PleasureHorse.com
is facilitating a teaching/learning center, whereby the public may ask Judges questions on a regular basis. This
week's topic is Showmanship
Question 1:
In Showmanship, do you think the pull turn is here to stay? Where do you want to see the exhibitor looking on the pull turn? Some look at the pivot leg, some at the judge, some at the horses head... where should I be looking as the exhibitor doing this maneuver? Also, how do you feel about exhibitors who say "whoa" when trotting up to you and stopping, and do a lot of "smooching" on pivots, etc?
I think it is here to stay, It's not a maneuver I regularly use. First off,
there is no maneuver that I think the exhibitor should be looking at the
judge, except when trotting or walking directly towards the judge and the set up.
I think that during the pull turn the exhibitor should be looking at the
horses head or foot, either is fine by me. I don't mind subtle voice cues on any maneuver, but excessively loud or over used voice cues could leave a
negative impression.
Yes, the Pull-turn is here to stay. I like the exhibitor to be looking over the horses' hip not down at the horse hooves. I personally do not mind a hushed voice command but the excessive smooching, clicking, and whoa should not be necessary.
I personally don't use the pull turn in my patterns as I feel it is not
'safe' to pull a horse towards you while you are walking backwards.
Excessive noise by the exhibitor is not favored over someone with very
subtle verbal cues.
My only comment here is that the majority of shows I judge (ApHC), the pull turn is considered incorrect, so I do not include it in my own patterns and do not see it showing up in the patterns of other judges. Because of this, I do not feel qualified to respond here, but am interested to hear what my fellow judges from other venues say. When it comes to verbal commands, cues, or various noises, I count off HEAVILY. Showmanship should be done with body language and nothing smacks of lack of preparedness like verbal cues.
Question 2:
Do you give extra points for an exhibitor showing without a chain?
(and from another reader) I have a fantastic SMS horse that easily does halterless patterns. While in a class I would like to leave my lead as loose as possible to show how easily my horse performs. At what point would lead length start to look sloppy?
I probably wouldn't give any extra points for showing without a chain,
but if i had two exhibitors tied and felt the person without the chain
had a softer look I might use that as a tie-breaker. If the lead strap
flops around it detracts from the professional look. Excessive isn't
'better' for me.
Points are not rewarded based on the use of a chain. If your horse is working off your body then the chain/lead is obsolete.
Remember it is over all presentation.
I do not give extra points for an exhibitor showing without a chain. A well
trained showmanship usually needs no chain pressure at all, and flows along
nicely with the exhibitor, this is pleasing to the eye, but if the chain and
excess lead is sloppy looking I would be offended by that also, its all about
moderation.
My own showmanship horses have always done halterless patterns in practice - this is the pinnacle of achievement as far as I am concerned. I am impressed by a horse that follows body language readily with or without a chain, but without a chain is just one more clue to the judge that you are prepared. Length of lead should always be within a "safe" zone to deal with any unforeseen circumstances, but a "light" touch on the lead conveys what you are looking to achieve better than a long lead. Showmanship is like a well-choreographed dance - it can be light and graceful or forced and clumsy.
Question 3:
(Most popular Q'n of the week)
Do you like to see the exhibitor look back and acknowledge the judge at the
completion of the pattern? I have always done it, but recently heard it is
best to keep going, and not look back for the judges approval. What would you prefer to see?
It depends on the pattern. If the pattern has a halt at the end, you would naturally turn to the judge for a nod of dismissal; on a pattern in which you walk or jog out of the arena, it would depend on the maneuver prior to your departure. For example, if you performed a pivot and were departing directly away from the judge, you would give the obligatory "look back" to check your position and then complete the pattern as written.
I do like to see and exhibitor acknowledge the judge when the pattern is
COMPLETE! Many times you see an exhibitor snap their neck over their shoulder like a chicken running from the hatchet!
For me it depends on how the pattern ends. A trot off without a
definite stopping area, I would not expect the exhibitor to look back.
If the pattern ended with a stop, back-up or something similiar maybe
it would be appropriate. I am probably writing my score at this point
in the pattern and it really doesn't matter to me.
Again, less is more; you can do more by acting less. This is not a scored maneuver, it is more of a personally preference of style. If one can pull a quick glance off well with out straining your neck around then for me it is very acceptable.
Question 4:
I still see a lot of people doing the "squat run" in showmanship. Do you feel this should be penalized? How would you like the showman to run, while making the horse trot? Would you allow the showman to crouch, or would you like one who stood up straight?
