Nealia's Articles
Small Tips for Big Results (Part I)
By Nealia McCracken
Do you ever wonder why some horses place consistently in front of some judges while others do not? Do you ever wonder what gets the judges attention and what turns them off? To answer these questions lets first look at who is judging our classes. I cannot tell you the number of times that people have told me that in their area of the country the judges only tie low headed, stock type looking Saddlebreds in the western classes. This was always an interesting statement for me because where I have shown normally quality Saddlebreds win the class if the horse works well. How can this be? How can one area of the country be judged different from another area? To answer this, the first question I always ask who judges these classes? Without exception the answer has been the same judges that have judged in my area—the Saddlebred judges. This means that if the judges were the same, the judging standards should also be the same. They are not using stock type western judges to come up with different results. So is the equation different from one part of the country to the other? After watching some of these classes myself what I noticed was several high headed horses that were turned out poorly, didn’t wear the bridle or didn’t have the manners required for a pleasure class. These horses were being tied down in the class where a low headed horse that was not collected and appeared to be stock type would win. This happened because the stock type horse had the manners for a pleasure horse. Over time people in the area would misinterpret these placings and would start working their horses more stock type western (heads worked down). Over time the result of this was most of the horses presented in a class were lower headed stock type Saddlebreds leaving the judges few options but to tie these horses. In reality if these judges had "typier" Saddlebreds that met the requirements to show in the pleasure division these stock type horses would not have placed as well. This is very evident in the extremely competitive areas of the country where the Western Division has evolved from the stock type western to the saddle type western, which lends itself more readily to the American Saddlebred.
What can you do as an exhibitor or trainer to increase the odds of being tied higher? My answer to this is not just one big thing, but a series of smaller items. Lets start with the non-training issues first and discuss how and why clothes and equipment can affect the outcome of a class. Not to put the cart before the horse it’s important to begin with the grooming of the horse before the class.
Clipping. Keeping in mind that you have Saddlebred judges, who are mostly trainers, it is important not to deviate radically from the saddlebred clipping and grooming standards.
Ears: Saddlebred tradition has always coveted a horse with sharp ears. To achieve this look most trainers leave a small tuft of hair left at the very tip of the inside of the ears. This tuft is shaped so that it is pointed at the other tuft in the other ear. This gives the optical illusion of a sharper eared horse. Some of your stock type breeds shave the entire inside of the ears not leaving the tuft. To the stock type exhibitors a sharp-eared horse may not be as important. It is equally important to clip the hair on the outside edges of the ear to help slenderize the look of the ear. The saddlebred rules call for a refined head and a clean throatlatch area. To achieve this look the handler will take increased precautions to clip the mussel under the jaw area and taking particular care to clip the throatlatch area even up into the neck. One of my largest pet peeves is a bridle path that is trimmed back too far (sometimes up to a quarter to half of the neck is shaved). This is a typical Morgan or Arab bridle path length, NOT a saddlebred. To help you decide what is a proper length for bridle paths look in the magazines for top stables and observe the length of their bridle paths. Be particularly observant on the stables where the trainers are judges. Remember this is what they like and instruct their horses to be clipped.
Legs: Since Saddlebred standards call for fine bones with clean legs, clipping the legs are very important. It not only makes them look better but it makes it easier for you to get them clean. White legs are the easiest to clip. Most handlers will clip the white hair off using a #10 blade. Avoid using a #40 blade as you will clip the hair too short leaving the leg with very little hair and skin will show making the legs appear pink not white. Dark legs are more difficult to do and there are several methods. One is to trim the long hair around the cornet band at the top of the hoof. Be very careful not to leave a line. Next clip along the back of the leg starting at the base of the knee going down to the bulb of the heel. The second way is to shape the hair into a V along the ankle. The narrow point of the V starting at the hoof and growing slightly wider as you go up the pastern. The back of the ankle should be shaved. This helps give the illusion of a longer pastern that is a desirable trait in the Saddlebreds. When clipping it is important to get both sides even and straight to make the V shape. Again you have to clip the back of the leg up to the bottom of the knee. I did not invent these clipping techniques. These are techniques and styles that I have learned from other saddlebred trainers and stables.
Cleanliness The cleanliness of your horse is extremely important. Top show stables, where their trainers are your judges, take pride in the shine, quality of hair coat and overall cleanliness of their horses. Just because you are riding in a western saddle does not mean that you should look like you are out of the range-working cattle. You have to remember that you are showing your horse. The turnout of your horse is important when showing, English or Western.
