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Conditioning a Show Horse
from Paddock to Show Ring Firstly, I want to emphasise that feeding and conditioning horses is very much a personal thing. Ask six professionals how they feed and you will get six different answers. Everyone has their own ideas about producing showhorses. All I can share with you is the method I have found to be successful over many years at Royal Show level. I condition all show horses in the same basic manner but vary quantities according to the size and breed of the horse or pony and whether I'm producing them for Led or Saddle classes or both. So, let's use, as a case study, a 15.2h TB being prepared for some Spring shows after spelling for two months over Winter, in the paddock. I would work on a 10 week preparation schedule before his first major show. So, for example, commence preparation mid July to commence showing straight after Melbourne Royal. I would get his teeth done and get him shod. I would give him a worm paste and a follow-up paste a fortnight later (and then every six weeks after that). I would wash him with a good antiseptic shampoo and wash and condition the mane and tail (then do that once every week). He needs a clean cotton rug closest to his skin and enough rugs to keep him warm but comfortable (not clammy or sweating). He needs to be stabled at night and yarded by day, preferably in a yard with enough green pick for him for a few hours per day. However, there's not much point him going out if he's just going to stand in the pouring rain getting cold. If he stays in on certain days it is vital that he gets worked those days and as a precaution, plain off his feed on those days too. I don't clip straight away. I wait for the horse to tell me. Usually on one of those pleasant early Spring days when you take his rugs off and work him and you run your hand over him and get a face full of hair…that's when you clip (and usually the new Spring coat is waiting for you underneath). Add an extra rug then and watch for subtle changes in weather. Just keep him warm and comfortable no matter how cold the weather is. The most helpful things to produce a good coat are lights and a timer in the stable. Each week, for the first month of the preparation, gradually increase the timer until the lights eventually come on at about 5am- 7.30am and about 5pm- 9 or 10pm. This will produce an excellent early Spring coat but you may pay for this at the other end of the season. The important thing to remember is that a healthy coat comes from within, which brings us to feeding. The quickest way to lose a show class is just to present your horse underweight. You won't need to practice workouts because you'll never get off the circle to do one. So, let's start with the basics. I like my horses to drink enough. Free access to clean water at all times and in Winter make the water luke warm when he's in the stable and he'll drink 25% more. I see quite a few dehydrated horses in Winter months, which actually makes sense. You wouldn't want to drink ice water on a freezing Winter's day, would you? I see so much money spent on additives with no obvious result derived from them. Start with just good quality hay and plenty of it. Then, give three small feeds daily, instead of two larger ones, as horses have small stomachs. I feed oaten chaff, lucerne chaff, a good quality pre-mix, bran and pollard (wet in a boiled barley mash) and about a cup of oil (common supermarket sunflower or canola, either is fine). I like to give a handful of Epsom salts each day, in the early half of preparation, to help shift the coat, and I like them to have access to a mineral lick. Sometimes after a horse has had about a month of good feeding, he starts to get a bit picky with his feed, or just loses his appetite. Whether you have a performance horse, a racehorse or a showhorse it is important that they clean up their feed every day. A multi-Vitamin B supplement is handy for increasing the appetite. Also, if a horse can see one of his mates eating up, he usually will too. Companionship (particularly with TB's) will also prevent a horse from becoming stressed, which in turn may impact on their condition. Another idea is to skip his breakfast one random morning a week. This way he is never sure whether he is getting breakfast or not and will clean it up when it is offered. By far the most important thing to remember is there should be a balance between feed and work. A showhorse doesn't need to be as fit as a performance horse but he does require regular, relaxed suppling work and toning up of their muscles, particularly over their topline. This can be achieved with lunge work and relaxed, rhythmic lower level dressage training. More on training and other tasks prior to showing your horses in future articles.
Two examples of horses in excellent show condition. Both of these stallions were prepared using the above method and both were Royal Show Open Champions, Led & Ridden
A fine example of a Royal Show Champion Saddle Pony- ideal condition for saddle classes. |
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