# How long do you leave your horse saddled at a show?



## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

My daughter has her first official show (outside of the small barn shows she's done) off site. She's over joyed, I'm overwhelmed! We're not sure how many classes she'll do at this point, it really depends on the horse as it will be his first trip in a while. My question is how long do you leave a horse tied to the trailer in a saddle? 

I don't know how long it will be between classes yet but I want to make sure that he's not tied out in the saddle for a crazy amount of time, or that we're not making anyone wait on her. Her instructor/horse owner is going and coaching her, but she also has 3 other girls going so she's going to be quite busy. I'm going to try to be as helpful as possible, but need some serious help. I will certainly come up with more questions as we get closer.

It isn't a big show either, it's a 4-H open show, but it will have a variety of classes.


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

Our gymkhana's generally last five hours, so I leave them saddled that long. Hell, I'll leave them saddle for quite some time if I have to but I loosen the girth and take the bridle off. Like at some of our shows the schedule is so screwed up you enver know how long you will be there. I just make sure I have time to saddle and ride.


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

I usually leave them saddle with a loose girth for most of the day. Nothing like kicking back and relaxing in the stands to hear your named called as 'on the deck' LOL Its nice if you just have to snug up a girth and toss a bridle on. 

If it is going to be exceedingly hot that day, you can untack inbetween classes but be prepared to have to toss that saddle back on in a hurry!


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

corinowalk said:


> I usually leave them saddle with a loose girth for most of the day. Nothing like kicking back and relaxing in the stands to hear your named called as 'on the deck' LOL Its nice if you just have to snug up a girth and toss a bridle on.
> 
> If it is going to be exceedingly hot that day, you can untack inbetween classes but be prepared to have to toss that saddle back on in a hurry!


 
Well here in November it's never exceedingly hot. I did know not to tie with a bridle but it does bear repeating. Thank you. I figured he'd be okay to leave tacked up, but wanted to be sure.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

He'll be fine left tacked up. The biggest things I always check, are making sure that he's got plenty of water, and warm up time, so that he's not all stiff as soon as you go into the arena cause he's been tied to a trailer. I also normally will just take the bridle off, and put his/her halter on, unless there's a big break between classes. Normally I'll have a lunch break for 30 minutes, and for that I'll take his tack off after my last class, and then put it on again after lunch for warm up.


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## Amir (Nov 18, 2009)

I'll leave them saddled all day so long as it's not overly hot. I'll loosen the girth quite a bit and take the bridle off.
If it's a hot day then I'll take off all tack for the lunch break and maybe give them a bit of a sponge down.
If it's show jumping or eventing then I'll unsaddle completely depending on the amount of time I have between my rides. There's usually an hour or two between so unless I plan on riding around aimlessly until I need to get ready for my next class, I don't see much point.


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## drafts4ever (Sep 1, 2009)

Depends on the classes I do. If there are more than 5 between classes I untack and just throw everything back on one class before but normally I just losen things and let them sit with the saddle so I only have to put the bridle on. I try to keep classes closely spaced so there isn't a lot of down time but enough to not be stressed or hurried. Last show was 6 hours and she was saddle for about 2 but it was a mid summer play day so no one was in a hurry. 

For this weekend though winter shows start and I intend on having her tacked up and be in the saddle most of the time. She'll have her down time before and after. If the weather is nice I'll tack up at the trailer if the weather is crappy I'll get a stall and space the classes out more.


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## My Beau (Jan 2, 2009)

If it's hot and there is more than 40-45 minutes until my next ride (dressage, so it's pretty easy to tell) I'll untack.

If it's cool outside, they can stand there with a loose girth. If it's cold, they get an exercise blanket on their butt.

If I have over an hour, they're untacked no matter what the weather


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## meemoicloee23 (Oct 2, 2010)

you can leave them saddled all day, but if hes got 1 or 2 hours of wait loosin his girth.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

The last thing I do before going to warm up is put the saddle on and the first thing I do when I get back is take the saddle and bridle off.
The least you can do for the horse after him working hard for your daughter is let his back have a break and graze him. You should know the order of classes and if someone is waiting, they are waiting on you being nice to your horse. To me, my horse and his comfort is far more important than 5 minutes of ANYONES time. But, as I say, you should know the order of classes, so when the one before yours is going, then put the tack back on.


