Energy/tail rubbing/shows

Question
hi there,
   I just have a few questions that i was hoping you would be able to help me with. I currently bought a morgan gelding.13 yrs old but still a good boy. He sat around in a pasture for 2 1/2 years without being worked and when i saw him he had only had 30 days of under saddle work again but i fell in love with him. He is a saddleseat horse, I am planning on showing him in the classic pleasure division. I was wondering if ther were any tips to get him that extra bit of energy that he needs. I understand that getting an older gelding active again can be difficult if they've been sitting around but he is titled(at the world championships) and i would love to take him to nationals next year. My assistant trainer recommended lixotinic so i bought some of that. Also he has been an equitation horse for most of his life so maybe that has something to do with it?
   Another problem I am having is that he pretty much has no tail. In all of the pictures I have seen of him he never really has and his sire never had much of a tail either. but is there anything i can do to help it grow and stay healthy?
   One last thing is that I am going to go to the Summer's End morgan horse show next week,in florida, to show and i was wondering if there were any tricks or tips you have to have him look his best.i would love to hear any suggestions that you may have for any aspects of showing. from grooming, to tack, to behavior or tricks in the show ring. I would really appreciate any help you could provide!

Sincerely,
Christina

p.s- do you happen to know my trainer Rick Davis?

Answer
Hi there Christina.  Nice to hear from a fellow Morgan lover.  The Classic Division is a great place to start.  I hate to tell you this but all the tonics in the world aren't going to pep your horse up.  What you have is a lazy horse that does not want to work that hard.  YES, there is a solution but you have to work hard too.  

You need to get on your horse and warm him up.  Leave him relaxed and comfortable for about ten minutes and so some casual trotting and cantering.  Now get ready to work!  See, there is a big difference between working your horse and exercising your horse.  What you need to do is make your horse WORK.  In order to do this, and until he gets the idea, I am afraid you are going to plain have to "make him mad".  

By this I mean, carry a whip.  Once he is warmed up and you are ready to go to work, start clucking to him and squeezing with your legs.  Keep raising your hands and collecting him UP.  By UP I mean raise his front end up and get his butt underneath him.  Start tapping him on the shoulder with the whip and keep clucking and pushing.  Don't let him go anywhere though.  I know this sounds very confusing but what you want to do is make him a tad upset and get him prancing.  Really get him prancing and animated underneath you.  Then let him start moving but don't lose the UP.  If you have to, get someone with a lunge whip to follow you and have them keep cracking it behind him and making him tuck that butt under himself.  

Now you can do this down a rail and then let him relax.  Round the corner and then start pushing him up again.  After several lessons of this he will learn that when it is time to work it is time to work.  

Other problems will start cropping up...like he will start to throw a fit and toss his head.  He is just trying to steal rein so that he does not have to stay collected.  Hang tight and don't give.  Keep pushing him for forward motion.  And try to always think that you are propelling him from behind.  Don't think of his headset....think that if you keep his butt under him his head will come in on its own.  Just get him collected and keep him that way.

When he plays with his head just hang tight and keep pushing.  If he stops dead and tries to back up or jump around...that is a good thing.  You will know then that you are getting to him and he is trying to get out of working.  Just tap his butt with the crop and keep after him to go forward.  Trust me...he'll get the idea.  All horses have a lazy streak and get used to the show ring and get bored.  You have to teach them that when it is time to use every muscle and WORK that they have to do it.  Pretty soon when you start clucking and squeezing he will know that it is time to go to work.  Like I said you can start out slow and do a rail then relax, then push him back up and relax.  It will help learn that you are "asking" him to get up there and use his muscles.  He'll get it.  And don't be afraid to ask someone to get after him with a lunge whip from behind.  Remember you want "UP" not speed.  Head up, chest out, feet up, butt under.

As for the tail......some horses have bad hair.  I have one like that too.  All I can suggest is not to mess with a lot by combing and stuff.  Leave it alone.  You can try wetting it a lot and keeping conditioner on it and keeping it clean.  Anything to stimulate growth.  Bad hair doesn't do well with being braided and tied up etc...it tends to just break off.  Let it hang loose and don't yank and pull on it.

Remember that at the big shows they sand feet and keep them very smooth and shiny.  Classic horses can have 4 1/2 inch feet and 16 ounce shoes.  You can put a pad on your his feet but you have to have the center cut out.  I put a wedge pad on my classic horse to raise his heels and get him to break over at the toe sooner.  This gives them the "curl" at the ankle that looks so cool.  Try a 3 degree wedge pad on the front feet, cut out the middle and see if this makes your horse pick up his feet a bit more and curl at the ankle.  They won't allow you to have a full pad because people can hide weight up there that can't be seen.

Remember, every horse in the ring is going to walk, trot, and canter.  You have to have something going for you that no one else has or something to get the judge's attention.  I find that a consistant headset that does not go up and down looks real good in the ring.  Also, you want your horse to have "presense" in the ring.  Get his butt up under him and make him work.  Also, behavior is not a big deal at the big shows.  Your horse "should" canter too fast, should bounce a little, etc...  The idea here is to "show" your horse.  If they call for a walk and you are on the rail where the judge is watching you....don't walk.  Keep right on trotting down to the end of the rail and make sure that judge gets a good look at your horse moving out.  They are not judging your transitions and behavior.  They are judging your horse's movement and his TROT!  The horse that puts on the best show, wins.  So show off a little!

Get suede put on your show pants.  You want the extra grip.  You want to be confident that if your horse does blow or bounce that you can ride it out and hang on.  Some of these big shows get hairy with snorting horses and remember you are pushing your horse to be mad and up there.... he might get cranky the first couple times out.  

Have super shiny hoofs.  Shine up the dark shadows on your horse's face to bring out the curves and lines of his nose and eyes and jaw.  Use baby oil or something to make those areas stand out.  If your horse has white socks use some baby powder on them right before you go in the ring to bring the white out more.  You want to dazzle the judge when your horse hits the ring.  Where warm colors.  Stay away from reds and greens and blues.  Go with tans and browns and creams and grays.  Black is overdone and you don't want to look like someone else in the ring.  But don't blind the judge with your outfit, let the horse have the lime light.

I can't think of much else.  Just remember, make your horse WORK.  If you have to make him mad to do it, then make him mad.  And SHOW your horse!  Don't be shy and quiet in the ring.  Get that horse up there and get him noticed.  If you have any other questions I would be happy to help.  My e-mail is Adante3053@aol.com.  Have a good time and good luck.  Cheri