# How to train a horse to Halter show?



## Jewels (Jan 11, 2012)

I am in 4-H and I am looking to train my 16 hand gelding "Blaze" to show in a Halter class. Does any one know the steps of teaching them to set properly? 

*Tricks
*Tips
*Suggestions 

*How to win in showmanship?
*What do the judges look for? 


Thanks Everyone!


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## Kayceelynn (Nov 13, 2012)

tip: always watch ur judge and dont forget to smile
Trick: when teaching your horse to trot beside u use a whip with a plastic page on the end 
How to win showmanship; stand up tall make sure u no ur 4 quadrants. Make sure u look neat and tidy and your horse is clean dont touch ur horse unless the judge messed up his main then wait for the judge to leave and fix his main. Always turn your horse away from you.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

You need to learn Showmanship in order to show your horse in halter to it's best. As an announcer one common and fatal error I saw was the horse was allowed to stand in an arc with it's head toward the handler. It is imperative that a straight line run from poll straight down the back. The handler thinks the horse is straight but doesn't step in front to double check.


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## TaraBearaIsBack (Oct 12, 2012)

Definitely something helpful would be to go to a tack store and buy a book or video about showmanship and take notes and practice. I have 3 videos of showmanship and taught myself and my mare using them and I got 5 in my first showmanship class and the class was very large. 
You really do need to know showmanship to win in halter because it teaches you how to showcase your horse instead of you.


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## Horsecents1997 (Jan 20, 2013)

Here are some things you can do.

Practice your trots. A lot. The quicker he responds to your cues, the more the judge gets to see how he moves.
Have him stand still often. Make sure he doesn't move and do this as much as possible so he gets used to having to stay still. Judges have a hard time judging conformation when the horse is dancing and the horse will most likely not place as well as one that stands still, because the judge can tell how he's built a whole lot better.

To teach your horse to set up, you need to do several things. 
1. Be sure you can back him up. Practice little tiny steps, and practice regular backing. Once he backs up every time you ask, and does it at the PACE that you ask, move on to step 2,

2. Have him stand still. Take a small crop and tap his foreleg with it. If he doesn't move it, increase the pressure of the tapping. (Oh, be sure to use the lead to cue at the same time)
3. Once he moves his forelegs off without the crop, move to the back legs. Stand by his side and repeat what you did with the front legs. 

4. Finally, ask him a little at the lead to adjust his feet. When he does, reward him and stop. Then practice getting his feet in line. Every time you stop, set him up, so that it will become automatic almost. I did this with Dai, and when I stopped, he would move his feet until he was set up on his own. 

Judges like smiles, straight posture and confidence. Showmanship is about how YOU show your horse. It's important your horse responds well too. Always back up straight. It'll screw up your pattern if you don't. When doing pivots, it's better to go slow than to risk having your horse step out, but keep him moving enough that he won't get bored. Practice trotting with your horse in sync! It pays off really well when you trot in rhythm with your horse!

You probably won't win the first time (if you do, more power to ya!) but these are things I learned in my years of showing!


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## spurstop (Mar 22, 2012)

Saddlebag said:


> You need to learn Showmanship in order to show your horse in halter to it's best. As an announcer one common and fatal error I saw was the horse was allowed to stand in an arc with it's head toward the handler. It is imperative that a straight line run from poll straight down the back. The handler thinks the horse is straight but doesn't step in front to double check.


Never step or stand directly in front of your horse. Not in halter, and definitely not in showmanship.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I should have elaborated that the handler needs to be mindful of the arc long before the show.


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