By:  Marco A. Cabrejos  Vera

There is a lot of discussion about the significance of the exhibitor in regards to the presentation of  horses in a show arena. During competitions there are always horses that are not well presented, exhibiting resistance to walking, skipping beats, with their head tilted to the side, etc. This shows  they have not had adequate preparation before the competition and requires double the effort of the halter presenter or rider, to show the qualities of the horse, and thus, be placed by the judge in a better placing. In halter horses it is nice to see halter horses that are presented almost perfectly.

I believe that there are always better halter presenters and riders than others. It is essential that the halter presenter has a good physical condition to be able to correct the horse within the class and at what point are we going to push the throttle to get the best out of the horse you are presenting. A person who does not have a good physical condition ends up abandoning the horse and letting it go as it wants to. Another important factor is to always be looking at the judge and at the same time at all of your horse. It is important to note “all of the horse” because there are halter presenters who just look at the head of the horse where the most important thing is that the animal is staying in gait correctly, straight, collected well and that their timing is correct.

How do we make the judge see our horse?

We must try to show the judge the side of the horses virtues and hide their defects, without being lost in the crowd with the other competitors. If you have an arrogant horse show his temperament, if he has good pisos make the Judge see the quality of pisos, if he has action, show the termino, if he has good function, present him well when going away from the judge.

In regard to the horses in bit, the rider has to find the horse its best speed and gait to move with ease, comfort and naturalness. It is easier to exhibit horses under saddle than horses at halter, basically by the aids you have available under saddle  such as the bit, the spurs, legs, etc. You have tools to gather and push the horse when you need it.

And finally you have to enter the show arena in a spirit of winner not as loser. Those who enter with an attitude of a competitor looking to loose, will lose, on the other hand; the competitor that comes in with competitive spirit to fight for a good placing shows their horse off and display it with pride.