# My very first show. What's the routine?



## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

This is what i do i have showing flat rail work (english) for about 4 years now.

*2 days before*
Bathe
Clip

*1 day before*
Bathe
Take a shaving razor to his muzzle ;]
Plait mane
Get the tail extension ready
Get my outfit laid out and cleaned
Get my boots clean
Find my helmet :roll: 
Clean my helmet
Get the trailor ready
Get my tack organized and cleaned
Get my saddle stands and such together
Get chairs and things
Get out the show bill and mark what classes i want to go into

*The day*
Get up :wink: 
Makeup makeup makeup
Put on half my outfit (jods & undershirt)
Get my horse on the trailor
(I don't paint his hooves)
Put tail extension in.
Braid tail so the extension doesn't get caught or dirty while exercizing
Fix his mane (if it needs fixing)
Tack up
Go sign in
Put number on my jacket
Put the rest of my outfit on :wink: 
Get on and ride till my classes.

Tada! The end 8)


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

That's great that you have some time to watch the show a bit before you actually have to ride! They are a lot of fun and definately addicting!

A couple of days before I bathe (weather permitting) and clip the horses, clean my tack, and make sure that I have everything that i need (pads, training stuff, lunging things, clothes etc) so I don't have to run to the tack shop or cleaners at the last minute. 

Day before the show we haul to the place where it's located to school over the fences. That's when I fill out my entry forms for me and my students. 

At the show I stop by the office first and pay my entries and get my number. Usually I school a few horses before the first class just to get some of the greener horses over the fences again. Then I sit around and wait until I need to get on! After the show I make sure I have all of my stuff. Unbraid manes/tails if they were done. Ideally I'd clean everything then but well...  it's been a long day.


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## mygoldfish (Mar 18, 2008)

it's nice that you will have time to watch before your classes start. that'll help a lot since it's your first time.

i do everything everyone else has mentioned in the days before the show...placing extra emphasis on getting all of my clothes clean, ironed, together, etc. same with tack. ideally, i will have almost no loading to do the morning of (besides horse) other than just simply carrying clothes out to the trailer.

the morning of the show, since you aren't in classes til later in the day, you can probably just aim to get there right about when the show starts, maybe allowing a few minutes to unload and check in. once you have done that, I would get your horse settled in where s/he'll be waiting and then you can go watch. depending on exactly what you have left to do, estimate based on the typical lenghts of classes when you should stop watching and start getting ready. remember, allow time for grooming, saddling, and warmup, as well as dressing into your show clothes and gettin yourself all neat and tidy. in my experience, it is best to be either finishing your warm up or waiting at the ingate at least one class in advance of your class, once again depending on how long the classes are running. 

that's what i would advice based on my personal show experience; however, i have only been to local open shows, the all-around types, and i dont' know if other kinds of shows are a lot different or not.

good luck, and i hope you have fun!


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## Abby (Nov 26, 2007)

I've always wanted to show but I'm too nervous to do it.


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## upnover (Jan 17, 2008)

Abby said:


> I've always wanted to show but I'm too nervous to do it.



well the best way to get over your nerves is to just do it.... :wink:


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