"Show to Win"

As fans, exhibitors and/or breeders of Peruvian Paso Horses, you have almost certainly attended a number of shows as either a competitor or as an exhibitor. When one first becomes involved with these horses, or any breed for that matter, it can be an exhausting, sometimes frustrating experience trying to educate oneself about the breed and to "learn the ropes" of the show arena. With all the difficulties of the learning curve, it can become tempting to give up on understanding it all. But don"t despair, with patience, perseverance and a real desire to learn, you too can compete with the best out there.

Whenever we enter the arena on a horse, we all want to win. While competing or watching the shows, you've most likely asked yourself more than once, "What makes certain horses win more than others?" or "What exactly does that horse do so much better than the others to make him Champion?" You have probably heard many wildly differing opinions, especially in the show environment where tensions and emotions work overtime.

The good news is, you can achieve relatively consistent success in both the show arena and your breeding operation if you have patience, persistence and a true desire to learn what makes a horse a winner. You will save yourself a lot of time and money wasted inferior horses and incorrect breedings if you develop a clear, objective perception of the Peruvian Paso horse and learn to assess the inherent potential of each individual horse and the quality of their training. A good understanding of the horse you want will protect you from paying for show training of non-show quality horses and from hauling horses to the shows that have no chance of winning. Remember, it's a "Buyer Beware" world out there, and you have the responsibility to educate yourself and to protect your emotional and financial investment.

But realistically, there are certain factors which are essential if you want to enter the arena with any chance of winning predictably and consistently.

The Horse - Natural gait

Horses that are naturally well gaited make winning much easier and less expensive; a naturally well-gaited horse requires less training and is stronger. This is an absolute fact. Horses that are truly naturally well gaited are stronger, because they typically have conformation that makes it easy for the horse to move in gait without effort. Horses that possess the correct conformation for the work they are intended to perform don't put undue stress on their tendons and ligaments. Such a horse is easier to show as the rider does not have to work as hard to make the horse appear well-gaited. Peruvian Paso Horses are gaited horses, and in the arena, horses are judged heavily by the judge's perception of the quality of their gait.

Think carefully for a moment about that last sentence, when showing a horse, the rider has the opportunity of accentuating a horse's best qualities, thus favorably impressing the judge. The opposite is true as well, and the rider can do a great deal to minimize the appearance of a horse's defects in the judge's perception. This does not mean that a good rider can make a really bad horse win; the point is that the rider is supposed to show the judge a horse which is working to the very best of its ability.

The qualities that most winning horses share is that they exhibit the critical attributes of a well-gaited horse, such as:

• A consistent, synchronized four-beat gait that appears smooth - The horse must consistently stay in gait without changing tempo. He should sound like a metronome and appear smooth to the judge.

• The horse should exhibit advance, over-reach and impulsion - Learn to assess these qualities! To exhibit advance, the horse's legs should reach far forward, and his hind leg should pass over the foot print left by the front leg on the same side. In order to have good impulsion, the horse must be engaged in the hindquarters. If the horse is well engaged, there is usually little or no movement in the croup or the tail gear. The hocks will travel in a horizontal elliptical fashion, and the hind leg will reach far forward and stay on the ground until it is well behind the horse, thus "driving" the horse forward powerfully.

• The horse needs to show thread - The term thread refers to the variation of speeds at which the horse can maintain a synchronized, four beat gait. Judges will often ask for runoffs to compare the thread of two or more horses. The horse that is able to proceed from a very slow paso llano and up through the sobreandando without breaking rhythm usually wins the runoff, and since the runoff is quite often used as the tie-breaker, the horse which performs the best during the runoff usually wins the class or places higher.

• Elegance, Action, Termino and "Style" - This is something that most of the winners have in common; the elegance and charisma of a horse is what often initially grabs the judge's attention. But, if upon closer examination by the judge, the horse lacks depth in other aspects, such as quality of gait and good brio, charisma and style alone won't win the class.

The Horse - Strength and Soundness

Strength and soundness are of course critical qualities in any good Peruvian horse, whether the horse spends it's life working on the trail or in the show arena, or both. Work hard to educate yourself on the physiology of the horse, so you can recognize potential problems early and prevent your horse from being permanently damaged. Remember that horses are athletes and any athlete can sustain an injury! It is terribly sad to see a horse being shown that is in obvious pain, especially when it is clear that the rider has no idea that the horse has a problem.

