ONE MONTH BEFORE
- Check trailer .
- Send in entry fees and forms.
- Update your horse’s worming and vaccination shots.
- Find a friend to groom for you; confirm the show dates, and agree on what you’ll be asking her to do.
ONE WEEK BEFORE
- Call show secretary; ask about approximate starting time of your first class, directions, parking, longeing areas, in-ring warmup (individual trips or group schooling).
- Have your horse shod.
- Body-clip him (winter).
- Go over your and your horse’s attire – check fit, stitching, buttons, et cetera.
DAY/NIGHT BEFORE
- Call (if OK with show secretary) to check number of entries.
- Bathe horse.
- Touch up clipping: ears, muzzle, fetlocks.
- Clean tack/ polish riding boots.
- Pick up stall before you leave the barn to help keep your horse clean.
This article first appeared in the April, 1996 issue of Practical Horseman magazine.
