Western Lesson: Showmanship Setup

by walking forward and asking your horse to stop. Then turn your body perpendicular to his where the center of your chest is at the horses eye. Use the same cue from the pushpull exercise to ask him to move his feet.
The goal is to have your horses front feet even and underneath the shoulder and then have the back feet even and square under his hips says Sharon. Be sure not to pull the front feet too far forward where he appears stretched out.
4. Ideal Inspection
The fourth step for a showmanship class setup is to prepare for the ideal inspection. The setup is the first part of the inspection. After the horse is set you will look at the judge and the judge will start to walk a circle around the horse. This is when you should move around the horse showing him off for the judge.
During inspection we use the quarter method dividing the horse into fourths Sharon explains. Picture a line from poll to tail and across the shoulders. When the judge is standing from the shoulders forward you should stand on the opposite side of the horse. From the withers back you should be positioned on the same side of the horse as the judge.
The reasoning is so that the judge can have a clear view of front portion of the horse and stay safe around the side and back of the horse if the horse were to act up says Sharon.
Slide your hand up and down the lead as you move from side to side. This keeps the horse from feeling pressure on the lead and discourages him from moving forward.
Putting it All Together
Once you and your horse know how to perform the elements of a patternwalk trot turn and setupbe sure to practice entire patterns. Showmanship judges reward handlers that show confidence in the ability of their horse Sharon says.
She also reminds you that presentation is important in showmanship.
The judges see you your hat clothing the horses halter and cleanliness of your horse as you start the pattern. Make a good first impression. Then responsiveness of the horse when executing the maneuverswalk trot stop setup turns and inspectionis judged.
Be ready with a smile and confidence in your horse!