Entering Flat Classes Only

If your horse is green or if you aren't yet comfortable jumping around a course, you might be tempted to go to a horse show and enter only the flat classes. Are you allowed to do this?

The answer is: it depends!

If you are looking at hunter divisions, you are not allowed to enter the under saddle class if the horse has not completed at least one course over fences in that division. This means that someone, not necessarily you, must take the horse in a minimum of one class in that division before you can ride on the flat. Because hunters are judged on the horse, the rider for the over fences does not need to be the same as the rider for the flat, provided both riders meet the criteria for that division. The Amateur Owner division is a special exception because riders who have multiple horses in the division may use another amateur who is not an owner to show any extra horses on the flat.

ARTICLE G316 OTHER HUNTER CLASSES
1. Hunter under saddle: to be shown at a walk, trot and canter both ways of the ring; at least eight horses, at the judge's discretion, if available, may be required to gallop one way in the ring but never more than eight at one time (pre-green and green hunters not to gallop). Light contact with the horse's mouth is permissible. In order to maintain awards, horses must compete and complete the course in at least one over fences class in their respective division. Hunter under saddle classes must never be the first class of a division.

If you are looking at the equitation divisions, you are allowed to enter a flat class without entering the jumping class in the same division.

If you are looking at doing flat classes only, keep in mind that equitation divisions generally restrict cross-entry into other equitation divisions because they are divided by age or experience. You will be restricted to a single equitation on the flat class per horse show.

If you would like to enter multiple flat classes at a horse show without doing any jumping, you will have to either look for a show that offers a hack division or have another rider take your horse over fences in order to qualify for a hunter under saddle class.

Starting Your Jumper Course

There is a certain procedure that has to be followed before you begin jumping your course in the jumper ring.

You must not begin your course until the judge has rung the bell (or whistle, or buzzer, etc.). This can occur at any time after you have entered the ring; sometimes it is immediate and at other times it can take several minutes. Generally, on schooling days that are not expected to run long, the judge will allow the competitors a minute or two to introduce their horses to the ring before ringing the bell. If the horse before you has had several rails down, you can expect to have some time to ride around the ring while the jump crew goes to work. If the previous rider has gone clear, expect to hear the bell almost immediately.

Once you have heard the bell rung a single time, you have 45 seconds to reach the start timers. The start timers will be accompanied by flagged markers that read 'Start' or 'Finish' (in some cases they might just read 'S' or 'F'). Make sure that the white flag is on your left and the red flag is on your right.

45 seconds is actually a lot of time when you think about it; your entire round, going around the ring several times, is generally between 60 and 80 seconds. Don't rush yourself to get between those start timers, but do make sure that you don't go over your 45 seconds because if you do, the timing of your round will start before you reach the timers!

As you walk your course, make a plan for what you will do with your 45+ seconds. There is time to show your horse at least one spooky jump before you get going, and planning a specific path will allow you to maximize what you can show your horse in that time period.

If you ever hear the bell rung multiple times or for an extended time, it means that you should stop what you're doing. It is the signal that you have been eliminated, but it can also be used when you're starting your course to ask you to stop and wait. Sometimes, for example, the jump crew forgets to reset a jump and the judge will ring the bell without noticing it and then have to stop you from starting on course. In such a case, wait for the bell to be re-rung a single time before restarting.

Here are the official Equine Canada rules that apply to the beginning of a jumper course:

FEI ARTICLE 203 BELL
1. The bell is used to communicate with the competitors. One of the members of the Ground Jury is in charge of the bell and responsible for its use. The bell is used:
1.1. to give permission to the competitors to enter the arena when the course is ready for their inspection (202.1) and to signal that the inspection time is over;
1.2. to give the signal to start; after the bell has been rung, the competitor must cross the starting line in the correct direction within 45 seconds; the automatic timing equipment must show a count down from 45 seconds on the scoreboard or other display beside the arena, clearly visible for the competitor. If the competitor has not crossed the starting line in the correct direction when the 45 seconds expire, the time of the round will start at that moment. Disobediences, falls etc. occurring between the signal to start and the moment the competitor crosses the starting line in the correct direction, are not penalized. After the bell has rung, crossing the starting line in the correct direction for a second time before jumping the first obstacle is counted as a disobedience.
However, under special circumstances, the Ground Jury has the right not to activate the start or to cancel the starting procedure, give a new signal to start and restart the count-down.
1.3. to stop a competitor for any reason or following an unforeseen incident and to signal to him to continue his round after an interruption (233);
1.4. to indicate to him that an obstacle knocked down following a disobedience has been replaced (233);
1.5. to indicate by prolonged and repeated ringing that the competitor has been eliminated.
2. If the competitor does not obey the signal to stop, he may be eliminated at the discretion of the Ground Jury (240.4.5) except where specifically provided for under article 233.2).
3. If, after an interruption, the competitor restarts and jumps or attempts to jump without waiting for the bell to ring, he will be eliminated (240.3.14).

