Less is More

Riding in fewer classes at an all-day horse show has many benefits for both horse and rider.

- MARK SHERIDAN, WITH ABIGAIL BOATWRIGHT

This is a difficult topic to talk about. But I'm going to make the case for not overshowing your horse. You probably ride your horse for 30 minutes to an hour a day when you're at home, or you take an hour-long lesson. But some competitors get to a show and end up riding 10, or even 15 hours a day. They start first thing in the morning and show all day till late at night, only to get up and do it again the next day.

A flat fee day rate with unlimited entries seems like a great deal for a budget-conscious competitor, but it's not always best for you or your horse to enter in so many classes. Here, I'm going to talk to you about how to make the best choices of classes to show in a day. But ultimately, you must think of the well-being of your horse more than your pursuit of trophies.

Why Not Go All Day?

In a nutshell, it will save your horse. It'll save his legs, and it will preserve his longevity. Just because a horse is stronger than us, doesn't mean he'll be able to handle that kind of workload.