The Training - Stay informed

I have seen a number of instances at shows in which horses have been dismissed from a class as possibly being "lame", when in fact, the horse is simply not working correctly, usually due to the rider's lack of knowledge of the gait and/or poor training of the horse. Many inherently good horses do not place well in competition simply due to a lack of quality schooling or because the rider does not know how to keep the horse in gait properly. This is an essential aspect of showing your horse. If you want it to win, you must either get some good, solid instruction for you and your horse (preferably together), or you may want someone with some experience to show the horse for you, at least in the beginning. Attend as many seminars and clinics as possible and learn as much as you can from everyone! Every trainer out there has something to teach. Most importantly, do not underestimate the value of training and lessons.

When your horse is in training, check up on its progress regularly. Beware of trainers who don't want you there when your horse is being worked. Take lessons with your horse, so that you will understand your horse's strengths and weaknesses. You will find some in every horse! By learning along with your horse, you will be better equipped to correct future problems. You will also get more enjoyment from your horse, because your relationship will be much better.

The Training - Be patient!

Horses do not follow any schedule but their own, and no matter how frantic you may be to save money or to get your horse to a certain show, you will only be short-changing yourself and your horse if you are constantly pushing the trainer to train "faster". Many people don't have a good understanding of what is really involved in training a horse. Training a horse does not simply consist of teaching it to go forward, left, right, stop and back up. This is what a green-broke horse is capable of, but that does not mean the horse is trained.

First of all, training is not a destination, it is an ongoing process. Think of a typical dressage horse that does not achieve the higher levels of schooling until it is 9 to 11 years old, which means 6 to 9 years of continuous training. The horse's mind and musculature must be built and molded and, like it or not, this takes time. Just because a horse has learned how to execute basic maneuvers and can gait consistently, he has not necessarily built up the musculature to sustain collected movement for long periods of time.

There are no magic shortcuts. The Peruvian horse traditionally begins its saddle training at three to four years of age, depending upon the individual horse's level of maturity. The young horse is started with a rawhide bozal rather than a bit. The reins of the Peruvian bozal are attached at the top of the nose piece, which assists the trainer in achieving the characteristically high, noble head carriage with good flexion at the poll, typical of the Peruvian horse. The majority of the training is done in the Peruvian bozal in order to protect the horse's mouth.

By the time the horse is ready to be introduced to the bit, it should be supple in both directions, possess good flexion at the poll, and be able to work with the hindquarters engaged, exhibiting good impulsion. The musculature of the horse should be well developed so that the horse can sustain collected movement without tiring quickly or over-stressing its body. This process normally takes a minimum of several months. In the words of my dear friend Sr. Juan Pardo, "No good bozal, no good bit!" If the young horse is not properly and patiently prepared in bozal, his bit training will be poor at best, and perhaps disastrous!

One point that I cannot overstress is that rushing the training of a horse is one of the principle causes of injuries, especially in young animals. Please allow your horse the time necessary to properly prepare both his mind and body for the work he will be asked to do! This does not mean that you must resign yourself to many years of having your horse trained professionally. On the contrary, if you are able to educate yourself and work with your trainer as much as possible, you can continue the work of your trainer very productively when you take your horse home.

The Training - Help your horse mature

Lastly, do yourself and your horse the favor of not bringing it to a show until it is ready to be there. I have seen borderline, (and sometimes not so borderline!), cases of abuse of horses being punished for being half crazed with fear at their first or second show. Horses need to become accustomed to the hustle, bustle and tension of the show atmosphere. Before taking your horse to a show, trailer it out a few times to other locations to ride, especially other arenas, where a number of strange horses will be around.

Before showing at a full scale show, take your horse to small, one-day schooling shows for practice. You can also take your horse to a show and not compete the horse; simply ride it in the arena before or after the competition. This is a great way to acclimate you and your horse to the show scene without the stress of competing. If you really want to be successful in the show arena, be patient, be kind to your horse and yourself and try to keep the big picture in mind. Keep your horse and yourself healthy, sane and sound, and above all, have fun!

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