Anyone who has shown at the Congress knows that it is a challenge to find a place to ride at the show grounds let alone to prepare your horse to be at his peek during this month long show in Columbus, Ohio. It is usually freezing and the practice arenas are jam packed with riders during all hours–morning and night. Trainers and exhibitors are exhausted and don’t get much sleep due to the show arenas being designated practice times for particular disciplines during odd hours of the night. Nevertheless, it is one of the most prestigious events to win a prize, and everyone strives to do well at the Congress.
Multiple World and Congress Champion Darcy Reeve sums up perfectly what many people think about showing at the Congress. “It is unlike anywhere else because the atmosphere is so different. I love the extremeness of it all. I hear it referred to as a horse show on steroids and that is exactly what it is.”
GoHorseShow.com talked to several trainers and exhibitors about their preparation for the Congress and whether they attend warm up/schooling shows before showing at the largest single breed show in the world. What is their plan at these warm up shows to prepare themselves for the less favorable conditions they will experience at the Congress? Do they change their routines? Do they set up a game plan before and during Congress?
We talked to multiple World and Congress Champion Darcy Reeve, Reserve Congress Champion Jenna Dempze, Amateur All Around Winner, Kaleena Weakly, this year’s Youth World Champion in Horsemanship, Carey Nowacek–who is still looking for her first Congress win, Novice Amateur competitor Adria Smith, Amateur Jennifer Allan Holt, new Amateur competitor, Codi McConnell, Amateur Competitor Ashley Hadlock, AQHA judge Charlene Carter, Hunter trainer Lainie DeBoer, and Florida trainer Cheryl Hawkins.
Jenna Dempze
The Lincoln, Nebraska show last weekend was definitely a prep show for the Congress. We decided after showing in Tulsa that there were a few things that we wanted to improve on before we headed to Ohio. There are some things that really can only be accomplished at the show; for the most part my horses are usually very good at home, but there is nothing like putting them to the test in the real show pen. I love to show, and it is kind of difficult for me to school. I don’t like to make a big scene in the class to correct my horse, and I’m always worried that I will mess up someone else if I need to stop or do something else to fix my horse. I know in the back of my mind that these risk are worth the end result of my horse being its best at the big shows.
I think the horses are prepared pretty much the same for the Congress as any other big futurity we go to. I think it can be more of a mental battle for the rider than the horses. The horses just think its another show, and I don’t think they are aware of the prestige and pressure that comes along with the Congress; that is all in the riders head. If we find a system that works for a horse then we stick to it, if its not broke don’t fix it.
Going into Lincoln, Gil Galyean (her trainer) wanted to get both my horses out again to fix a few things that we didn’t like in Tulsa. We got them ready to show as we always do and then waited to see how they decided to behave in the show ring. He told me to show if they wanted to be good, let them know that that is what we were looking for but if I needed to make adjustments and school then go ahead and do it. There were several classes each day for each horse in Nebraska, which I think will help them to prepare for the go-round part of the Congress. All summer its usually just been one trip around the pen a day so this was a good simulation to see how they handled the multiple go’s.
This year at the Congress I will be showing How Bout This Cowboy in the 3 Year-old Non Pro Western Pleasure Futurity and Sure Am Hot in the Non Pro Western Pleasure Maturity, Amateur Pleasure, and Novice Amateur Western Riding.
The Congress is my favorite show of the year! I love the atmosphere there. It can be miserable at times, but there is no other feeling like the one you get from being there. I love the huge crowds and the extra pressure of such a prestigious event.
Darcy Reeve
Typically I do not go to any shows between the NSBA World Show and Congress. I usually try to ride with my trainers at their place before we leave. For myself, I benefit more from riding with my trainers and getting good lessons than going to a show to school my horse. Typically, it is easy for me to get a good connection with my horses at the Congress without having to do much before because my trainers do an exceptional job keeping them on their game. Congress is just another horse show, and that is the mentality I try to keep so when preparing for it. I don’t do anything different then if we were going anywhere else.
This year I will be showing A Certain Vino in the 15-18 Western Pleasure, and the 14-18 Western Riding, as well as in the Non-Pro Maturity Western Pleasure. Ima Petite Classic in the 15-18 Trail, 14-18 Western Riding, and Novice Youth Hunter Under Saddle, and A Hocus In Time in the 2 Year-old Non Pro Western Pleasure.