FEI ARTICLE 204 COURSE AND MEASURING
[...]
9. The starting and finishing lines may not be more than 15 m or less than 6 m from the first and last obstacle. These two lines must each be marked with an entirely red flag on the right and an entirely white flag on the left. The start line and finish line must also be marked with markers with the letters S (= Start) and F (= Finish).

Voluntary Withdrawal

There are some days when the worst thing for you and your horse to do is to continue on course. It could be that your horse has pulled a shoe, isn't listening to you, feels off or is just over-faced. In any of those cases, you may pull up while on course and withdraw yourself voluntarily from the competition.

If you choose to retire while on course, you will not be given a score and you will therefore not place in that class. If you choose to retire after you have completed the first round of a jumper class, you may still place in the class if there is a limited number of horses in the jump-off. Following EC rules, you will be placed behind any riders who attempt the jump-off course (including those who are eliminated during the jump-off):

FEI ARTICLE 247 ELIMINATION OR WITHDRAWAL FROM A JUMP-OFF
1. A competitor who is eliminated in a jump-off will be placed last of the competitors who have completed the jump-off.
2. A competitor, who with the permission of the Ground Jury withdraws from a jump-off, must always be placed after a competitor eliminated or who retires for a valid reason on the course. Competitors, who retire for no valid reason or who have themselves eliminated on purpose are placed equal with competitors, who have withdrawn from the same jump-off.
3. If before a deciding jump-off, two or more competitors decline to take part in the jump-off, the Ground Jury will decide whether this refusal can be accepted or must be rejected. If the Ground Jury accepts the refusal, the Organizing Committee will award the trophy by lot and the prize money will be added together and shared equally between the competitors. If the Ground Jury's instruction to continue is not followed by competitors, no trophy will be awarded and the competitors will each only receive the prize money and the lowest placing for which they would have jumped-off.

Make sure that you explain the situation to the in-gate person before leaving the area, however, to make sure that you will be allowed to withdraw yourself from the jump-off and to make everyone aware of your decision:

FEI ARTICLE 241 DISQUALIFICATIONS
1. Disqualification means that a competitor and his horse or horses may take no further part in a competition or in any other competition of the event.
2. The Ground Jury may disqualify a competitor in the following cases:
[...]
2.5. retiring, before a jump-off, without permission of the Ground Jury or without valid reason;

If you would like to retire while on course, you must let the judge know what you are doing. First, bring your horse down to a walk or halt. Look towards the judge's booth and either tip your helmet and/or put your reins in one hand and raise your free arm. The judge will interpret either of these signals as a voluntary withdrawal and you can then walk out of the ring.

Permitted Medications

Drug testing is required at all Equine Canada-sanctioned competitions, so to avoid a positive test you should familiarize yourself with the rules well ahead of your first horse show.

The full Canadian rules are available in the General Rulebook under Equine Medications Control (Chapter 11). If you are not from Canada, check your national federation's website or rulebook for the permitted medications in your country. The American rules are available here.

The Equine Medication Control Guide is an excellent booklet available for download from EC providing a summary of the rules, prohibited/banned substances and some detection times. For a more complete list of detection times, see the CPMA Schedule of Drugs.

The Equine Canada Drug Classification Scheme describes the classes of a long list of drugs and also gives alternate names for many of them.

