Clare Blaskey and I’m Blue Chip Too
Photography: Real Time Imaging
Improving your preparation and ‘ring craft’ at shows can really help to ‘catch the judge’s eye’ and wow them with that winning performance. Blue Chip founder and successful show horse producer Clare Blaskey has an enviable track record in the show ring. Clare has won the Best Trained Show Horse at the National Championships ten times. You can watch Clare’s latest winning performance on I’m Blue Chip Too at the bottom of this page. Clare has been placed at many major top shows including HOYS, where Clare’s horses have competed almost every year since she was 5 years old.
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Clare has put together her top tips from her wealth of experience, to help improve confidence and help you show off your horse or pony to their best.
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1. Before you start the show season take a young or novice horse to a dressage competition. Your horse can experience travelling and working in with other horses in a similar situation to a show, it is also an ideal opportunity to practise loading and unloading. There is nothing more frustrating than finding you cannot get your horse on the lorry the morning of a show!
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2. Try to let other people of different sizes ride your horse in preparation for the judge riding them. This way they get used to the feel and weight of different riders.
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3. Practise riding your horse with different contacts i.e. a light contact and a firmer one, as each judge will ride slightly differently. Also practise riding transitions so that your horse moves smoothly from one gait to another. Concentrate on riding your horse so that they move away from the leg easily and listens to your aids in downwards transitions so that they don’t fall onto
your hands.
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4. Put some banners or feed sacks around your arena so that your horse gets used to the sight and sound of them.
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5. Treat your horse like a horse, if possible turn him out everyday, even in bad weather and vary his routine by jumping and hacking out.
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6. Practise trotting in hand and standing him up for the judge. This is an important part of the class and many people forget to practise this at home.
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7. Try to have the correct tack for the class you are going to enter. A lightweight bridle is correct for a hack whereas a more substantial one is needed for a Riding Horse and a thicker, more workmanlike bridle for a Cob or Hunter. Make sure you have a comfy saddle that shows off your horse and is also wide enough for a male judge. Stirrup leathers should be able to be adjusted easily and stirrups should be wide enough to fit a man’s foot in them.
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8. Make sure that plaits are neat and even and your horse’s tail is neatly pulled and has been bandaged. White socks should be clean and chalk or paste can help to highlight them. It may help to clip the hair off white legs.
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9. Your horse should be in tip-top condition, with good topline and muscle tone. They should gleam with condition without having to be constantly bathed. This enviable gleam in their coat comes with horses being healthy from within; this can easily be achieved by feeding a Blue Chip Feed balancer,
which contains a probiotic and generous levels of oils.
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10. The most important thing is for you and your horse to enjoy your day. It is also a great opportunity to watch the professionals and pick up some ringside tips. If you want to know anything, go and ask them, they are usually more than willing to help and are very friendly.
