‘Be prepared with a plan B, and plan C – and there is no shame in calling it a day at any stage,’ says Simon Reynolds on first shows for young horses

Show horse producer Simon Reynolds on setting young horses up for a long and happy career, plus some amusing memories of superstars’ maiden outings

Knowing when to debut a novice horse is a balancing act, especially when teamed with cold, dark, spooky mornings and clipped coats. I tip my hat to everyone that has already been out competing. I have a young team this year, and with early closing dates thrust upon us, trying to predict which horse will be ready for what show and when seemingly requires a psychic ability.

Considered and careful selections must be made when you have a novice horse: which ride judge will suit, which venue and even what terrain? Yet even when things are going like clockwork at home, sometimes you get to a show, and it all goes pear-shaped.

Don’t despair, this is normal. Horses are not machines! Have a plan, but always be prepared to implement plan B, and sometimes even plan C. It is important to make a judgement at the time and there is no shame in calling it a day at any stage.

I have brought horses out after the go-round and I adhere to the saying that there is always another day. Some of the best show horses I have produced have sometimes had other ideas at their first show.

My small hunter Sporting Sam – who went on to break records with four straight Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) wins from 1999 to 2002 – was incredibly cold-backed. He would frequently try to buck me off before his class, much to the despair of my groom because I would pull all his plaits out hanging on! Luckily, he never did this in the ring, but he was certainly comical outside it.

My wife’s lightweight show cob, Casanova, was also quite the character before he went on to be a HOYS champion. In his first season he had a tendency to run backwards at speed, without warning, and attempt to double-barrel the other horses. He had his own ideas on how to beat the competition.

I can remember his first show at Barton when he almost decapitated Robert Walker’s future HOYS supreme Broadstone Dalton. Robert had some choice words that day!

Before I took over the reins on the maxi cob Hallmark, who was quite a sharp character, his producer Jack Cochrane told me a funny story.

On their debut at a local ploughing match, he jokingly recalls entering virtually every class bar the egg-and-spoon race in an attempt to get it right.

By the end of the day, with much resilience and with the sun setting, he ended up supreme of the show. Hallmark went on to make showing history, winning HOYS six times and lifting the supreme title.

Giving horses their best shot

Preparing a horse for a ride judge and assessing ride according to type are topics that the British Show Horse Association has recently been keen to elaborate on, holding various informative and interactive Zoom meetings for judges and members.

It is so important to give individual horses the best shot at a long and happy career. You may have heard people discussing “picking a good judge”, a term often misinterpreted with the perception of fixed judging. However, this simply means selecting a suitable judge for an individual horse.

For example, a horse with a nervous temperament may be suited to a smaller lady who sits quietly, or conversely, a more backward animal may suit a more active rider. After showing and competing for more than 35 years, I keep a close eye on the judges’ riding styles but also what types certain judges go for, and try to plan each horse’s route through the season accordingly.

I think it is positive that Sport Horse Breeding (SHB(GB)) has removed the ride judge element for four-year-old show hunter classes and hope that this will encourage more youngsters to be started with less pressure and expectation.

● What else can our showing societies do to help set up young horses for a bright career in showing? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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