SHOWING A HORSE.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume XXIII, 21 November 1923, Page 7

SHOWING A HORSE.

(Written for the Daily Advertiser.

by

H. Williamson,

v.s.E.n., of

Waimate). The most ri.otieeable fault at many of our country shows is the poor way in which ma<ny of the horses are managed in the ring. I am not exactly alluding to the. Waimate A. and P. Association’s Show at “Kitchener Park,’’although there is room for improvement. I noticed there the poor way in which some of the animals we're managed in the ring. Especially when asked by the judge to walk their charge from them and trot- back, some of the animals seemed quite unaccustomed to being led. In the good old days of long ago, of wjiich I have been accustomed in iEngland, groom and stallion men seemed to take a far greater pride in their animals than they do today.* A good groom is indeed a treasure and we sigh for some of the past masters of their craft who used 'to charm us. with the control of their charges.

Many of the horses exhibited at jour country shows appear to have ...come straight from the fields, into >the ring. I cannot imagine a. bigger •mistakei. I have noticed some of the grooms ha-ic little if any show yard experaeh.ee,. and vesy little .control of their charges, - who fidget about, and stand' awkward as though terrified by the crowds. ■ Only when it comes to. the older classes of entrants which become accustomed to show yard atmosphere, is it a pleasure to look on. There is a right way and a wrong ■way of showing a horse. A raw aniiWal never wins a prize, and only makes., it's o-wn.c|r and groom look ridiculous. All the difference in the oriel distinguishes a colt which has been carefully and .quiet!v trained from birth, and been accustomed-to' being led by a halter from its earliest day. from which has the halter on for the first time a few days bejfcre the show. It is foolish to expect any horse to look its best, if brought straight from the fields to the show-yard. Training in the art of quiet behaviour before the judges .is essential. Horses should be taught from their infancy to rtand squarely on iall fours at at tint ion. and to move off easily without a lot of pulling and -tugging. The groom himself ■should, also study the best way of holding' his horse and how to stand ..with it before the judges. The ideal position is just in front of and facing the' animal. The number who do this at a show is negligent, some standing by the horse’s side, others hold the reins outstretched standing far away as- the length of the reins would permit., while some actually paid more attention to the crowd than to their charges. Stallions and mares rather require difficult handling. The former are better held near to the bit. though the mares may be allowed a little more freedom. Practice makes perfect; and the groom who has paraded his horse up and down the home paddock before his master for a few times will invariably make a better show in the .ring than the one who walks his horse in as if fresh to the job, trotting .by its side in an effort to keep up with it instead of t tying to make the animal walk quietly by his side. Grooms would do well to remember •that the shew yard is a judging ground and not. a. circus. The way in. which a horse is parladed counts for nearly as much as the shapelinc-.j of the horse itself, and there is no- judge yet who would feel inclined to award high honours to an animal which rears and plunges instead of walking gracefully to its position. A word from the groom or even from the judge's strange voice should be sufficient, without any blows or shouting.