Work from home

Competing with your fave pony is sooo much fun, but there’s more to a show day than just bringing home rosettes. No matter your chosen discipline, taking your pony out to a competition requires lots of planning, training and preparation. This issue, we’re going to look at what’s involved in the run-up to a comp and find out how to get your pony ready. Let’s get started!

TOP TIP

Before you start getting competition ready, it’s a good idea to set some goals! Maybe you want to compete for the first time, step up a level or qualify for a big championship. Whatever your aims, write them down and think about the steps you’ll need to take to get there.

Get organised

Once you’ve set your goals and talked them through with your instructor to ensure they’re achievable, spend some time researching and working out what competitions you’d like to go to. By looking online, you can search for comps through venue or organiser websites. Tack shops often display posters on noticeboards for events in the local area, too, so it’s worth a visit to see if there are any you haven’t already discovered online.

Some venues allow entries on the day of the show, but most ask you to enter ahead of the day. It’s best to be organised to guarantee your spot and book ahead anyway – ask an adult for help with this, as you’ll need to pay upfront. Once you’re all booked in and have popped the date in your diary, it’s time to get to work!

Fighting fit

Making sure your pony is fit enough for the job is essential – you wouldn’t want to run a marathon without increasing your fitness over time! Speak to your instructor about what level of fitness your pony needs to be at to successfully complete his job. Remember that eventing is much more physically demanding than pure dressage, for example, so if you’re aiming to ride at a one-day-event, your pony will need to be mega-fit!

Find out more of Meg’s competition prep tips in May PONY! Get your copy today!