I personally prefer to see and nice, relaxed, straight posture when the
exhibitors run. Lets face it, showmanship is fad driven and many times the true
purpose of the class is forgotten, showmanship is the ability of an exhibitor
to fit and show a halter horse, its not to see, who can dress the best, run
the fastest and find anyway to stand out form the rest of the crowd. Judges
want an exhibitor to lead the horse in straight lines, have square set up and
show their ability to work closely and in sync with the horse. The clothes
and fads all become secondary. Now, with that said, many times the "crouched
runner" is the best exhibitor and even with that they are still the winner in
the class.
My showmanship horses are trained to go forward with my shoulder...a slight dip of my shoulder indicates to them that we are trotting off. I can accept a "modified" squat run for this purpose, and also for some long-legged exhibitors who need to shorten their own stride to be in sync with their horse. Otherwise, I find it to be detracting especially when it is exaggerated.
I discourage the Chicken Run or Squat run. When I see a person doing this, I ask myself, would this person run from danger this way? Most likely the answer is no. The run should be in cadence with the horse and a natural flat footed pace.
What's worse than the 'squat run' is the 'chicken squat run' where the
exhibitor crouches down and keeps the body still but the head and neck
go back and fourth like a chicken pecking. I don't like it but
sometimes those exhibitors clearly have the best pattern and place
high. I want the trot to look natural.
Question 5:
What would you penalize more, a horse that steps out of a pivot or a horse that isn't perfectly squared up for inspection?
And during inspection and while crossing in front of your horse, where do you like to see the left hand held? ...close to the side with elbow bent, or hold it up closer to the right hand... Is there a correct way?
Each maneuver is judged in moderation, the horse who steps out of the pivot would be more severely penalized over a slightly askew set up. But the exhibitor must make an attempt to square the horse up. If one stops and is not square or attempted to make square then this is a heavy penalty. Basically you have left out a maneuver.
I have a "3-second" rule when setting up a horse. As a judge in a big class, I would rather that IF your horse doesn't set up immediately, do the best you can in 3 seconds or less and let me get on to judging the class. But, that being said, if your next move is a pivot, you'd better nail it because I will penalize you more if that isn't perfect!
I think the set up is one of the very most important parts of showmanship,
so I am going to say the set up. Ted Turner really doesn't care if he horse
can pivot or not, but he darn sure cares if it is set up well.
Question 6:
What is the best solution for backing up? Some go lightning fast and push
the horse back where as others go smoothly and have a fluid movement. Yet,
both will seem to place equally and consistently. Any advice?
Also, when backing up the horse, where would you like the showman to stand/walk: near the horses head, throatlatch, or neck?
I prefer to see smoothness and fluidity in ALL aspects of a showmanship pattern. In backing, my biggest pet peeve is those handlers who stand directly in front of their horse while backing. This is simply unsafe at best, and you will pay heavily on my card if you do this. Again, going back to the "dance" aspect of showmanship, it should be a cue to your horse that when you turn and face his rear, he should expect to move backward. Standing off the head/throatlatch or slightly behind gives your horse the best view of your shoulder to read any subsequent cues.
Smooth and fluid is my vote. The showman should stand near the horses
head but not directly in front of it, slightly off to the side where
the exhibitors left shoulder would line up with the nose.
A smooth fluid back up with no resistance form the horse is what I look
forward, speed adds to the degree of difficulty, and that would make for a higher
scoring back up. I want the exhibitor to stand to the side of the horses
head just in front of the horse, that is the safest place in my mind.
The back should be what is comfortable for you and your horse. The back should not look intimated or obstinate; the horse/exhibitor should back easily with a free flowing one-two cadence. It should the same two beat steps as the walk.
The horse should be backing off the exhibitors' body.
AT NO TIME should the exhibitor be in front of the horse! The exhibitor should be some where between the horses' eye and throat latch.
Question 7:
Do you consider it a "fault" if the handler is either too short or too tall for their horse in Showmanship? Will it influence you either way even if they lay down a good pattern but are "out of porportion" in size? (This may be all they have to work with.)
I don't think this comes into play in judging showmanship.
It's not a fault for me.
Again, showmanship is over all presentation. not the physical limitations or differences of horse and exhibitor.
"This may be all they have to work with" is the key here. Proportion in size is the prettiest and safest picture, but not always possible. Exhibitors need to learn where to stand to get the best view of the judge; for handlers shorter than their horses, it may be necessary to back up a step or so to gain a wider perspective. Winning showmanship has as much to do with overcoming obstacles as it does with negotiating them!
Question 8:
When backing a figure (such as a square) during a SMS pattern, what is the correct method? Back one side, pivot 90 degrees, then back another side; or to back the movement all in one motion with no pivot?
The back should be a continuous backing motion. There are no pivots or stops in the pattern unless designated. You would be adding a maneuver. IF your horse backs/works off your body this continuous motion should not be a problem.
