What are some of the events you are going to show?

FYI, I'm a die hard show person and speed events are not part of "showing" but more a part of "games" so your question might have thrown a few folks.  I'm not saying a show won't have speed events but a rodeo isn't a horse show...get my drift?

(To all of you who now think I hate speed folks...I too was once addicted to speed.  Stupid, young and fast...now wiser, older and slower.)

I would have to say the best advice for you would be to keep your head on straight.  Don't push yourself or your horse beyond your experience level.  I hate seeing people that obviously never ride/practice, go out to a "show" and expect to win.  Yet when it doesn't happen they take it out on the horse/parent/spouse/judge.

I've just started a new client who's 14 with a 3 year old gelding.  It's very hard to go from her "killer" show horse to a "dumb kid" and learning our new expectations...it is very hard for both the girl and parents.

Just keep a level head and be honest with yourself about your goals for the day.  Maybe your focus could be:

calmly waiting with other horses at the out gate

making all events on time

a day with no panic(horse and yourself)

catching your leads X amount of times

no vocaliziations to other horses

not pinning ears at other horses

unloading and loading on cue

standing tied to the trailer calmly

standing calmly inside the trailer upon arrival

Make goals you can accomplish and some that might be just out of your reach!

First, I agree with barry, speed events are as much a part of showing as pleasure, showmanship, and HUS. I have shown at the AQHYA World and the speed, cow, and reining classes draw just as big of a crowd.

Second, I was also in 4-H and here aresome of the games we did in "fun" shows:

Diaper race: One person stands at end of the pen on foot, next person rides down on horse, dismounts and ties cloth "diaper" on first person, two lead horse back to starting end.

Food Relay: Ride horse down to far end, eat something, say four crackers, mount, ride back.

Ride a buck: ride bareback pleasure class with paper "buck" under leg, last person to drop paper wins.

Just some ideas!

As an AQHA member that has been to a number of "World" shows, and the proud pappa of a top ten pole bender out of a class of 135 at "Congress" I take exception to your comment. If you participate at Congress do yourself a favor and walk back and forth from the Pepsi arena to the one across the way behind the excellent sweet rolls. I have yet to see a day where more folks attended HUS, W/P, or a versatility class than were watching barrels or poles. I must say the versatility class is a hoot to watch when they pole bend...I see more horses bucking there than at the rodeos we attend. Everybody has something that floats their boat, but watching WP is like watching a mud fence dry for me. And it's totally political. In speed events the horse and rider can be ugly, fat, pretty or skinny. But the clock, not a judge with pre-disposed ideas, determines the winner. 

Here goes my evil grinning streak...

I agree that watching pleasure is like watching water on the boil.  I wish we could paint sparkles on our horses hooves and ride around in orange tack.  The thing I love about watching speed events is seeing people work their horses under total control at such top speeds. 

What I hate to see is kids being hauled off in an Ambulance after running head first into the closed gate.  I also hate to hear about really young girls breaking their pelvis because their speed event horse flipped over on them while waiting for their run.  I haven't mentioned adults getting hurt because adults should know exactly what kind of horse they've got under them.  Not that they've asked for it by any means.

I wonder how some parents can put their small child on a living breathing "rocket."  My parents always put my safety first and I will do the same for mine no matter what events they choose.  I have been honored to meet some of the finest speed horses of their day(Martha Josey)and they were all perfectly well mannered, which all horses should be.  But sitting in the stands and watching little girls ride a horse down the alley on it's back two legs just scares the crap outta me.  I spend the whole run praying the horse will stop if there is a closed gate.

I'm sure all of the horses I'm speaking of are all poorly trained and ill mannered.  They just seem to plague that specific niche.  I just came back from the Tulsa national barrel horse event.

Congrats to your top ten placer at Congress, did you go to World?

This year is a whirlwind. My daughter turned 18 on the 2nd of May and graduated June 4th, so horses have taken a back seat until the last week or so.

I can name a dozen people that put their kids on crazy horses in our district. Then again I could name a dozen more that would as soon put a bullet in it's noggin if it acted the way you speak of. I had, note the HAD, one that was a terror on two legs going in. She was defeated shortly after the fact was discovered and now resides far away, and calmly enters a gate. I have never, and would never put my child in danger with an idiot that didn't somewhat behave on purpose. Dancing, prancing and spinning don't bother me, but it better damn well never come up in the front end or it is done living in my barn.

And by the way, it seems that when pleasure folks get a horse they can't train, or handle they tend to say this "This horse would probably only be good for barrels", so it's folks like you that send us the crazy ones.(JUST KIDDING!!!!)

Are you kidding the crazy ones make the best jumpers!  I think of jumpers as speed event horses that have the right idea...why run around something when you can fly over it at top speed?

Bless you for knowing speed and sanity can be found in the same animal.