Kaleena Weakly
The Tunica, Mississippi show last weekend was used exactly for that purpose, prepping for the Congress. I just purchased a new 3 year old at the end of August and needed to go to some shows to prepare and figure him out. It is a little nerve-racking thinking about showing him at our biggest show of the year, when it will only be our third show out! I even left my main pleasure horse at home, so I could show “Lazy” in the Amateur, knowing the Amateur would be larger than say the Junior pleasure. That way I could get him in the pen with a larger group of horses, similar to what our Congress splits will be like in the 3 Year Old futurities.
Luckily, I assumed right, and twenty showed in the Amateur Pleasure in Tunica. This also helped me get a feel for his speed compared to the rest of the class. If he would/or needed to “rate back”, how he reacted to being passed, if he had any bad habits in the show arena and our transitions etc….
Sometimes it is hard for me to school at shows. Especially if I need points for something, or if I’m concerned on how the judges feel about “schooling” at shows. Sometimes I think it can be disrespectful (like in a pattern class), and you don’t want to mess up someone else’s ride in a rail class.
The main thing we do different to prepare for Congress is lots of practicing/schooling. Whether it be going to a few more shows for schooling, or driving those extra miles to the trainer’s to put in the extra practice time.
With the pleasure horses, the last two shows we attended (Tunica being the last one) were primarily for schooling. NOT showing. It wasn’t about going and doing well and getting points. It was about correcting everything that needed to be. Any wrong move they made, even if the judge didn’t notice, had to be dealt with. With my all around horse, I do a lot of my Congress prep at my trainer’s house. We didn’t go to any shows right before to school her. I go ride and practice pattern work more often before the Congress than any other show.
I am showing Sweet Movin Hotrod in the Amateur Western Pleasure and Non Pro Maturities; Lopin For A Chex in the 3 Year Old futurities; and Hours Yours And Mine in Amateur Showmanship and Horsemanship.
I love the Congress most of all because it’s non-stop of everything I love…the pleasure, the all around, and the halter. And my husband and I both get to be there with all of our horses, friends and trainers. The competition and quality is at its peak!
Carey Nowacek
I am so excited for the Congress! I haven’t gotten to prepare that much considering I have been at school, and I am on the equestrian team so I have very little time to go home and ride with my trainer Brad (Jewett). I was able to go to a small show in Waco, Texas, two weeks ago that helped me prepare for the Congress, and that is pretty much my only preparation until I get there. I have only gotten to ride my horse twice since the Reichert.
Mainly Brad Jewett (her trainer) told me just to keep my body in shape and tight. I ride pretty much everyday here at school which helps a ton. My coach here at school works on our body position a lot. I schooled some in Waco, just because my horse, Lugnut, had been shown hard this summer and we went all out every time I showed, so he needed a little chill time in the arena and some reminders. My cousin, Amanda Brightwell, is showing my horse at the Congress this year in the Amateur events, and I couldn’t be more excited for her. They showed in Waco for the very first time and she did a great job. She got to feel how he was like in the show arena and got a ton of practice in for the Congress, I think they will do great!
This year I would love to win a Congress title. It is my last year in youth, and I have never won. I have been reserve quite a few times, and I am so thankful for having that honor, but I would love to have a win. I really don’t do any different in preparation for the Congress. It’s just like any other show, and I like to treat it that way. It definitely keeps the pressure off. I am showing in the performance halter geldings, the showmanship, trail, western riding, horsemanship, pleasure, and equitation. I love the Congress because I get to see all my friends from all over the country and spend time with them and the food is AMAZING of course. I love the pressure of only having one shot at each event, it makes me work so much harder and it gets my adrenaline pumping like nothing else!
Adria Smith
I am showing Lope On Ziggy in the Novice Amateur Hunter Under Saddle Class. I am very excited as this is the first time for me to show at Congress, and it will be my only time to show as a Novice since I did “Novice Out” this summer on Ziggy.