Here are the most important parts of the EC rules for you to know (updated in 2013):

ARTICLE A1003 PERMITTED MEDICATIONS
Permitted Medications may be present in a horse during an EC-sanctioned competition.
1. Permitted Medications are the following:
a) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs approved for use in Canada for horses: flunixin meglumine, ketoprofen, phenylbutazone, or acetylsalicylic acid, subject to the restrictions below.
b) the anti-ulcer medications: cimetidine, ranitidine, or omeprazole
Please note that some Permitted Medications can alter the elimination guidelines contained in the Schedule of Drugs.
2. Only one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug may be administered. If more than one non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug is found in any sample, the test will be deemed positive. Samples found to contain a permitted medication may be subjected to quantitative testing.
3. Restrictions relating to permitted medication are as follows:
a) The maximum permissible plasma or serum concentration of flunixin is 1.0 microgram per millilitre.
b) The maximum permissible plasma or serum concentration of phenylbutazone is 15.0 micrograms per millilitre.
4. The rules of certain divisions/breed sports are more restrictive and in some cases allow no drugs or medications. See discipline/breed sport rules.

ARTICLE A1004 DRUGS
1. A drug is any substance included in the Canadian Pari-Mutual Agency Schedule of Drugs.
2. Persons Responsible, veterinarians, owners, trainers and riders are cautioned against the use of medicinal preparations, tonics, pastes, feeds, supplements, neutraceuticals or herbal products of any kind, the ingredients and quantitative analysis of which are not specifically known, as they may contain a drug, the use of which in competition is not permitted.

ARTICLE A1006 EXAMINATION, SAMPLE COLLECTION AND TESTING
2. On the recommendation of the chair or the chair’s delegate, the technician or the licensed veterinarian may select for sample collection and testing any horse entered in any class at an EC-sanctioned competition, including any horse withdrawn by an exhibitor within 24 hours prior to a class for which it had been entered, while the horse is on the competition grounds.
4. a) When a horse is selected to undergo sample collection and drug testing, the Person Responsible shall take the horse to the area designated for sample collection at the time and in the manner indicated. If a Person Responsible is unable to attend the sample collection session he or she must designate a representative to attend. The Person Responsible, or the representative, must witness the collection of the official sample, witness the sealing of the official sample container and sign the documentation that accompanies the official sample to the official laboratory. When the competitor is 18 years of age or under, the Person Responsible may be a parent/guardian who is not an EC or USEF member. The absence of the Person Responsible, or a representative, shall constitute a waiver of any objection to the identification of any horse tested and the manner in which the official sample was collected, sealed and shipped to the official laboratory.
b) If a horse is suspended as a result of a positive test, the suspension shall extend until all fines are paid.

ARTICLE A1010 VIOLATIONS
1. No person shall:
g) be in possession of any of the following drugs (i) injectable magnesium, (ii) gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) or (iii) hydroxygamma butyric acid (Hydroxy-GABA) at an EC-sanctioned competition;
h) administer or permit the administration by any means to a horse entered in an EC-sanctioned competition any of the following drugs (i) injectable magnesium, (ii) gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) or (iii) hydroxygamma butyric acid (Hydroxy-GABA); or
i) refuse the request of an on duty EC licensed official to provide for independent inspection and testing the equipment and materials used for the injection of a horse at an EC-sanctioned competition.
6. If an on duty EC licensed official (i.e. Steward, Judge, Technical Delegate) personally witnesses the injection or attempted injection of a horse at an EC sanctioned competition by an person the licensed official must inform the person that he or she was seen injecting or attempting to inject the horse and the licensed official may then request of that person that all the equipment and materials used for the injection such as but not limited to syringes, medications, vials, containers, cotton, etc. (the injection equipment) be turned over and provided to the licensed official for independent inspection and testing to determine whether any of the following drugs: (i) injectable magnesium, (ii) gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) or (iii) hydroxygamma butyric acid (Hydroxy-GABA) were present in or on the injection equipment. If, after being asked by the licensed official to provide the injection equipment to the licensed official, the person refuses or fails to comply, such conduct will itself result in a violation with the same sanction to be imposed as a positive analysis report for a class two (2) substance of the EC Drug Classification Scheme.

