Training The Showmanship Horse
The horse must be trained to respond instantly to any command by the handler. It must lead off promptly at a walk or trot, and stop immediately when asked. It must back up straight and quietly and learn to turn in a very tight circle from a walk and trot. The horse is also taught to "set up" -- to place its feet in a position, usually square on all four legs, that best shows the conformation of its breed. Often the horse also needs to learn to hold its head and neck up in a certain flattering position as well. The horse has to learn to accept standing in the setup position for long periods of time without fidgiting or falling asleep, as showmanship classes often are very long, due to the fact that exhibitors work the pattern one at a time.
Read more about this topic: Horse Showmanship
Famous quotes containing the words training, showmanship and/or horse:
“Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not; it is the first lesson that ought to be learned; and however early a man’s training begins, its probably the last lesson that he learns thoroughly.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“In full view of his television audience, he preached a new religion—or a new form of Christianity—based on faith in financial miracles and in a Heaven here on earth with a water slide and luxury hotels. It was a religion of celebrity and showmanship and fun, which made a mockery of all puritanical standards and all canons of good taste. Its standard was excess, and its doctrines were tolerance and freedom from accountability.”
—New Yorker (April 23, 1990)
“When a horse comes to the edge of the cliff, it is too late to draw rein; when a boat reaches midstream, it is too late to stop the leaks.”
—Chinese proverb.