newbie question - AWS approvals for young horse; sorry, long!

[GGsuperpony]

My barnmate has mare that she wants to take to the American Warmblood Society approvals this fall. Horse is already registered but her owner wants to take her to approvals to hopefully get her branded, more or less just for the fun of it. She has no plans to breed her; really it's just a fun experience from which she hopes both she and Mare can learn.

When she asked me for advice, I told her I knew none of the answers to her questions, but that I would post here and see if the helpful sport-horse breeding folks could advise her.

First off, how should she go about finding a handler? She is not thrilled about the idea of doing the whole thing herself - she wants Mare to do the best she can, and both of them have zero experience so far. Is pro-handling the done thing, or should she try to learn to do it herself? If so, any advice on resources to do that - old threads, books, websites, etc?

If she does need to find a handler in advance, how does one go about that - calling reputable local sport-horse breeders, maybe? Asking on Chronicle? Or just find one on the grounds that day (sounds way risky to me)?

Then, if she does choose to hire a handler, how much should she expect to pay, and what is typically included?

Braiding is next. The inspection FAQ says "optional" but I am still thinking NOT optional. So what's de rigueur as far as braiding goes? Hunter braids? Button braids? No braids?

Next, until she can find a handler, any tips on how to prepare Mare would be greatly appreciated. Obviously normal safe-handling rules apply, and the major stuff like standing square, being comfortable trotting nicely in-hand, but what else - any little tips that y'all consider indispensable? Tips on grooming, handling, or otherwise are all appreciated.

Even very general, obvious advice will be appreciated - I promise, you won't insult my intelligence on this subject!

Thanks in advance for your patience with my questions, everyone! I'm looking forward to learning more about this brand-new-to-me horsey subject.

[Janet]

My barnmate has mare that she wants to take to the American Warmblood Society approvals this fall. Horse is already registered but her owner wants to take her to approvals to hopefully get her branded, more or less just for the fun of it. She has no plans to breed her; really it's just a fun experience from which she hopes both she and Mare can learn.

When she asked me for advice, I told her I knew none of the answers to her questions, but that I would post here and see if the helpful sport-horse breeding folks could advise her.

I took Chief, now 4, as a 2 yo. I'll tell you what I remember.


First off, how should she go about finding a handler? She is not thrilled about the idea of doing the whole thing herself - she wants Mare to do the best she can, and both of them have zero experience so far. Is pro-handling the done thing, or should she try to learn to do it herself? If so, any advice on resources to do that - old threads, books, websites, etc?

I handled Chief myself, but if I wanted a handler, I would contact the facility where the inspection was being held, and ask them for recccomndations. At the one I went to, there was one person who was the handler for almost half the horses. If you want to do it yourself, IIRC the AWS has a booklet on handling they will send you, and there have certainly been threads here on handling, both for inspection and sport horse shows.

If the inspection results are important to her, it would make sense to do a FEH or sport horse class first, so both horse and handler are comfortable with the routine.

If she does need to find a handler in advance, how does one go about that - calling reputable local sport-horse breeders, maybe? Asking on Chronicle? Or just find one on the grounds that day (sounds way risky to me)?

See above. There were certainly people arranging it on "the day" but I wouldn't want to count on it.

Then, if she does choose to hire a handler, how much should she expect to pay, and what is typically included? No idea about the price, but what I saw was the owner handing the horse over to the handler 5 minutes before going in the ring, one practice trot in the warm up area, and then into the ring.

Braiding is next. The inspection FAQ says "optional" but I am still thinking NOT optional. So what's de rigueur as far as braiding goes? Hunter braids? Button braids? No braids?

Definitely braid. The only ones that were not braided were a few of the foals and weanlings. But all the yearlings and up were braided. I did "sewn in" braids, but there were a variety of differnt types. Do whatever will make the horse's neck look best.


Next, until she can find a handler, any tips on how to prepare Mare would be greatly appreciated. Obviously normal safe-handling rules apply, and the major stuff like standing square, being comfortable trotting nicely in-hand, but what else - any little tips that y'all consider indispensable? Tips on grooming, handling, or otherwise are all appreciated.

It depends on what you mean by "trotting nicely in hand". One thing that was stressed in the information about preparing for FEH, Sport Horse Classes, and Inspections, is that "manners don't count". They DON'T want a horse trotting sedately beside a jogging handler. They want to see THE BIGGEST TROT OF WHICH THE HORSE IS CAPABLE, and it doesn't matter if it displays a few bad manners. That is why the handlers wear running shoes, and most of them are young men who are runing as fast as they can.

So practice running as fast as you can without the horse breaking into a canter. Note that the horse won't be penalized for breaking into the canter, but you will have to do it again until you get a full side of the triangle at the trot without breaking.

Similarly make sure that the horse has a free, forward walk in hand.

How old is the mare? For 2 yos you had the option of displaying them free as well. IIRC the free work is mandatory for the younger horses, optional for the 2 yo, and not allowed for the older horses.

