunately for the exhibitors, the old-fashioned way of putting horses through figure eights and small circles has been done away with. Now, all that is required in the ring is, first, walk your horse; then, at the command of the ring master, change his gait to a trot, and then, at command, walk again and then pass from the walk to the canter and continue cantering until the ring master tells you to stop, and, of course, make such changes of direction as he indicates.

Then the horses which are selected to stay in the ring are lined up and the others are given the gate. Next, if the judges so desire, each of the horses lined up is put through his paces. Then the judges, after a detailed examination of each of the selected horses, award the ribbons--blue for first, red second, yellow third, and white fourth.

There are many important things to remember while riding in the show ring. The most important is to keep yourself and your horse under quiet control. Then, no matter what the decision may be, at least you have the satisfaction of having shown your horse at his best. It is important to have a place in line and try to keep it whatever it happens to be. It is not at all necessary to pass the rider ahead. Passing the rider ahead while in front of the judge, at least, _looks_ premeditated. It makes it much harder for him to get a proper view of the horse you are passing and does not help him to view your horse, nor is it courteous to the other riders. If your horse naturally walks, trots, or canters a bit faster than the horse in front of you, so that, to show your horse to his best, it is necessary to pass, it is quite as easy to find an opportunity to pass somewhere else than just in front of the judge. So, when the ring master asks all the riders to line up, it is not necessary that they should all attempt to do so next to the judges’ stand. The judges do not remain there, and the fact that your horse is nearer the stand does not bring him nearer the blue ribbon.

In backing a horse, remember that his head must not be too low on his chest. His neck should be well arched up and his head drawn in on the neck and high on the chest.

If you find that your horse does not back readily, it is probably because his forefeet are too far forward. In this attitude he is in the best position to resist you whatever you may do, and you may find it impossible to back him in the usual way. In such a case, first give him his head and a touch with the heel, starting him forward a step or two; then gather him and, by pulling gently, you will find that he backs readily.

In the ring always remember to do implicitly what the judge asks. Even if the judge should demand a circle, circle you must, and if a figure eight, that too must be done.

After you have lined up and when your horse is being put through his paces, remember, in turning, always to turn your horse’s head toward the fence and not toward the centre. If you turn toward the centre, the horse is very apt to try to join the other horses as they stand lined up, however good may be his manners.

Of course, before you ride a horse in the ring, you must be sure on what signal he is trained to take the canter. I have explained on page 84 that some horses are trained to take the canter when the rider turns their head to the side on which they are to canter and touches lightly the curb rein on that side. Other horses are trained to take the canter on merely touching the curb rein on the side on which they are to canter. Thus they are trained to canter right by touching the right curb. Other horses, again, are trained to take the canter on a signal given by raising the curb rein on the side on which they are to canter and at the same time carrying the hand to the other side. Thus, to make such a horse canter to the right, carry the left hand to the left and at the same time raise the off curb rein with the right hand. It is, therefore, most important to know the signal to which your horse is accustomed; otherwise he may either not take the canter or canter on the wrong foot.

A most important point which should never be overlooked is to be sure that your own saddle, which you should use, if possible, in the show ring, fits the horse you are to ride. Otherwise the horse may appear to have lost his manners when the real trouble is that the saddle is hurting him and making him fretful and nervous.

In walking, while a horse should appear to have his head, one must be careful not to let his head nod, for this often gives an appearance of lameness. I believe it is sometimes called bridle lameness. I once had such an experience myself. The horse was perfectly sound but thought to be lame because I had given him his head too much; that is, ridden him with too loose a rein. A horse, while walking, should have his head well placed, not too low or too high, and a horse whose head is up and neck well arched is much more becoming to a woman than a horse that carries his head down.

In general, in the ring, a horse had better be ridden on whatever rein he has been trained to go by, whether it be curb or snaffle, and so much depends on the individual peculiarities of the horse and rider that no definite rule can be laid down. The important thing is to have light hands and not to do anything to excite or annoy the horse.

Just a few more words of advice gleaned from the experience of many years. Never, if you can prevent it, display the slightest particle of nervousness when mounting or on entering the ring. Horses--especially the high-spirited ones--are very sensitive to touch and to the mental attitude of the rider, and they know at once from the rider’s hands whether her head is steady and cool or nervous and excited.