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

I don't know a lot about this arena, but I know they crank through the classes so they are not going to wait. I believe it's only a couple of 4-H clubs participating so there shouldn't be a ton of people there. We do not have the option to rent a stall, so the horses will be out at the trailer, since they are doing English, Western, trail and showmanship, plus a costume contest (I don't know the order yet either) I imagine some times we will have a while to wait, and other times we'll be almost back to back. 

Like I said, I want to be as prepared as possible and help her instructor instead of being a hinderance. I will say that I'm so grateful she wants to be there because I was afraid I'd be doing this all on my own.


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## mynameissawyer (Oct 16, 2010)

When I show, I usually saddle my horse 30 minutes before my class, or when I'm about to practice. You don't need to keep your horse saddled for a certain amount of time.


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

mynameissawyer said:


> When I show, I usually saddle my horse 30 minutes before my class, or when I'm about to practice. You don't need to keep your horse saddled for a certain amount of time.


I was wondering about between classes, or after warm up. We have to get there really early to get a spot, but don't show until the afternoon (which sucks) so he won't be saddled until warm up, but it could be a while between classes so I wanted to know how long was too long to have him standing in his saddle.


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

Do you not have anyone that is experienced in shows that can go with you? It's always good to have an experience show person there to give you some answers and confidence


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

Fowl Play said:


> *Her instructor/horse owner is going and coaching her, but she also has 3 other girls going so she's going to be quite busy. I'm going to try to be as helpful as possible, but need some serious help. I will certainly come up with more questions as we get closer.*





Eliz said:


> Do you not have anyone that is experienced in shows that can go with you? It's always good to have an experience show person there to give you some answers and confidence


 
Her instructor is hauling for us, but i want to be prepared to be helpful and since she'll have 3 kids, one of us moms needs to be prepared to help. The other 2 have very little horse experience, so I'm determined to be as prepared as possible.


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## mynameissawyer (Oct 16, 2010)

Fowl Play said:


> I was wondering about between classes, or after warm up. We have to get there really early to get a spot, but don't show until the afternoon (which sucks) so he won't be saddled until warm up, but it could be a while between classes so I wanted to know how long was too long to have him standing in his saddle.


Well, with my horse, who is a Arabian, sometimes gets really worked up with a saddle on at a show. Usually if you have a large amount of time between classes you either loosen the girth or take off the saddle completely...depending on how much time you have in between classes. It really does depend on the horse though. But, if your horse is standing for a long amount of time loosen the girth or take it off completely. You don't want him with a saddle on for too long.


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## Eliz (Jun 16, 2010)

Most of the shows I go to we have stalls, so I just unsaddle if I have a gap between shows. BUT, if you want to keep braids in tack tie the horse up in front of the hay bag & water so it won't be bored to death.

I guess if I were tying to a trailer I'd do the same.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I have left a horse saddled for several hours with no harm to the horse. Loosen the girth a little but not so much the saddle can slip under the belly.


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## Fowl Play (Sep 22, 2009)

Eliz said:


> Most of the shows I go to we have stalls, so I just unsaddle if I have a gap between shows. BUT, if you want to keep braids in tack tie the horse up in front of the hay bag & water so it won't be bored to death.
> 
> I guess if I were tying to a trailer I'd do the same.


 
I will be tying to a trailer because I don't want to pay to rent a stall, and my daughter's horse is used to being able to have access to the outside all the time...being in a new place, in a fully enclosed stall might just scare him senseless. Not exactly what I want for her first show!


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

When I'm showing ridden ponies I like to have already worked out Exactly how long a warm up that pony needs. 
The saddle goes on last thing before his warm up and provided the pony isnt in anouther class straight away then it will come off as soon as I've cooled him down.

With stan he needed a 20 min warm up and a 15 minute cool down, so if there was likely to be more the 40 mins between classes his saddle and bridle came off. 
If there was going to be less then 40 mins I loosened his girth, took his bridle off, offered him a drink and then put bridle back on, did girth back up and walked him untill his next class so he didnt get cold or stiff.

As for telling how long a class will take, you only get to know that by experiance and guesstimates. Find out how many are entered on the day and ask more experianced people how long they think it will take.


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

It sounds like the type of show that once your class is over, you walk back to the trailer and take the saddle and bridle off you will be putting stuff back on for the next class.

I see nothing wrong with the horse wearing the saddle with the girth loosened during the short breaks. Removing the bridle so the horse can get a good drink would be nice if you have a longer break.


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