The show season has just begun. You may have been looking forward to it, but it still needs to be prepared so that you and your horse are in the best possible shape. Here are some tips to help you prepare your horse for the show season in the best possible way.
TIP N°1: (RE)WORK YOUR HORSE’S MUSCLES BEFORE COMPETITIONS
Like any self-respecting athlete, your horse’s musculature must allow it to make significant efforts. If you have spent some time away from the competition arena, if you have worked your horse less frequently, or simply if you have put him out to pasture for some time, his muscles will surely have partially melted. A few weeks before the start of competition, you will need a training plan for your horse. This will allow him to build up his muscles gently and get back into shape. Don’t hesitate to adjust your horse’s feed rations as his training intensifies. Your horse will need more energy if it works more regularly or intensively. Once your horse is properly (re)muscled, you can then start intensive training, which is the last step before the first competitions.
TIP 2 : WORK ON THE BASICS OF YOUR COMPETITION DISCIPLINES WITH YOUR HORSE
Once your horse is fit, prepare a more intensive training programme. If you are a dressage rider, work well on each of your figures individually. Don’t forget the basic figures (entering the dressage arena, stopping, transitions, etc.).
If show jumping is your discipline of choice, the basics on the flat will be just as essential as in dressage. To be able to link a course well, your horse must be on command, be able to draw its curves well and have good mechanisation. You can train on the ground bars to work on your horse’s regularity and concentration. Once all this has been acquired, you can start working on the obstacles. Ideally you should start with single obstacles and then combinations. Once your horse is able to link the obstacles well, you can gradually increase the height of the bars.
As far as CCE competitions are concerned, all the basics have to be worked on as you will have a dressage test and an obstacle test. To train your horse well on the cross-country, don’t hesitate to show him lots of different obstacles (fords, natural obstacles of all kinds, uneven ground, etc.). This will allow him to become familiar with all the types of obstacles that you could potentially encounter in a cross-country event.
To complete your preparation for the next competition, you can move your horse and train on different terrains. This will allow him to get used to different competition areas and reduce his stress during the first competitions.
TIP 3 : ORGANIZE YOUR COMPETITION SCHEDULE WELL
Choose the competitions you wish to enter once the competition schedule is available. There are several criteria that can be taken into account when choosing competitions, such as the competition venue itself (is it indoor or outdoor, large or small?), what events are on offer, the journey to get there, etc.
Once you have identified the key competitions you wish to enter, you can adapt your horse’s training programme to spread out the intensive and lighter work periods. You can also plan around your personal and professional commitments. Take advantage of this opportunity to anticipate all logistical issues: in particular the rental of vans / trucks (if necessary), the purchase of missing or to be renewed riding equipment, the payment of event entries, etc. A good management of your competition schedule will allow you to gain serenity on a daily basis !