As for schooling at shows, I usually don’t have a problem schooling but Congress schooling is different as all the pens are crowded with horses going every direction, horses being ponied, rails on the ground, etc. which will be an experience. Also, riding in the show pen in the middle of the night will be interesting and a first for me schooling wise. Nonetheless, Carl and Trisha (Yamber-her trainers) always have Ziggy ready for me to show and I don’t see Congress being any different which is a big comfort to me.
I had planned on using the Reichert Celebration and NSBA World Show as my preparation for Congress but that did not happen. Unfortunately, Burrito, my donkey, and I had a discussion which I lost and ended up in the Emergency Room. Luckily, my hand was not broken but it was badly bruised and in a soft cast for one week and a brace for two weeks. So, Carl set it up so that I am practicing with trainer Patty Campbell who is about a 45 minute drive from me. Also, I will have 10 days to ride and practice on Ziggy in Ohio since I’m going up early this year.
Codi McConnell
I do not use any particular show as my Congress prep show. Pretty much any show I go to in September I go with the goal of preparing for Congress. I don’t so much schooling, but try to make everything as precise as possible. I don’t like to school (ride two handed, stop my horse hard, etc.) in the show pen too much unless it is absolutely necessary. I don’t like to automatically rule myself out for a prize, and I also feel like it wastes the judges’ time.
The main difference in preparing for Congress and preparing for other shows is that we try to get the horses really tired while in Columbus. The weather changes, crowds, big pens, etc. make for a lot of variables that can negatively affect the horse’s performance. My feeling is that if the horse is tired and mentally prepared, then there is not a need to school the patterns really hard, just a couple times the day before.
At this year’s Congress, I am showing in Novice Amateur Pleasure Driving and Western Riding, as well as Amateur Pleasure Driving, Showmanship, Horsemanship, and Equitation. The best thing about showing at Congress is that there is so much preparation time. Normally the schedule allows for at least a whole day before each of my classes to prepare, if not more. I like being able to just have to focus on one event at a time.
Jennifer Allan Holt
I am not attending the Congress this year. There are two reasons for this. First, as a stepmom and wife, two plus weeks is way too much time away from home. Second, it is impossible for me to justify the cost in this economy for 1 set of points on top of so much time away from home, plus spending the time and money for myself makes me feel guilty. We love the Congress and everything that is there but it seems very frivolous right now in light of what our country is enduring.
To answer your questions though; Wayne (Holt-her husband) and I did use the show in Waco to make a game plan for the World Show. We have a really good feel for where we need to focus our attention for preparing Fashionably Zipped for the three events we are showing in at the World Show: Western Riding, Horsemanship and Showmanship. We were trying to assimilate a timeline for prepping for thre different events, outline where the strong and weak points are and find some good training tools and exercises in the process.
It is not hard for me to school at shows that are small and single judged. Wayne had some very good advice for me after the Showmanship in Waco, my horse was on task-I just looked like I was “high on Starbucks!” (Yes, that is a quote from Wayne when I walked out!) Our horsemanship is better than ever with a few minor tweaks needed and Fashionably Zipped is Mr. Reliable when it comes to the Western Riding-we are just working on “perfection”. It is nice to show at a smaller show with good amateur numbers and low entry fees. Then, if you do have to school, you don’t feel like you are throwing money away! If you don’t have to school, the probability of getting in the points is good!
Congress is always in the back of my mind and we will miss not being there! I know it sounds like I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth but there are the realities of the Congress and then there is the THRILL of the Congress. Doing well at the Congress carries a lot of weight and notoriety and we look forward to attending in the future.
Cheryl Hawkins
We like to take our Congress horses to the Reichert Futurity and the NSBA World show in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We get a chance to enter the pen quite a few times during the two shows. I like to know what to expect out of that horses before head to a show like the Congress, I want to know if he or she is going to give me the same ride every time I walk into the pen. We also use one of our Florida shows to school our horses in September. It is still early enough, if our horses are not exactly where we want them we can still come home and try to fix the issue before we leave for Congress. Our goal is to get each of our customers their ride of a life time, to shoot for the top ten, and do the best job the can. Yes, I think it is very hard to school and prepare at the Congress; we bring so many different type horses. I think the patterns horses are the hardest to prepare; you know at the Congress there is not any extra room to ride, so it’s either very early mornings or very late nights. I think we ask a lot more out of our horses at the Congress, and, we like ours a little more tired because the show pens are very noisy and the riders are a little more nervous. I love showing at the Congress, sometimes the weather isn’t very good but when you can get all the great horsemen and horsewomen together from around the country at one show its fantastic and a lot of them we only see once a year.
