02/11/2025
With show season starting here are some great tips!!!
Anytime you show, it’s crucial to think about what you’ll do and how you’ll do it ahead of your class, no matter the event. Here are my six tips for your preparation process anytime you compete in ranch riding, thanks to Ride TV coach Bud Lyon.
𝙏𝙞𝙥 1: 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜
"The patterns themselves are just guidelines. Ranch riding patterns have more room for ex*****on than something stricter like a reining pattern. You don’t have to perform it exactly as it says on the page. I advise paying more attention to the words describing the pattern than the drawing itself."
𝙏𝙞𝙥 2: 𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠
"While your horse settles in, head to the arena where you’ll show. With your pattern in mind, walk the arena to get a feel for where the elements will play out and how they best flow together."
𝙏𝙞𝙥 3: 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨
"Identify sponsor banners, panel connections, marks on the arena wall, and more that can indicate where to transition from one maneuver to the next. If you’re outside, find trees, shrubs, an outbuilding that can help remind you when to speed up, slow down, circle, and more."
𝙏𝙞𝙥 4: 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙧𝙤𝙩 𝙄𝙩
"Saddle up your horse, and head to the pen where you’ll show. Walk and trot pieces of the pattern to get a feel for where elements will fall, where you can take your time when you might need to be quicker in your transitions, and how you’ll approach each piece."
𝙏𝙞𝙥 5: 𝙋𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨
"Instead, focus on doing small parts of the pattern. Separate the maneuvers or break the pattern into sections. If you do practice the entire pattern, only do it once or twice. Anything more than that can be problematic because your horse learns what’s coming and then starts to think ahead of you."
𝙏𝙞𝙥 6: 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚
"Our standard of excellence in ranch riding is to complete transitions in two strides—one stride is even better. Showing this skill to the judges can earn you credit when used correctly. The time you spend riding at home and showing gives you the ability to identify these strengths and capitalize on them."
𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝘽𝙪𝙙 𝙇𝙮𝙤𝙣'𝙨 𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙝 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙣 𝙍𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙏𝙑 ➡ bit.ly/3W6GPrn
