Understanding Showmanship

Author: Laurie Truskauskas

 

Present yourself and your horse professionally in the popular showmanship horse show classes. Even the greenest novice can quickly become competitive by following the advice in this book. Includes everything from mastering the basic patterns to clothing and accessories and winning touches for show grooming.

 

Learn the fine art of presenting your horse in Showmanship Classes.

•Twenty things you need to know to score high in Showmanship Classes

•Four factors that make for a winning presentation

•Six basic patterns you can practice

•Three key things to consider when selecting a horse for showmanship

•Why clothing and accessories can make or break your presentation

•How to put winning touches into your show grooming

•The quarter method and how to master it

•How to train your horse the six basic maneuvers

•Ten ways to enhance your patterns

•The five factors that make your showmanship horse look his absolute best

•How to braid and band manes with perfection

•How to select and fit the right tack and what tools to buy

•Key facts you must know about how classes are scored.

 

AUTHOR’S BIO Laurie Truskauskas currently resides in Athens, Texas, where she owns and operates Silver Creek Farm, training and showing horses for numerous clients. She has published two other books and contributed numerous articles to horse magazines, including Western Horseman, Quarter Horse Journal, Horse and Horseman, The Western Horse, Paint Horse Journal and others. She also teaches horsemanship at the community college in Athens.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Foreword by Evelyn McKinney

 

1. What is Showmanship?

2. Vocabulary

3. The Handler

4. The Showmanship Prospect

5. Clothes and Accessories

6. Presentation

7. The Quarter Method

8. Teaching the Maneuvers

9. The Patterns

10. Tips for Enhancing the Patterns

11. Conditioning Your Horse

12. Clipping Your Horse’s Face and Legs

13. Grooming to Win

14. Banding the Mane

15. Choosing the Right Tack

16. Showing the English Horse

17. The French Braid

18. Mane and Button Braids

19. Braiding the Hunter’s Tail

20. How Showmanship Classes are Scored

 

About the Author