Amy Smith – Tips for first timers

Dedicated or stupidity!!! That is often the question us horsey people have to ask ourselves and last weekend that was certainly us.

We travelled down to Bury Farm for the first RIHS WHP qualifier of 2016. To say it was cold was an understatement!! At one point my lips were blue and my jaw ached from shivering so much!! Saying that it was worth the trip. Four year old Broughton Golden Rocket owned by Alison Jones made his first show a good one having a 2nd in his WHP class.

My own Elmsbank MJ jumped a brilliant clear with style marks of 18 to finish 5th, while Sydsurff Gizmo had a very unlucky last pole in his section to finish 6th with my sister Vikki on board.

Always rewarding when a pupil does well but even more when I’m there to share it, Emily Gaynor Smith listened to everything I told her to win the RIHS qualifer with a clear 4 marks. Proud teacher moment!!! After our 1am finish into the yard that night it’s back to work on the others getting ready for the next.

As it was Broughton Golden Rocket’s first time out to a show, I thought I would share some of my tips on how to prepare your young (or old!) first timers for their first outing

* PREPARE- preparation is the key to any first timer being young or old. Get hiring places with friends and try to create the scene so it’s not such a big deal on the day.

* ORGANISATION – get there in plenty of time, make sure your pony and yourself are ready in plenty of time to avoid any unnecessary tension and stress.

* ENJOY – for me the main thing is to enjoy yourself win or lose. If the day is not the result you wanted, take the good points and work on the bad to make sure your ready for the next show. You can only do the best of your ability while your enjoying it.