# Fun Show Classes



## RadHenry09

My daughter just competed in an open show a few weeks ago. There was a class called w/t Steady Eddy. We had no idea what the class was but decided to do it anyway.

Each rider got a plastic drinking cup ( approx. 6 oz) filled with water . They had to ride around the ring at a walk and trot( both ways) at the end of the class the judge checked the cup to see how much water was left. The rider with the most water left in the cup won.

My daughter did well considering her horse doesnt neck rein well and he has a bouncy trot.lol . she got 2nd place out of 5-6 riders. She was wet but it was a hot day so it felt good : )

Also , costume class is always a fun one, we enjoy thinking up new costumes each year.
At the fun show for her 4H club , they had laundry race. each rider got a laundry bag of clothes , raced down to a clothes line , dismounted, hung up the clothes on the line , mounted and raced back with another bag of clothes.
Fastest time wins. They had helpers to hold horses and a stool for mounting/dismounting for the shorter riders. Also to allow everyone to try it you could trot or canter for the race.

Sounds like fun!! Enjoy planning your show


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## franknbeans

I am trying to think how you could incorporate a fun obstacle, similar to the clothesline......something with squirt guns (we did that on a trail trial once, SO fun!) or pin the tail on the donkey......while mounted.....that was fun too. Maybe some shooting target for the squirt guns. We used a 5 gallon bucket on a drum, and had the long squirt guns you pulled to load, then we shot at a lifesize tiger.....maybe knock a plastic bottle off something similar? again maybe fastest time to do it? Fill the gun, shoot and place back in the bucket.......


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## equiniphile

*Phone book race
*Costume, both ride-in and lead-in
*Bareback Dollar (Sit a Buck)
*A bareback equitation class maybe? That would be fun, though I've never seen it done. Artie and I would be AWESOME at that haha


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## wintec

writing all your ideas down  love the laundry bag race, sounds really fun and that water in the cup one, keep them coming!!!!


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## smarie

equiniphile said:


> *Phone book race
> *Costume, both ride-in and lead-in
> *Bareback Dollar (Sit a Buck)
> *A bareback equitation class maybe? That would be fun, though I've never seen it done. Artie and I would be AWESOME at that haha


Sit a buck/ride a buck (what we called it) is fun. We did that a the fun shows we had at the hunter barn I was at. I think the classes you should do depend on what everyone in your barn normally does. We did barrel racing at the hunter barn, and it was pretty hilarious to watch all of us hunter riders try it:lol:.


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## equiniphile

I don't know if you have the space for it, a lot of barns don't, but I've heard one that's really fun is everyone lines up at the start line, has a few paces to get in a canter, and at the line, everyone has to be cantering until the finish. You're not allowed to trot, walk, or stop, and the person who gets to the end *last* wins.


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## wintec

@ smarie
our barn does a little bit of everything, well to an extent. We get schooled in dressage but we go out to fun shows and hunter shows and everything in between just for a good time 

@ equiniphile
I read something like that on another forum once I think that would be fun  sort-of like the snail race only cantering, maybe do the same for the younger crown only trotting?


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## egrogan

This is a really old thread, but I am planning a few fun show classes for the lesson kids at our barn, so thought I would bump it back up to see if any of our newer members had additional ideas to add to what's already been covered here. Would love more suggestions!


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## Horsecrazy4

Bucket ball, and mounted shooting but use squirt guns , ballon burst, and ribbon race r a few I can think off.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## rememberourtroops

I once tried a class were rider and horse had to literally perform to their song of choice. I rode my Shire Blizzard to Its My Life by Bon Jovi. She did spins, sliding stops, canter, trot, walk, rear, half passes etc; I tried to incorporate a little from western and english. This was a ridden test. Blizzard reared when the lyric was "for Tommy and Jenna who never backed down" and spun when the lyrics were "don't bend don't break." The class was a lot of fun, I placed first out of ten people who were riding horses far leaner then my Shire. It doesn't have to be as advanced, maybe walk trot and canter.


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## mls

Musical mount/dismount

The trick is when the music stops, the rider dismounts on the near side but mounts from the off side.


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## equiniphile

Wow, super old thread. I saw that I had posted and couldn't for the life of me remember this thread....then I saw the date and realized I would have been 13 at the time :lol:


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## jaydee

Musical blocks - like musical chairs - when the music stops the kids dismount and lead the horses/ponies into the centre of the ring where the blocks are scattered and stand on one. You take a block out each time and the last 2 have to ride the circle in opposite directions to each other
Potato race - have potatos (or fake) placed on the top of poles that have to be collected one at a time and placed in a bucket (while mounted) at the end of the run. If you drop one you have to dismount and pick it up if you miss the bucket you have to do the same and remount before trying again
Bending race - weaving in and out of poles 
Obstacle courses are good - having to open a gate or rope gate, pick a flag up and carry it to a bin and place in it, same with balloons, go under a laundry line, peg washing on a laundry line, step over a 'body' - make a scarecrow for that, ride into square made of poles and turn the horse around inside it without touching any, back up between parallel poles, ride past someone banging a drum.


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