List of Drugs

Part 1
Any substance and any preparation, metabolite, derivative, isomer and salt of the substance,
(a) that is labelled for veterinary use under the Food and Drug Regulations during a period of 240 days, calculated from the day on which the drug was assigned a drug identification number (D.I.N.) under those Regulations;
(b) that is not labelled for veterinary use in Canada under the Food and Drug Regulations;
(c) that interferes with an analysis for any drug included in this schedule; or
(d) that is included in the following list (which includes substances that are labelled for veterinary use in Canada):
Acepromazine
Acetanilide
Acetylsalicylic acid
Aconite
Aconitine
Alphadolone
Alphaxalone
Aminophylline
Antipyrine
Arecoline
Atipamezole
Atropine
Azaperone
Belladonna
Benazepril
Benzocaine
Betamethasone
Boldenone
Butacaine
Butorphanol
Caffeine
Camphor
Carbachol
Carfentanil
Carprofen
Chloral Hydrate
Chlorpheniramine
Clenbuterol
Clomipramine
Cromoglycate
Dembrexine
Deracoxib
Desoxycortacosterone
Detomidine
Dexamethasone
Dibucaine
Diethylstilbestrol
Digitalis
Digitoxin
Digoxin
Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)
Diphemanil
Diprenorphine
Dipyrone
Doxapram
Droperidol
Enalapril
Ephedrine
Epinephrine
Ergonovine
Ethanol
Etorphine
Fentanyl
Firocoxib
Flumethasone
Flunixin
Fluocinolone acetonide
Fluoxetine
Fomepizole
Furosemide
Guaifenesin
Hydrochlorothiazide
Hyoscine
Hyoscyamine
Imidapril
Isoflupredone
Isopropamide
Ketamine
Ketanserine
Ketoprofen
Levamisole
Lidocaine
Lobelia
Lobeline
Mebezonium
Meclofenamic acid
Medetomidine
Meloxicam
Mepivacaine
Methapyrilene
Methotrimeprazine
Methscopolamine
Methylprednisolone
Methyl Salicylate
Methyltestosterone
Metomidate
Naloxone
Nandrolone
Neostigmine
Nicotine
Nikethamide
Nux Vomica
Penicillin G Procaine
Pentazocine
Pentobarbital
Pentoxifylline
Phenacaine
Pheniramine
Phenothiazine
Phenylbutazone
Phenylephrine
Pimobendan
Prednisolone
Prednisone
Primidone
Prochlorperazine
Propionylpromazine
Propofol
Pyrilamine
Quinine
Ractopamine
Ramipril
Resocortol
Romifidine
Salicylamide
Scopolamine
Secobarbital
Selegiline
Sputolysin
Stanozolol
Strychnine
Tepoxalin
Testosterone
Tetracaine
Theophylline
Thiamylal
Thiopental
Tobacco
Tolazoline
Tolfenamic acid
Trenbolone
Triamcinolone
Tricaine
Trichormethiazide
Trimeprazine
Tripelennamine
Vedaprofen
Xylazine
Yohimbine
Zeranol

Part 2
Furosemide - Quantitative limit 85 ng/mL in blood
Salicylic acid - Quantitative limit 750 ug/mL in urine and 6.5 ug/mL in blood

Part 3
Procaine - Quantitative limit 25 ng/ml in blood


To summarize:

Banamine (flunixin meglumine) and bute (phenylbutazone) are allowed but only in small amounts. Ask your veterinarian how much you can give per day of the particular container that you are using. One very important point is that you cannot combine NSAIDs. This means that you can give your horse bute or banamine, but never both at the same time. For this reason, it's very important to make sure that there is no contamination of feed because there are stories of horses who have tested positive after eating out of a feed tub that used to contain a prohibited drug. If you are giving your horse banamine at a horse show, make sure that there is no way for your horse to eat any bute at the same show!

Always check the ingredients of any supplement that you feed to make sure that it contains no prohibited substances. Certain calming supplements, for example, will test.

It's always a good idea to ask your veterinarian for an estimated withdrawal time on any medication that you plan on using. That will allow you to stop certain medications far enough before the horse show to avoid a positive test. It will also be very important if your horse has been on bute and you would like to give your horse a shot of banamine for a mild colic before the show.

If your horse is selected for drug testing, the tester will stay with you from the time you leave the show ring until you reach the testing area, which should be a nice, fluffy stall to encourage the horse to urinate. If your horse will not urinate, a blood sample can be taken instead after enough time has passed.

The Muck Heap

If you're stabling at a horse show, you will need to find out where the muck heaps are located. It doesn't seem like a big deal, but dumping your wheelbarrow in the wrong spot can block pathways, bother other barns or even prevent the manure from being removed if it's in an area that tractors can't access.

Step number one for finding a muck heap is to look for signs. Some shows will hammer signposts into the ground where they want you to dump and you're safe as long as you use a signed area.

Muck heaps are sometimes contained within walled wooden or concrete structures or metal containers, which makes them easy to find. Often, however, the muck heaps will just be on an inconspicuous open spot of ground.