Tails: Saddlebred exhibitors have had a love affair of long beautiful tails since before I was born and beyond. The three issues that I feel are the most distracting in the show ring are; a tail that looks dirty, a tail that looks like it was just unbraided and is kinky, and a tail that has had the bottom cut off in a straight line. The first two are just sloppiness. The cropping or the banging of tails is a tradition used in other breeds and disciplines, but never with the English Saddlebreds. Don’t fall into the trap that just because some of the stock type western horses do it, you should do it also. Remember the saddlebred is a saddle type western horse not a stock type horse. One more time—the judges are not used to looking at a tail trimmed in this fashion so if they don’t like it you shouldn’t do it. This is one small thing but it makes a difference. I am not going to discuss blacking feet because there are many methods and issues related to this topic. Whatever you do the feet must be clean.
Tacking Up Your Horse. After you finish preparing the horse the next issue to consider is the equipment. First and foremost you are getting ready for a show and ALL of your equipment must be spotless and clean. Silver is to be polished and the leather shining.
Saddle. As everyone knows the saddle is one of the most expensive purchases involved in owning a horse. It’s important to choose this wisely. Most of our horses are larger than Arabians and I avoid Arabian cut saddles. In my opinion they are not flattering on a Saddlebred. You must get a saddle that is comfortable to ride in, fits your horse and is pleasing to look at. Avoid the pitfall of someone having an old saddle that they will let you borrow. Most of these saddles look like they were used on a working ranch or should be used at dude ranches for trail rides. Do you think Dina Tanner Lopez borrowed some old used English saddle from her neighbor to show the 5 gaited World’s Champion Wild Eyed and Wicked? I will bet money that Dina’s saddle is a top quality saddle that was purchased for her. Knowing this why in the world would you show in a saddle that is not fit for showing just because it’s cheap or free? My recommendation is to find a tack shop that not only carry’s quality western saddle, but understands a Saddlebreds needs. Now let’s talk about silver. I personally like a saddle with a lot of silver. It is the standard for western horses, stock or saddle type. However, if your taste leads you to a saddle with little or no silver the rules say you should not be penalized. I would rather see an extremely clean saddle with little or no silver than a dull dirty saddle with a lot of silver. One of the big concerns in purchasing a saddle is dark vs. light oil? Most of your saddle dealers will tell you that light oil is the trend. While that is correct in the more stock type western breeds, the saddle type western breeds have not adopted this look whole-heartedly. Again I believe this is due to the judges. As far back as you can find pictures of American Saddlebreds showing light oil tack has been a foe pa. Most of your Saddlebred judges are more comfortable looking at dark oil. Here I am interjecting my opinion on light and dark oil. You spend a lot of money on your saddle for the silver. You spend a lot of time polishing the silver to keep it shiny. Silver on a dark oil saddle is more visible than on a light oil saddle. All of my equipment and my customer’s equipment are dark oil. I require it!
Girths. After you have spent a bazillion dollars on your western saddle why would you ever put a cheap fuzzy or string girth on your saddle? I require my riders to have a quality dark leather girth on their saddle.
Saddle Pads and Blankets There are two issues to cover with saddle pads. The two issues are there are saddle pads and saddle blankets. They are not the same thing and they are used for different purposes. Saddle pads are used to help support a saddle on a horse’s back. It helps makes the ride more comfortable for the horse and keeps the edges of the western saddle, especially on the back, from curling up or sticking out. Pads are not designed for their looks. To me it is a much unfinished look to have only a saddle pad under your saddle. That brings us to part two –saddle blankets. Saddle blankets are used to cover the pads. They are used in a more decorative or show use. They should not be used instead of a pad. They are to always be used under the saddle and on top of the pad. Most of these blankets are made of wool and come in various sizes, styles and colors. In choosing a blanket there are two things to remember. First, it has to cover the pad. Secondly, what look are you going for under your saddle? I personally go to a solid dark color pad because I do not like the fact that a $50 to $100 blanket will draw your attention more than your expensive saddle. Think about where you want the judge’s eye to focus, the saddle blanket or your saddle? In my mind there is an easy answer to that question. A last point, considering that the western rules call for a smooth and easy ride, be careful that you don’t buy anything that dangles or moves on your saddle, pad or blanket.