Again, the emphasis is on a BRILLIANT trot.


Even very general, obvious advice will be appreciated - I promise, you won't insult my intelligence on this subject!

Thanks in advance for your patience with my questions, everyone! I'm looking forward to learning more about this brand-new-to-me horsey subject.

Have fun.

[FriesianX]

We host AWS inspections - and I actually make sure we have a runner (handler) available at the inspections. So, first of all, contact the host - there MIGHT be a handler there. General cost runs $35 to $60/run, depending on where you are and who the handler is. That handler basically takes your horse 'at the gate' and handles them in the inspection ring, walk, trot, and stand them up. That person will NOT be grooming your horse. At an AWS inspection, that can mean 4 to 10 minutes of handling on average. If you are bringing someone just to handle your horse, you may pay more since they will have to give up a good chunk of their day for one run. Generally, if there is a runner at the inspection, they can pick up several runs, thus make it worth their time. I'm not sure what you'd pay someone you bring along - they are spending most of the day with you, probably at least $150 or $200?

You CAN make sure your horse is ready by teaching them to walk and trot in hand, on a triangle, going to the RIGHT (which means they have to be able to turn a corner with you on the outside). A good handler does make a difference - I've seen horses who should have scored much better except they didn't trot well. If you can't really MOVE OUT, have someone else trot your horse. Since the horse is an adult, it will be shown in a bridle, so make sure they run the triangle in a bridle.

Braiding is optional, but I agree, it really isn't. If you want to show off your horse to its best, that includes having them clean and braided. Again, contact the inspection host, they MAY have a braider available (another service I try to have at my inspections).

As for how many braids/type of braids - braid as if you were showing. If your horse is a hunter/jumper type, present them braided and groomed that way, and use a brown hunter bridle with a D-ring snaffle. If they are a dressage horse, present them with the larger dressage braids and in a black bridle with loose ring snaffle. If they are a Baroque type, a running braid (french braid) is nice. I have a few pictures on my website on the page for the 2009 Inspection, and a few FAQs based on questions I get as an organizer, feel free to browse that page.

Standing a horse up for inspection does not mean standing them squre - you want the legs offset just a bit. Kind of like you'd see at a sport horse (DSHB or HB) show.

As for grooming - make sure the horse is clean and clipped. I clip short bridle path, trim off any feathers, cut the tufts out of ears (I don't clip inside ears), clip under the jaw line, and with adult horses, I trim their whiskers. Since my horses are dressage type, I also trim their tail dock and bang their tails, even the babies.

[Janet]

You CAN make sure your horse is ready by teaching them to walk and trot in hand, on a triangle, going to the RIGHT (which means they have to be able to turn a corner with you on the outside).
Or you can slow down at the corner of the triangle, catch your breath, and do a small circle to the left to line up for the next side of the triangle.

Not as professional looking. But they aren't judging the TURN, the are judging the TROT.

[GGsuperpony]

Y'all, thanks! This is exactly what I needed. I would never have known that about the biggest, most brilliant trot if I hadn't asked.

When training a young horse for the things described above, like the big trot, the proper way to stand, etc, do you keep practicing til you have it show-ring perfect and nearly automatic or do you just introduce the concept or something in between?

(Let's assume we are talking about a teenaged/adult-aged horse, not a foal. The horse in question is five, going under saddle, showing a little at the local level, etc, so knows all basics of groundwork but will need to learn the BIG trot in-hand and other refinements required.)

Any other mortal approval sins I should tell her about? She tends to be more of a wing-and-a-prayer person, whereas I crave preparedness; I am assuming that's why she tasked me with posting here. I'd especially like to tell her if there are rules of etiquette or general policies that might not be immediately apparent to a first-timer.

If anyone else has any tips, feel free to add 'em! Thanks again to those who have already responded!

[FriesianX]

Or you can slow down at the corner of the triangle, catch your breath, and do a small circle to the left to line up for the next side of the triangle.

Not as professional looking. But they aren't judging the TURN, the are judging the TROT.

We all slow down at the corners, grin... But you don't always have space to circle - AWS requires the arena be fully fenced, so sometimes you make the turn part way, go along the long side, slow down, then turn the rest of the way - just another hint ;)

And actually, they are suppose to consider the horse's manners - part of the score is suitability as a sport horse, which means they can get puffed up and very forward, but if they are kicking or striking, or anything really bad, they can be excused (and I have seen horses excused).

Remember, your horse will be in a strange environment with the excitement of other horses, so often they do get more puffed up and excited anyway.

Since your horse is an adult, I'd work them in hand enough so they GET it. With the youngsters, we also see them shown at liberty, since it is really hard to trot a baby in hand. But once the horse is three or older, they are only shown in hand, in a bridle. If necessary, start with a whip person or carry a long whip - if they don't learn to spring forward when asked, use the whip to remind them. It is actually good training that will transfer to their under-saddle work.