Unfortunately, many shows don't bother with signage. In such a case, it's best to watch where other grooms in your stabling area go. Keep in mind that some people will disregard the official muck heaps and make their own for convenience' sake, so make sure that the location seems reasonable before dumping your own wheelbarrow there.

Here's a short checklist to run through to make sure that you're in the right place:

• Is it in the middle of a road or aisle? If so, chances are it's just someone's lazy dumping spot rather than the official location. Dumping there will make it difficult for people to get by and to clean up, and could result in a fine.
• Is there tractor access? If the only access is very narrow, chances are the tractor won't be able to get in there to clean it up.
• How close is it to other barns? This one is tough because sometimes the official muck heaps will spread out to within a few feet of nearby stalls if they aren't compacted often enough (which is one very good reason to dump your wheelbarrow as deep into the pile as you can get). If the muck heap is on someone's doorstep, you probably shouldn't add to that one, anyway!

If you're still not sure whether you're dumping in the right place, keep your ears open for announcements made to the stabling area because the show office will usually try to correct any bad muck heap situations that way.

Getting White Socks Their Whitest

White socks look lovely when they're perfectly clean, but how can you make your horse's dirty socks look that good and stay that way?

1. Clip them: Long hair, which in this instance includes summer-length hair, makes it difficult to clean the socks by trapping dirt under a thick pile of hair. Clipping the hair short removes old stains and makes it easier to get every last bit of dirt out. It also prevents dirt from getting trapped in the clean socks during your warm-up. Make sure that you clip them evenly because vertical lines will be quite visible on a very clean sock.
2. Clean them: Do this on the day of your class to avoid overnight staining (you can wrap the legs to avoid higher stains if you must do it ahead of time). For best results, use a shampoo made specifically for white hair. Wet each sock thoroughly using a hose and then spread a generous amount of shampoo over all of the white. Scrub the shampoo into every inch of each sock using your fingertips, then rinse it off with the hose. Shampooing the socks fairly regularly at home will also keep stains from developing and make it easier to clean them at the show.
3. Clean them again: Check each sock over after you've rinsed all of the shampoo off. If they're clean, they should look almost pink. Heavily-stained areas will often require a second scrubbing with more shampoo (you only have to re-clean the spots that still look dirty).
4. Dry them: Use your hands to scrape as much water off as you can (including any water above the socks that could drip down), then take a clean, dry towel and rub them to remove more water.
5. Keep the horse on clean ground: Try to avoid putting the horse immediately back in its stall. Unless all of the shavings are fresh and the base is hard and clean, there will be some dirt in the stall that can stick to damp legs. If you have a clean cross-tie area, leave the horse there for a few minutes.
6. Protect them: Just as the socks are at the point of almost being dry, I like to spray them with ShowSheen. I find that this helps to repel dirt and keep the socks white. Make sure that the ShowSheen is dry before the horse goes near any dirt since it will act like water and attract dust when wet.
7. Optional: Some people like to apply baby powder or cornstarch to the socks to make them look even whiter. I don't feel that this is always necessary if you've done your job and gotten them perfectly clean to begin with, but it's something to think about if you have difficulties with keeping white socks clean while you warm up.

Hay and Shavings: How Much Do You Need?

If you've never stabled away from home before, you might be wondering how many bags or bales of shavings and hay to pack or order.

As far as shavings go, you will have to have enough to bed the stall down initially and then more to replace the dirty bedding. How many bags you will require will depend on the base of the stall and how deeply you like to bed. On grass or dirt, you can use fewer bags because the ground will soften as the horse moves around in the stall. On cement or asphalt, you will need to bed more deeply in order to create a base and prevent scrapes.

My general rule of thumb for packing or ordering shavings is about four bags per stall to begin with. I will usually put three bags in each stall and then make a decision a few hours later about whether to add another (depending on the base of the stall and the size/fluffiness of those bags of shavings). I usually estimate that I'll need to add in another third to half of a bag to each stall each day after mucking out.

As far as hay goes, it will depend on the size and quality of the bales, as well as how easy or difficult your horse is to keep. I find that estimating about 3/4 of a bale per horse per day works quite well, but it's best if you keep track of how much you use at home and then bring a bit more than that, just in case. One of the most convenient aspects of ordering from the show is that you can underestimate the amount and then just order more later!