As my first gymkhana approached, I reorganized my horse trailer and made sure I had everything I needed to make my first show in a year and half, fun successful and as stress free as possible. I put the word out on Facebook asking my friends how they prep and I got some pretty cool answers…
Jennifer Galindo-Cole Day before a race I do not ride my horse. I Pessoa or round pen for suppleness & softness. I fill all my hay bags(2 per horse per day), fill my mangers & water tank. If hauling more then 45-60 minutes I put shavings down(my horses like to pee in the trailer). I check my tack set(s) to make sure they are complete & safe. Hitch up my truck & check all lights.
Yes, I do this every show.
Maggie Dronet Day before the show I usually just turn her out while I pack let her have her run around session. Pack the truck, shavings in trailer, hay and other supplements packed and in feed bag, buckets, raked the necessities lol. Do a once over on her, flexing,stretches and clean her up best I can depending upon weather conditions. I also feed her quite a bit at night as I hook up and haul by 5:30am and she is not an early morning eater. I don’t have the other fancy stuff but we are making due and so far she’s been handling it well! The week before we work more on technique than conditioning. Our life is circles and figure 8’s at the moment.
I rode a new horse for the first time last month, and had so much fun. I was very organized and well prepared thanks to my friends.
If you have any more show prep ideas, tricks or short cuts, post them in the comments below!
