# Anyone show only in hand?



## JoyinDriving (Oct 15, 2014)

So, I've taken riding lessons in the past (didn't love it, didn't hate it), and done a little miniature driving (fun!), but I'm really interested in western showmanship and in hand trail classes. Is there anyone here who only does, or primarily focuses on in hand training and showing, vs. riding or driving? I'd love to talk and maybe even start a little subsection for people who don't ride necessarily but focus on training halter, in hand trail, and showmanship. And I apologize if something on here like that already exists - I didn't see a specific section :lol:


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I'd like to see a GW (groundwork) section in the Riding sub-forum.


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## JoyinDriving (Oct 15, 2014)

anndankev said:


> I'd like to see a GW (groundwork) section in the Riding sub-forum.


Yes! That would be excellent.


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## ducky123 (May 27, 2014)

I see people at the shows that show at halter and showmanship and then pack up and leave. I've been practicing showmanship this winter with my walker. First show is Saturday if it quits raining. Wonder what those QH people will think....


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm unable to ride for a few reasons (hoping to someday but it might be a while), so I'm very interested in groundwork, showmanship, and in-hand trail stuff. I've been considering buying a mini to show, but finances are a bit nuts right now so that may happen later this year. For the moment I'm looking at driving as well as in-hand stuff too.


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## kapbob8 (Mar 18, 2015)

I showed Arabians in halter classes for awhile but was never really good at showmanship. Those classes were always so large and seemed to be dominated by quarter horses.


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## 4HGirl (Jul 17, 2014)

Most of my showing has actually been showmanship. It's been 4-H showmanship though, so it might be a bit more casual then what you're looking for. My 4-H leader was adamant that we learn how to handle and read a horse on the ground before we ever sat in a saddle. I really liked this approach, but it also led to me not riding as well as some of my friends who have been around horses as long as me. But then again, I know more about training and starting than they do, so I guess it's a bit of a trade off. Are there any specific questions that you have?


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

I was thinking about showing in hand only this year. My horse is in no shape to be showing pleasure yet. Luckily my local show association has a few different divisions, so I can enter open and novice showmanship and in hand trail, then colorbreed halter and regular halter classes.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mybigboylance (May 2, 2015)

My 11 year old daughter shows only in hand. We have a 4 year old qh/paint who can be hot under saddle but is calm and collected in hand. She does showmanship and hopefully will try trail in hand this year


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

i have my first halter show with my arab on the 6th. she has navicular so i cant ride her anymore, so i figured id have fun with her still. the qh people are going to look at me like im mad when i show up with a 19 yer old arab. maybe a 30 yer old tb too.


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## Kay Armstrong (Jun 28, 2015)

So I'm dying to know more about this type of show. I purchased a foal this year and would love to get her accustomed to going to shows and the hub-bub and commotion of being away from home. I know nothing about where you find in hand shows and I have only done dressage for the past 20 years. I did grow up in 4-H so I am familiar with showmanship but have never officially entered a class that was called "in hand"....where do you find such a show?


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## Savannahgreen (Aug 14, 2015)

I'm just getting back into the swing of horse showing, starting over and honestly I'm completely lost!!!! I have a 1 yr old filly great bloodlines and great confirmation. I am wanting to start her off in halter classes, how do I go about registering her into shows?


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## Goldilocks (Jan 30, 2015)

I show my miniatures in hand only. I drive at home but never at shows. I ride but not much, i'm not great at it and not very confident.


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## SummerShy (Aug 3, 2014)

We have a miniature gelding that we will begin training for my daughter to show in halter and perhaps trail.


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## Kay Armstrong (Jun 28, 2015)

Would love to hear from somebody who can critique their own performance at a show...why you did well....why you didn't do well....


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## Goldilocks (Jan 30, 2015)

I've had several I can critique. One where I had been rushing and stressed cause I was late. Got there just before my class and I had to literally drag my mare off the trailer and run into the ring. Mare was awful, wouldn't trot and even threw in a rear. It was just pure stress on my part! She did another show and I was more settled and she took double champion. Another example was when my gelding had not been doing very well in our first year because he was too overweight, and I had an injury playing up so I felt a bit crap and he was just so flat and unshowy. He again went to another show when I was in a better frame of mind and took double champion. 

So it's vital to be in a good frame of mind! Ha


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

I need to practise more on paying attention to the judge AND my horse lol! This was of today. this was my first show and my pony was fantastic!!!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I've done Arab main ring halter and sport horse in hand and then we did Pleasure Type halter at Pinto World's and Color Congress. In hand is ok, when they're too young to ride, but it's not my passion. I really wish it was because I have a bunch of youngsters that I need to get shown and that means showing in hand which I usually try to get my hubby or a teenager to do for me.

