Prepare for a Fun Match

A beautifully groomed horse ready for a show.
Image grabbed from Missy Larned.

Most of us are not experts on horses but what’s next step to bring pride from and for your horse after a routine-like walk in your farm is to get him all fabulously dressed for a competition.  What we basically joined in for the amateurs are minor horse show contests just around the town and nearby places.  This activity gets all exciting for beginners but there are preparations to consider before we get qualified to join horse shows.  Even minor contests and mini fun match shows disseminate their criteria and qualifications weeks before the show so that they can review if you have what they needed. 

In most shows they require the owners of the contesting horse to show a proof of the complete and updated vaccination cards of their horse.  A complete and updated vaccination card will make sure that your horse is free from any communicable diseases that might risk the health of the other contestants and to people as well.  This not only ensures the others but for your own horse’s safety as well. We do not know what diseases the other contestants are carrying and the updated vaccination of your horse will protect him from getting contaminated from a slight sickness to a more serious disease. 

For the minor fashion show, what we need is a head-turner costume for your horse and for its rider.  Gather ideas and designs beforehand and take time to prepare the outcome of the costume.  Sometimes, what designers do is to fit the costume with the motif of the event or the icon of the occasion.  This way you already have high points relating to the relevance to the theme.  

Horses in bee costumes.

Make sure that the horse you bring is calmer around people and little kids.  During fun match, people gather too closely to enjoy the sights and characters portrayed by the horses and the riders.  Kids get too excited and might even touch the horse without warning to get their pictures together and stuff.  So, make sure you have your horse disciplined and already at ease with people to prevent accidents.

Finally, prepare the transportation.  If the venue is near from your place your horse should be okay to walk for it.  Although, contestants from afar and don’t want to get their costumes get all ruined before they even showed up at the show.  So, contact and wrap up the transportation for your horse so that he is not all ragged and exhausted for the show. 

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Is your horse ready for the show? Make sure he is free from stress to prevent digestive ulcers. Use equine omeprazole to treat and prevent ulcers in horses.

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And always bear in mind that not all effort are given with reward, what is more important is to have fun and let people enjoy with what you present to them.  Another thing is that your horse getting well along with socializing not only with fellow horses but with people as well is priceless.