How to: Make the First Steps in Showmanship

It looks like a dance, two souls guided by an invisible bond – that is the ultimate goal in Showmanship. Whereas in other events, riders can rely on cues with their legs, voice, a bridle and the impact of shifting their weight in the saddle, Showmanship exhibitors only have a little chain – and ideally, it looks like they’re not even using that. But what does it take to create that picture? We have talked to a World class trainer, Jenny Jordan, and three successful European Amateur exhibitors about the first steps of the event and how to ultimately master that skilled dance that high-class Showmanship is.

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How To: Make a Horse „Bombproof“

It’s a little object. Maybe a plastic bottle or a pink balloon. But your horse reacts as if the thing is about to kill it. Sounds familiar? Usually, every equestrian has been in such a situation where they ask themselves whatever is going on inside their horse’s head. But the good news is: You can work on that. We have talked to Swiss trainer Linda Johansson about her way of making horses “bombproof”.

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Exotic Events: Horse & Dog Trail

The variety – it’s what a lot of people love about our sport. It offers a wide range of events, from Western to English – and some rather exotic events such as Horse & Dog Trail: It’s an event that is offered at some shows hosted by German riding associations, but it is also part of playdays etc. We talked to Jutta Brinkhoff, who is an EWU German Champion and multiple medal winner in that event.

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Horse-Assisted Coaching – what’s that?

Even though, we mostly cover topics that deal with our sport, we all know that there are many other things to do with horses. Plus, we all know how closely our emotions are tied to our horses‘ behavior. This can be hard at times, but also lead to a learning process. The latter is the idea behind the concept of horse-assisted coaching. We have talked to Catharina Falch, who is not only an avid Western Rider, but also a coach for horse-assisted coaching. She told us all about it, the horses they use and why it is more than leading a horse and looking into a crystal ball.

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How to Practice During the Off-Season

One thing that separates the European horse show industry from the one in the States is the fact that Europe actually has an off-season. While that is sad in a way – not showing for a few months? Ugh – it also has its perks. Plus, it would be too cold for showing anyway. We talked to three young trainers who told us how they make use of the off-season.

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How to: Start with Western Riding

Precision, flow, skill – those are only three terms one could use to describe Western Riding. The event is – for most riders – the ultimate event they teach their all-round horses. Mastering a pattern with approximately eight lead changes can be quite a challenge. We have talked two three trainers who have mastered this challenge multiple times and have become champions in several classes.

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