Breast Collar Keeping with that idea the next thing I consider is the beast collar, which is very easy to have adjusted improperly, which will cause unnecessary movement and sloppiness to your ride. Be sure all of the ends of the breast collar are kept in keepers (black electrical tape works well too), as they will bounce also. There are three types of beast collars to consider and the amount of silver is up to your personal taste. Yes-- and every one of my horses wear breast collars even though it is not required. There is the one-piece solid Y, there is the 3-piece Y with a cancho in the middle and there is a one piece straight across the chest. I always ALWAYS use the Y shaped collars, either of the first two types. The one piece straight across the neck is difficult to fit properly and is hard to keep from moving in my opinion. The adjustment of beast collars is crucial. Too loose it flops and too tight it hurts and rubs. Too high it causes undue pressure on the neck and makes the neck look shorter. Too low it restricts shoulder movement and makes the front legs appear too short.
Bridles and Bits. In choosing bridles and bits out for your horse it’s helpful to have a good relationship with a tack shop so that you can try several different styles on your horse to determine the best look for your horse. This is where I am lucky, as I have accumulated of the years many different styles of bridles at my stable.
Bridles if you have a horse with a long head and your bridle have silver bit hangers with silver all down the sides; the horse’s head will appear longer. These horses need leather showing along the side to break up the length of their head. If you have a horse with a larger head you usually need to avoid the smaller rounded bridles with farrels and barrels on them as this makes their head looks even larger. If your horse has a heavy jaw you need to strategically place a large cancho or buckle on each side of the bridle. Small buckles or canchos make the jaw appear larger. There are different options for brow bands on the bridle. The first option is a regular brow band bridle with a throatlatch. The second option is a one-ear piece bridle that goes over the right ear. The third option is a double earpiece bridle, one for each ear. PLEASE NOTE THE NEXT COMMENT IS MY OPINION AND IS NOT ETCHED IN STONE. Almost all of my horses ride in a single or double ear pieced bridle. To me there is no difference between these two styles. The reason I am not fond of brow bands is that most Saddlebreds tend to have a longer narrower head (not excessive) and shorter more refined ears. When you put a silver piece straight across the head with no caveson in tends to make the ears look shorter and smaller and the head longer. However, there are some horses that have shorter heads that look extremely good with a full brow band. On occasion I have had horses that will not wear ear pieced bridles. For these horses there is no other option, but a brow band. In this situation I try to use a tear drop brow band, which has a V pointing down the middle of the horse’s forehead, which can shorten the look of their head.
Bits. Did you know that most of the show western bits were designed for the stock type western horse? These horses are worked on a loose rein and travel in a less collected fashion than the saddle type horses. When you collect a horse using these bits the majority of them give the illusion of hanging or pulling on the horse’s mouth. It is not only important to pick out the mouth piece but the shanks of the bit. I put different type shanks on my horses when I work them to determine which shank achieves the designed effect for me (collection without the look of pulling or hanging).
Curb Chains. The most important thing about curb chains is to make sure they are legal by reading the Rule Book. Try not to show in a $4 dollar nylon curb chain with you expensive bridle and bit.
Reins. To romel or not to romel? Several years ago there was a trend in western showing called California style. I believe this style of riding was the forerunner what I have dubbed the saddle type western horses. They were more collected and ridden in a fashion that suited the saddle type western breeds (Arabs, ASB’s and Morgan’s). This California style exclusively used the romel type reins. I have stuck by this style of riding when working my horses and feel my riders are more comfortable with the reins being held in their hand more like an English rein (coming up from the bottom to the top of the hand). To me the look of romel or split reins to a judge, as long as the horse is collected, is of little difference. I personally feel more comfortable with the romel reins. After you have chosen your reins let’s talk about how much silver should be on the reins? If your horse is fussy in the bridle and has trouble keeping an extremely consistent head set avoid a lot of silver on your reins like the plague (unless you have a white or gray horse). If your horse is quiet in the bridle and it does not have a lot of head movement reins with a lot of silver add a nice finishing touch.
Now that you are armed with this knowledge start watching western classes in a different perspective. Get you friends with a video camera and critique your own equipment and turnout of your horse. Use these tips to help produce a consistent winning ride every time you show. In future articles I will address clothing, showing and training techniques. See you in the show ring!
