Tracking In Halter: Tips From The Experts
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110 – November/December, 2024
When it comes to tracking a horse in the halter pen, everything seems pretty self-explanatory. Walk to the judge or judges, trot to and past the cone, and continue trotting around the cone to the lineup. The purpose of this portion of the class is to give the judges an opportunity to evaluate both soundness and quality of movement.
What feels like a simple task, though, can be the difference between a first place and second place horse because the devil–as they say–is in the details. Here, halter experts Kathy Smallwood, Ted Turner, and Adam and Kelley Wainscott chime in on the importance of tracking correctly while providing advice on the dos and don’ts of this part of the class.
First Impressions Matter
When an exhibitor brings their horse to the entrance to track for the judges, this is the judges’ all-important first impression of the horse and exhibitor. Like in any other class at the horse show, first impressions matter, and a well-groomed and prepared horse that is ready to calmly and quietly track leaves a favorable impression.
“It’s important that the horse be broke before you get to the horse show. Exhibitors have to do their homework before they get there and practice, practice, practice with their horse so the class goes smoothly,” Ted Turner says. “The first impression is always a big thing; if the horse goes in and acts up, you’ve missed an important opportunity to make that good first impression. Success all starts at home.”
Kathy Smallwood agrees. “Presentation of the horse is important and can mean the difference between winning and not. So look forward, look professional, and look confident as you enter the pen,” she says.
All the experts emphasized the importance of exhibitors leading their horses’ chest or legs to the judge rather than their own legs. The judges are looking at the footfalls and correctness of the front legs at that time, so if an exhibitor walks his or her own body straight to the judge, the judge is not able to evaluate the horse from the correct position.
“Judges need to see the horse’s way of going and structural alignment from the front and back as you track to and away. To see that properly, the horse needs to perform the gait requested in the best position for the judges to analyze this,” Adam Wainscott says.
That straightness should continue into the trot, where the horse should travel easily alongside the exhibitor in a mannerly fashion rather than looking like he wants to outrun the exhibitor or needs to be pulled up into the trot.
“If you have your horse tracking correctly, we can evaluate it. If its neck is cranked to the side your horse will look crooked, which throws the first impression totally off,” Smallwood says.
Wainscott agrees. He says, “One of my pet peeves is when a horse is trotting sideways and loping up to and around the corner with its head curled around the exhibitor. This makes it a challenge for the judge to see the horse and a missed opportunity for a good first impression.”
Know the Horse’s Strengths at the Trot
Click here to read the complete article
110 – November/December, 2024
