Strange Horse Show Habits?

Hmmm...i have some weird ones, but not too strange.

1.) whenever i change into my wp rail shirt, i have pants to match it, so i always stick my bottoms of my pants in my boots and walk around like a goober. A lot of people do it, but i just feel weird doing it, LOL, but i'm too lazy to pull them out after i put my pants on.

2.) I never eat before i show...i only go to shows that are at least a weekend long and i'm just so busy lunging or brushing or riding or hanging out with my friends from across the country that i never get to see to worry about eating...i don't mind though! Lost 20 lbs!! :D

3.) I never smile when im in the ring. Im always concentrating and everyone's like, "Raney! Smile!" and i'm like i can't!!!! i feel kind of stupid when my horse is acting up and loping like a fool and i'm just sitting ther grinning like i don't notice it.

I don't think I have any truly strange horse show habits.

But i suppose I do have a few things that work for my specific horses that are a bit different than what other people do. My current mare will not ever pee in the ring. She also doesn't like to stand for a long time in the hitching pen. So as soon as we have a class done, we leave the arena, go straight to her stall, unbridle her and allow her loose for even a few minutes so she can pee if necessary. I will leave the saddle on in most cases, but loosen it so she can relax. I'll do this if we even have only 15 minutes between classes. Most other people riding hang out together and visit while sitting on their horses, but that doesn't work well for this specific horse.

I guss another habit I have is - when the announcer starts to read the placings I ALWAYS dismount from my mare. The first year I owned her she thought she should rush out of the ring, so I've learned to dismount and lead her out. That's made her be honest. And you are allowed to dismount, but often I'm the only one in the class that does it.

I too work the pattern on foot as though I was on horseback. I set up spraybottles and then trot and lope through them, probably looks weird but it helps me remember! So I don't consider that a "strange show habit" because it works. Just like the above things I mentioned work for this specific horse, and probably won't be used for all the other horses I'll show in the future.

I dont do anything to crazy.. at leat I dont think lol

I get super nervous before showmanship classes. I go over the pattern a thousand time in my head and practice in the arena a hundred times. I have to watch ever person , and ask my trainer about every little thing the persons doing.. right or wrong? Lol I hate classes that are one at a time, all eyes on you. Plus I feel like a dumb *** in showman ship, faking smiles, and putting a extra pep in my step when I just wanta get it over with lol.

I always get to shows super duper early,( talking 6 when a show satarts at 8 ) hah I can not stand being late, and im always the first one dressed . Ready to go the whole time, then sit around for ahour 

I always refused to watch other people doing thier patterns in my reining classes, and when I would go out to do my pattern, I would always sing a song while doing it...usually something totally 80's like "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" or "Sweet Child 'O Mine". LOL

I also had this thing about wishing that a class was over as I was going into the ring for Western Pleasure...I would just imagine that it was completely finished and I was untacking my horse, and then when the class was over for real I would wish that I was back in the ring. I don't know why, but it always calmed my nerves.

i always have my mom read my patterns to me and i say them back, verbatim. and then it memorized :)

i always lunge my horse twice before a show, once at home and once at the grounds

there are other little things, like not eating much breakfast, etc. but i can't remember them all

edit- i also never watch the other people preform patterns, cause they will just mess me up :)

one time in a showmanship class, i was the only one that did the pattern right because everyone just did what the first girl did, so i won :) even beat my sister!

Well I'm OCD with my boots. I always forget my gloves and end up putting them on going into the ring for my class. I tend to over-think things so I love to get into the schooling ring as soon as it opens and do all my trips first. <---- weird, no?

Of course then there are times when you can't pick at what time you go and then I have a slight meltdown... but it's all good!

I have to look at the course 3 times on the paper, then close my eyes and play out how I want to ride it and then once I've done that and I've gotten all the fences and striding down I am ready to go to my OF class(es).

On the schooling day I always take my horse and walk her around the grounds to get used to the place. :)

1. i don't eat anything before horse shows or after shows. I usually don't eat until the next day, haha.

2. At five o clock in the morning when i'm braiding I break down mentally and have a total blow out because I feel I am rushed. Then I rush my way through everything and I find myself sitting down doing nothing for about an hour, happens every time

3. Once I considered telling the judge that someone ripped up my gloves, because she was telling me in the middle of the ring that I needed to wear gloves in my equitation class! but hey...it was like 30 degrees that day...HOT. i ended up placing 2nd though :(

thats all that I can think of, haha.

haha, i'm super OCD about alot of things, so i have some strange habits.

1) when i'm competing in western pleasure, when they ask for the lope i immediately start saying "hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock" at an even speed so that i can know if my gelding is being consistent in his speed. my trainer taught me that, and its kinda stupid, but it works! haha, my mom said that one time in a class she could see my lips moving and the woman next to her read my lips and was like, "what the heck?" LOL.

2.) i usually run through my showmanship patterns like a billion times. and i work on pivoting and turns with my gelding for at least 5-10 minutes before walking into the ring.

3.) i have to have cheez its and croutons with me at the show. i like to munch in between classes to keep my energy up, and cheez its and croutons always seem to do the job! once, a photographer snapped a picture of me sitting on my horse ( i was waiting for my class ) with a bag of croutons on my lap, and a box of cheez its in my hand. haha, they put it on the year end highlight video at the equestrian team banquet.

4.) If i go to a show where you pick up a back number from the show, I have to be 142. i don't know why... haha. but if i can't get 142 then the back number has to be even. haha, usually at the shows that i frequent every year, my family is good friends with the people working the show, and will sign me up for 142 in advance. =]

I usually get so nervous i impulsively go around judging other ppls riding (good or bad) and then feel bad about it so go chug soda until i feel dizzy! It happens every time....even when im not riding in the show!!!!

I always think of "head, shoulders, knees, and toes" to make sure my equitation on point