Ashley Hadlock
Our preparation for the Congress started about three weeks ago. I am fortunate enough to have an older horse who doesn’t always require a lot of “training on” so we have just picked up our normal riding schedule to riding daily as well as showmanship. We are not only schooling the horse, but we also school ourselves (i.e. leg work) on other horses as well. The Congress is a hard show to prepare for due to the busy environment and unpredictable weather. We all know how it can be pleasant and sunny one day and the next freezing cold with snow. With that taken into consideration, I feel Congress is one of the hardest shows to prep for. Luckily this year for me, I have an extra rider (my sister Jessie) to help me prep our horse. I guess you can say he’s going to be doubled teamed. I feel it can be tough on a horse mentally with so much commotion going on around them. We will definitely be looking for the patterns coming out soon, so, we can have an idea of what maneuvers we may need to focus on more than others. We also arrive to the Congress sooner than any other show to allow plenty of time to get settled in and work with Kendra and Blake Weis (her trainers). (Usually a week in advance to the first day of our showing) I will admit, with school this is VERY hard to juggle!!
When it came time to send entries in, I already knew I had to cut my classes down to bare minimum-showmanship and horsemanship. As of right now, I still am not sure if I can even show those two classes. Last year, I was planning to fly out to show, and I had to back out 12 hours prior to my flight leaving due to school projects. So this year I am going to have to play it by ear. My fall break falls over part of the youth weekend, so, I will be able to come up and watch Jessie show. It’s tough sitting in class knowing that I am missing out on one of my favorite shows, but I just tell myself it will always be there. Right now school comes first and if nothing else I will get to enjoy a relaxing weekend of cheering on Jessie and Oliver and of course, shopping!!
Charlene Carter
My first rule of thumb, is that they have to be able to perform at a 100% while at home! You don’t miraculously get 100% just because you are in the show arena situation. I realize that some horses do change when put in the show surroundings, but if it is not completely there at your own barn, it will most likely not be there in the show ring. Therefore, perfect practice makes perfect!! You will only be as good as the effort and dedication that you personally put into the event that you are competing. I feel that it doesn’t matter how great your trainer can make your horse do something, you have to establish the communication skills with your horse on your own to compete at the Congress level. My technique is to train my clients to train and fix their horses themselves. It doesn’t always work, but, when it does, that Congress win can be theirs for the taking.
Lainie DeBoer
We actually prepare for Congress and World all year. We keep tweaking everyone’s program at the show until we think we have the right preparation. Our goal is to peak in the Fall and go into both shows with a clear game plan. For the equitation over fences I have my riders go first without a course walk. For the hunters I play with my warm up strategy, to see which jumps best prepare my horses to jump fresh in the ring. I don’t let my customers jump a lot on the off days, and over school. I want them to be comfortable going into the ring without riding the course before hand. That way they can learn to deal with any problems in the ring showing as opposed to a schooling situation.
I am extraordinarily lucky at Congress because my client Jessica Johnson has a farm 20 minutes from the fairgrounds. So it allows me to ship in four days early and ease the horses into a routine. Since the hunters start the day after we move in, it makes that transition so much easier. I set a course and all my customers can take lessons in a very mellow atmosphere.
Most of my customers have gone for years, but usually what I tell people is, that although it is a huge horse show, it is just another horse show. Don’t change anything! Stick to what you know and don’t sway from the plan. Don’t panic, or feel like you need to over school. All the homework has been done at home and now you get in horse show mode and do what you have been doing all year, end of discussion.
I am showing in all the hunters, hack, and I have a jumper this year. I have not shown a jumper since Flamingo Bay. I think what I like most about showing there, besides the Sweet Shop making hand made cream cheese croissants for breakfast, is going into other rings and watching the other events. I do love to watch the three year old Hunter Under Saddle for future prospects. That is how Bill Ellis and David Conners found one of my favorite horses of all time, Dominant Lord.
Please let us know how you prepare for the Congress by posting your thoughts in the comments section.