Good question. My preference is since it is a backup that it should be
performed as such without 90 degree pivots.
I would prefer to not see a pivot.
I would like to see this in a "smooth, fluid" movement, but if the pattern calls for a "square" or other sharp-angled element, there will have to be some degree of pivot performed. (You would most likely perform a square at the walk with pivots, so in the reverse it would be no different.) Just because there is a pivot involved, a break in motion is not necessary.
Question 9:
If a showmanship pattern calls for the exhibitor to trot a left turn around a cone, would you rather see the exhibitor slow down to a fast walk and keep
the horse trotting at a consistent pace through the turn, or see the
exhibitor continue at a consistent pace and have the horse speed up so that
both continue trotting through the left turn?
Continue trotting together.
I don't want to really ever see a fast walk when asked to trot in
showmanship.
The exhibitor and the horse should maintain a consistent pace through out, regardless of direction.
Working off body language again, the horse should be able to extend or slow down off your body. When approaching the cone, the horse should increase the trot speed to stay up with the exhibitor.
Question 10:
I was always taught that when doing quarters, you're supposed to glance down at your horse's feet each time you move over. However, I hardly see anyone doing that anymore. Is this still considered correct? And, would you rather see a horse/showman pause between maneuvers or one that would continue the maneuvers seamlessly? i.e., Go right from a pivot into a trot, or pivot, pause horse, then trot on?
I like to see and teach an exhibitor to crossover then check "foot, withers,
ears, then back to judge" in one fluid motion. The exhibitor should do this
to show that he/she is aware of what the horse is doing. I like to see a
pattern flow but not to the point where it is all mushed together and one big
mess.
During quarters; glance eye, hip, and judge. If you are looking down at horses legs you are lacking confidence that your horse is still squared. The fake obligatory head bounce is a turn off for me.
A slight pause to show completion of maneuver is very desirable. This also shows that your horse is waiting on you and working off your body!
If you are confident that your horse is remaining square, it isn't necessary to look down - however, personally I do not penalize for a quick "check" unless it is the exaggerated "look down, sling head back" method! As for flow of maneuvers - READ YOUR PATTERN! If it doesn't say "stop" or "hesitate", DON'T!
Question 11:
What would be some little grooming tricks that you see in the showpen, that really stand out to you? For example: shiny coat on horse, outfit on rider, clipped ears, polished hooves. What are some little things that you’ve noticed in the showpen that help that showman’s placing considerably?
Clean, proper fit of clothing and the horses halter are important to me.
I can't say that any of the things you listed has caused me to move
someone up from their pattern score 'considerably'. I have judged
exhibitors that I have moved down the card because of a sloppy look
either horse or person.
All the things you mentioned are givens, a well groomed horse is a well
groomed horse, that is what the class rules ask for.
A final comment on showmanship, be natural, be relaxed and focus on having a
well groomed horse and putting the best pattern together that you can. Your
arms should be in a comfortable, workable position. You should run smoothly
with your horse in a tall, natural jog/trot.When presenting your horse to the
judge, have a square setup, act at ease in front of the judge, not uptight, if
the judge speaks to you "good morning, how are you today" respond with a
soft smile and say: "Good morning to you, but these polyester pants are really
tight!" And finally, please pick outfits that are flattering on your body
type and not outfits that make judges squirm in their seats, it is a horse show
not a fashion show in Milan, nudity is not permitted! Lastly, if your a
male, don't try to out dress the woman, a nice suit and tie can work wonders,
its clean and it has enough of a business look to it that the judges now why you
are there!
The best tip I can give besides the obvious of being prepared and looking like a winner, is to SMILE! Not a fake smile, but a pleasant acknowledgment to the judge that you are glad to be there; confident, and proud. You can't imagine what a little "face-time" can do for your whole day!
Every time the horse goes into a showmanship class it better look like it is being prepared for the Congress or World Show.
Do I look at ears, yes I do. I judged 3 famous Showmanship teams at one show. The tie breaker came down to the clip job.
My winner in Showmanship is the exhibitor who knows where they are in relationship to their horse. The exhibitor exhibits confidence in their ability to perform the pattern. A clipped, well groomed turn-out of horse and exhibitor is a must.
Judges note: My daughter has been relatively successful showing Showmanship. I have not been of any influence to her success! I would NOT dare to make a suggestion! I am the groomer and mother only.
What she did was purchase the Youth/Amateur Showmanship classes' tapes from the World Shows for at least 3 years. She would watch those videos over and over studying what the winners did to make them the winner. She then would go work with her horse(s) until she had a perfected relationship with the horse. This class is a class of poise and precision. Horse and exhibitor should be one working together.
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