Everything you need to know about veteran showing – as told by someone towed round the ring by a veteran with delusions of youth and grandeur
Every year, towards the end of August, you’ll find equestrians up and down the country united in denial that the nights are closing in and autumn is fast approaching. This year it’s safe to say we have most definitely had a lovely long summer, and the consequently hard ground conditions have been a universal concern. Due to this, The Sass Queen’s summer plans have been revised slightly to avoid injury from working consistently on ground that’s currently closer to concrete than turf.
One thing she has continued to enjoy, however, is showing. Or, in her eyes, ‘prancing around the ring having a right old jolly’ – with me being unceremoniously towed along behind her.
Our personal career highlight (so far) was competing in the Pre-Veteran class at the Royal Windsor Horse Show last year. While we were there, The Sass Queen spotted the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery out exercising and immediately decided that she too was destined to pull a gun carriage in front of the Royal Family (little did she know she was going back to her muddy field at the end of the day).
Judging by the number of social media posts asking for tips on ‘how to get into showing’, it seems the showing world still feels like a bit of a mystery to those yet to dip their toes (hooves?) into it. It is broad and diverse: the breed or type of your horse dictates which classes you can enter. The best way to get a feel for it? Head to a local show and watch the classes your horse might suit – you’ll learn far more by seeing it all unfold ringside.
Showing 101
Showing is split into two categories for each type of class: ‘in hand’ or ‘ridden’ classes. To really strip it back to basics, in hand consists of walking and trotting your horse up for the judge so that they can assess their movement, mannerisms and conformation and judge (place) you accordingly against others in your class. Ridden shows consist of competitors walking, trotting and cantering around together before being pulled into a line up where a ridden show is performed (usually a simple trot, canter and extension on each rein) before ‘stripping’ the horses of their tack to walk and trot them up in hand. In some classes, such as hunter classes, a ride judge will also ride each competitor’s horse to assess their manners and way of going under saddle.
Being a Welsh Cob, The Sass Queen started out her competitive showing career in the ‘large breed Mountain & Moorland classes’ which consists of ponies native to the British Isles (Welsh section C & D, Fells, Dales, Connemara, New Forests and Highlands). Horses should be turned out naturally, according to their type – generally hairy, but tided up to be presentable, with no plaiting involved (a big win for me: I have not been blessed with the gift of expert plaiting skills!).
More recently, however, we’ve taken to entering veteran classes – not that anyone dares to tell her she is technically an OAP. We recently received feedback in a different discipline that she was “well behaved for a youngster, and once she matures and quietens down will make a lovely horse.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell the judge she’s 18 and entering her ‘cantankerous old lady’ phase of life …
Veteran showing is a great way to still be able to enjoy days out with your golden oldies, and most shows offer these classes. Entering local unaffiliated shows is one of the best ways to find your feet and get feedback and – most importantly – have fun. If you don’t do well, just remember that it’s only one person’s opinion!
If, however, you wish to take veteran showing more seriously, there are two official organisations in the UK you can affiliate under: The Veteran Horse Society (VHS) and the Senior Showing and Dressage League (SSADL). Each offers its own championship shows which you can qualify at across the country: the nearest to Dorset being The Mid Somerset Show and the Bath & West for VHS and The Wessex Horse Show and Dorset County Show for SSADL. They each also have specific rules, such as not showing any extended canter and not wearing spurs – I highly recommend reading each rulebook before entering.
SSADL also offers qualifications for the LIHS (forever known to most equestrians as Olympia) and the Royal International Horse Show. It’s amazing that these big international shows are supporting veterans, demonstrating that age really is just a number!
The Sass Queen and I typically stick to in hand showing: previously, she’s seen either the show jumping or the working hunter ring and, understandably unable to differentiate between coloured poles and solid jumps, instantly assumes we must be team chasing and turns utterly feral (or “a bit lively” as one judge politely commented). Both ridden and in hand classes are split according to age: 15-19, 20-24 and Over 25 (though each society has slightly different upper age brackets). The SSADL also offers a dressage league, from Prelim up to Medium levels, and the VHS organises additional dressage and performance awards.
In all classes, regardless of affiliation, horses are scored according to Presentation, Manners, Way of Going, Movement, Condition, Type, Breed, Equine History, Equine Age and Suppleness.
Sadly, The Sass Queen let the side down a few weeks ago for being “a bit too exuberant” which unfortunately cost us some marks for manners.
We had a discussion about it afterwards, while she devoured her recovery mash. I’m not convinced she was listening.
One of the best things about these classes is that there is the shared enjoyment of spending time showcasing your golden oldie – I love the friendliness between competitors in the line up, chatting about the history of their horses and swapping stories. Equine welfare is very much at the forefront of each society’s ethos, and they discourage competitors from travelling up and down the country in order to try and bag a qualification. As the SSADL says, it gives “equines of all breeds … the chance to compete against animals of a similar age and on a level playing field”. Similarly, the VHS was created initially to research and address age-related welfare issues. Although the showing season is coming to an end, if showing has piqued your interest and you want to find out more about it – or would enjoy watching the classes – then heading to one of your local shows is a good start. Dorset County (6th-7th September) is usually one of the last ‘big’ shows of the season and always has a large array of classes on offer to either compete in or just observe.
The BV is sponsor of the Equine Ring this year, so it would basically be a bit rude not to stop by. And there’s practically guaranteed entertainment in the pre-veteran class on the Sunday, where I’ll once again be wrangling my over-exuberant, juvenile veteran and pleading with her to just tone it down a notch … Hopefully we’ll see even more of you out and about next season!