It also means, if I do my job right, that by the time they're ready for showing at any of those shows I've already sold them. I'd dam*d if I do and dam*d if I don't. :cowboy:


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

i cant ride her at the moment (maybe never again) so i figured i would do something with her lol!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

KigerQueen said:


> i cant ride her at the moment (maybe never again) so i figured i would do something with her lol!


LOL! That's what I consider in hand showing good for. That and young'uns learn to be flexible and accept lots of new things if you start showing them early.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

lol she is about 20 so... lol! i might start doing other inhand events with her until i get a definitive ok from the vet to ride her.


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## Showjumper26 (May 8, 2014)

I show my Connemara x mare inhand , I used to showjumping with my pony and was looking for a show jumper while helping break in a young mare . There are horses with the same registered name as her (Hendraws) who do showing so I thought I would give it a go and she has done pretty well this year !! Never leaving the ring without a rosette and a few firsts too !! I'm really starting to enjoy it ! What we do is walk round the ring as everyone is coming in , then we all stop and one by one we trot our horses around the ring and join the back , once everyone has trotted round we line up infront of the judge , wait to be called forward then we stand for the judge to look at the horses , walk away and trot back towards them then we all walk around the ring waiting for the judges to decide the winner then we are all called forward depending on where we place  it's good fun !! Hope this helped !


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## NaughtyLlama (Oct 18, 2015)

*emerges from shadows*

I just joined because I was lurking and I saw your post!!

I've had too many brain injuries from riding accidents. So I show in-hand only. I would still ride if it didn't concern my family so much!!

I wish I could add a pic of my haflinger! She kicks all the quarter horse and paint butts at the shows!


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## ponyroll (Feb 15, 2015)

I show all my horses in halter and showmanship classes. I think it is good for them to learn, and it helps them get use to the arena before riding time. I always start my young ones out in these classes. It gets them out and exposed to new things. I also do ACTHA and other obstacle rides. I'll always do a horse in-hand a few times before doing the riding obstacles. I, however, ride as well.

I'm trying to get my mom to show only in-hand. She has only ridden a horse a few times in her life, but now she wants to start riding. The horses live with me, so she wouldn't be riding very often. She's really not comfortable on a horse, and I just constantly worry about her. She also recently had a major surgery and has trouble getting on and off, and staying on in general. It would just be much more comfortable for her and me if she were on the ground. I think ground handling is fun and enjoyable for everyone, so hopefully this can be where we go next.


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## ponyroll (Feb 15, 2015)

NaughtyLlama said:


> I wish I could add a pic of my haflinger! She kicks all the quarter horse and paint butts at the shows!


Yay! Someone else who shows a non-paint/qh at their own shows! I think it's always fun to win at a primarily stock horse show with an odd breed. I show my Missouri fox trotter against them all the time. He really toughs it out and performs well in all his classes, especially showmanship and trail!


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

you should have seen some of the people at the first class i did! i place in front of 3 other quarter horses/paints. they did not like that! lol!


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## Tazzie (Nov 8, 2011)

The only In Hand classes I've done are my Sport Horse in hand or Halter classes at our Arabian shows. And really, I only did them for the points (some shows only had Arabian Halter, and in order for that show to count for participation points you had to show in an Arabian class) or for the comments. On most of our score sheets for Izzie in hand we get comments like "earthbound". To which we snort and say "just wait until this judge sees her under saddle." Izzie is very docile in hand and puts forth minimal effort, so the judge is always shocked when they see her true trot hit the ring.

Some of my biggest competitors show only In Hand though. It's whatever floats their boat  Though I've told my biggest Sport Horse competitor she needs to get her horses under saddle!


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

wish i could show my mare under saddle but i dont know if she is/ever will be sound enough to trot under saddle again and i dont think they have walk only classes lol! so in hand it is. but i might snag my fiance;s mustang. dont know what he could do though and he looks like a belgian x tbx thing lol!

i forgot to post pics of my mare last show. it was a paint horse judge who placed a pinto mini (who had its own class and should not have been in ours) over her. first show she coliced the morning ove. this last one she got an enama on her belly this time!


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## Tazzie (Nov 8, 2011)

In instances like yours I understand why you show in hand  These guys are sound, healthy horses she bred herself. And they are NICE horses. My DH keeps telling me to shut up since there would be a very real chance they would beat me under saddle as well! But sometimes I'm the only half Arabian sport horse in the class!

And at least some of our shows has a walk-walk class, though it's open for kids and people with disabilities. Not exactly a competitive class I don't think.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

took my fiance's paint to his first show ever this past weekend. he had no idea what was going on lol! he did not do too bad considering we did not get dismissed from the ring lol!


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