What Do I Have To Take To The Riding Tournament? - The Tournament Preparation
Everything you need to be optimally prepared for your next tournament. You won't forget a thing, with our detail oriented guide.
I. The tournament season has begun and you probably ask yourself - did I forget anything?
Anyone who has ever been to a tournament knows how much planning it takes, so that everything will work. To prepare you for the upcoming tournament and not forget anything, we have put together an overview of what you need to think about.
- What equipment do you need?
Important are gloves and solid shoes for cleaning and loading. When loading or walking, a horse can always get loose. Here your hands should be protected as best as it can be, otherwise you might hurt them. You probably already have a pair of changing shoes to your riding boots, so that your beautiful riding boots do not become dirty. A boot bag can be helpful here and you should also think about the boot horn and the boot extractor.
Since you cannot choose the weather unfortunately, always bring spare clothing or rain clothes. In good weather, a cap, sunglasses and suncream should not be forgotten to protect yourself from sunburn.
- What do you need for the test?
Of course, a tournament outfit includes a helmet or a cylinder or a bowler hat. It's best to keep these in a helmet bag. A coat or sports jacket, the tournament blouse, the tournament shirt or dress shirt are just as important as the white gloves. A plastron with a plastron needle or a tie should not be included in your luggage. If you like, you can also take a hair net or hairband for a bun with you. Just make sure that you pack enough hair clips and hair ties.
A must is a white or light colored breeches. It would be best to pack two, to begin with. A mishap or a snorting of the horse on the white pants can happen quickly and results in unpleasant stains. If we are already on the subject of white colored cloth; white or skin colored underwear is always a good idea for the riders, to make sure to avoid 'bad' surprises.
Riding boots, ankle boots, and chaps should not only be packed but also cleaned with a microfibre cloth to remove the fine sand/dust. Leading to shiny and beautiful shoes/chaps during the audit. You should also remember to pack spores, crops and, depending on the discipline, a safety vest if needed.
- What do you need for the horse?
The relevant items are the bridle, the curb or an approved bridle, the saddle, the girth, a saddle pad or saddle blanket and the head numbers. Depending on the discipline you also need breastplates, martingales or other auxiliary reins, gaiters, bow caps and jumping bells.
If your horse or pony has problems with the insects, you can use an ear cap and insect spray. A fly cover can also be used before and after riding.
- What accessories do you still need around the horse?
When transporting your beloved four-legged friend, you should also rely on protection and put transport boots or similar assurances around their legs. Even a pocket knife should be in your supply box. If, for example, a rope does not open, quick help is required. With the knife, you can cut the rope in the case of the hose fixating itself.
You can use a harness as a loading aid if your horse refuses to walk onto the trailer. Furthermore, you should also bring some medication for your horse and a cooling blanket.
In order to support the well-being of the horses, it is recommended to take along a filled net with hay, apples, carrots, bananas, and cereal(whatever your horse likes eating). Of course, a separate bucket for water is also needed.
Very useful objects are also a climbing aid, a broom, and a stable butler. Thus you can keep the trailer and the space around the trailer clean.
Other little helpers for the horse care at the tournament are, in addition to the normal cleaning supplies from your cleaning box, the mane comb, mane rubber, baby oil, wet wipes, mane spray and hoof oil.
- What needs the lovingly named "TT" or Equipment Manager?
A tournament case can be very helpful to store all things that might be needed shortly before the audit. These are for example the horse passport, the activity book, the time schedule, a pair of replacement gloves, the head numbers and mane rubbers, hair ties and safety pins. In addition, car and trailer keys, some cash, cell phone, sunglasses and even a small drink or a snack can be stored in it.
If you have the luxury of a TT, you can ask them to bring a camera or a video camera to film the exam. Thus you have not only a memory of the ride but also the opportunity to see what you can do better next time or you can just view your great results and/or a great round you feel confident about.
- What else should not be forgotten?
It is always advisable to have a notebook or the LPO with you in order to have a quick look if questions arise. Of course, the schedule with the directions needs to be included. How many times has the sat nav already failed and one was glad about the indications of the description? Your cell phone is very helpful to check off items or to take a look at the preliminary starter list. Again, you should definitely remember to pack a charging cable and possibly an adapter for the car.
Other essential items are your driver's license, identity card, vehicle and trailer license, first aid kit, warning triangle and safety vests. If the police stop you, you must have these things at hand.
Another tip from us: Although there is always something to eat and drink at the tournaments. Nevertheless, we recommend that you also bring your own food. Especially on hot days, you should drink a lot to keep your circulation going.
- What needs to be done before the tournament?
It should go without saying that the horse needs to be vaccinated correctly and that this is also registered. Not only the passport of the horse but also the prerequisite for participation in the tournament need to be packed.
The tire pressure should not only be checked on your car but also on the trailer before each transport. During the same inspection, you can control the engine oil, the wiping system, and cooling water. When testing all the lights, you can check again if everything is ready.
It is also advisable to go check again if the time schedule was printed, the number of the registration office got stored on the phone, the requirements for the test are met and the right boxes are checked, and the corresponding head number of his horse got acquainted. You can already check those things from home to save time during the tournament.
The boots, saddle, bridle, and accessories should be thoroughly cleaned before the tournament. For this, you need saddle soap, leather grease, two sponges, a towel and possibly a small bowl for the water. You should also take these utensils with you to the tournament to be able to remove the coarse dirt directly.
We hope we were able to help you a little with this article and wish all riders and drivers good luck for the season. We keep our fingers crossed for you!
