Showmanship Pattern
Tips to Improve Your Performance
Does practice really make perfect in a showmanship pattern? This is only part of the overall equation.
Showmanship is a very technical class and you are being judged at increments during different portions of the pattern.
Practice is most definitely a very importance piece of the puzzle, but the other half comes from actual ring experience. Practicing at home is different than showing in front of the judge. Just what does it take to get that winning pattern with your horse?
There are many factors that come into play when answering this question. Below we will be discussing a few factors that contribute to your overall showmanship pattern performance.
A video example of a showmanship pattern at the AQHA World Championship show
Your Ring Presence
As an exhibitor you have to present yourself with poise and confidence through the pattern. You want to walk and maneuver with your horse with confidence. It is a way you as the exhibitor sell yourself to the judge.Having a confident presence also helps with the overall picture through your showmanship pattern. If you were to jog with your horse in a slouched posture, you won't look as clean or sharp in your pattern than someone with a taller posture.
There are a few things in regards to body positioning during a showmanship pattern. First of all you want to make sure you stand tall with proper posture. Basically pull yourself out of a slouched position and stand up straight keeping caution not to arch your back too much which causes your rear to stick out more than it needs to.
You also want to keep your eyes up and look where you are going. Don't run and look at the ground, you may very well run into something or someone if you don't pay attention.
Your elbows should be bent to about 90 degrees with your arms closer to your sides. If you carry your arms further from your body you will look like your about to take flight during your showmanship pattern. You want enough control to reduce arm movement during the pattern.
You want to keep this body position as consistent as possible through your pattern. It will get tough with the jogging, stopping, backing, and turning. It will also take some solid practice time to get consistent and comfortable working with your horse.
When you stop to set your horse up you want a quick set up, make sure you stay in sync with your horse. Make the set-up quick and efficient while standing tall during your inspection.
Make sure you keep the same poise during inspection. Don't rush, you want to meet the judge as you switch sides, not beat the judge to each side. You should also switch sides within three steps. Any more than that and you may look like you are shuffling to each side and any less and you may not make it to the other side without falling or ducking under your horse's chin.
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Pattern Tips
Horse & Body Language: Your horse should move with you, not a step ahead or lagging behind. When practicing a showmanship pattern at home use more exaggerated movements with your upper body to cue your horse. Of course as you continue to practice and your horse becomes finished in working a showmanship pattern, your body language should be much more subtle.When you show with your horse, he should be responsive to your body language and understand the difference between walking forward, stopping, backing, and pivoting. Keep your shoulders square and solid as you move through the pattern to keep these cues consistent for your horse. However, we all have those moments in the ring where we leave our horse at the cone because he was daydreaming while waiting.
At The Cone: Most of the time you will have to begin your showmanship pattern lined up at a cone. Sometimes facing forward and sometimes facing backward. It can also be a little confusing when trying to figure out how to line your horse up correctly.
Typically if you are facing forward for the start of the pattern you will begin by lining up your horse's nose with the cone. Some patterns will state if another part of your horse should be lined up with the cone.
If you begin your showmanship pattern backwards, you likely will have to line up your horse's hip at the cone, unless otherwise stated in the pattern. It depends on the next step in the pattern. If you are asked to back up before pivoting, you will be able to clear the cone.
I have found that it is more likely you will be asked to trot off from the first cone. It is more difficult than you may think, but will eliminate some people right away.
Your spacing from the cone depends on what is asked of you during the pattern. You want to make notes of any pivots in the pattern and where they are. You also want to take into account the size of your horse. If you have a larger horse you may want to allow yourself a little more space than those with smaller horses.
If you topple over or step outside the cones, you will likely be disqualified.
Straight Lines: In a showmanship pattern you want to make sure you keep all your lines as straight as possible. If you study the pattern in advance you will be able to see which portions of the pattern may be more difficult.
It gets tricky when you are asked to back or pivot and approach the judge immediately after. This involves a little pre-planning to ensure that you stay in line with the pattern and with the judge.
When you practice, set markers on the ground and figure out how you best can perform these maneuvers to keep yourself and your horse as straight as possible.
Pivoting: Just about every showmanship pattern, unless you are showing in a pee wee class, involve a pivot of some type. In this maneuver, most judges look to see how steady you and your horse are.
They watch to make sure your horse plants the pivot foot without stepping out of the turn. The pivot foot is the right hind foot. You want your horse to keep this foot in one place during the pivot.
Again keep your shoulders square and your horse should move off your body smoothly and efficiently. Don't turn and look back at your horse, turn toward your horse and step into him.
Also make sure your horse moves his shoulder to keep his body straight during the pivot. Otherwise he will arc his body, possibly step out of his turn and have a little more difficulty moving on to the next part of the pattern.
Setting Up: When you set your horse up for inspection in front of the judge it should be done efficiently and timely. You don't want to stand there for a full minute getting your horse perfect, but you also don't want a sloppy presentation by moving too quickly.
Aim for no more than 10-15 seconds. A finished horse will be able to square up in 4 seconds or less. If you need to take a little more time to get a better set-up for the judge, the score should be a little more in your favor than if you rushed. Just don't take too long or it will count against you.
How do you prepare for this part of the showmanship pattern? Simple, make sure you practice before you go to the show and before you go in the ring.
