Showing horses,
properly explained.

You will learn what showing actually is, a judged sport where horses are assessed on conformation, movement, behaviour, turnout, and (in ridden classes) way of going. You will understand the difference between in-hand and ridden classes, what "stripping" and "going" mean, and how classes are divided by type, age, sex, and rider status.
You will see where the major UK shows sit in the season (Royal International, Horse of the Year Show, London International, Royal Windsor) and how the Irish calendar works differently around the RDS Dublin. You will discover that showing has three tiers of competitor — professionals, home-producers, and amateurs — with genuinely separate qualification routes, so you know where you fit. You will pick up the unwritten conventions: conservative dress codes, quiet ringside behaviour, and how decisions stand. Most importantly, you will finish knowing what showing is, why judges make the choices they do, and that there's a door into this sport that fits you.
You will learn that showing's approach to body condition has shifted fundamentally in the last five to ten years — away from rewarding overweight horses as "good doing" and toward judging fit, lean, well-muscled condition as the standard. You will understand that this isn't a soft preference; it's becoming explicit in judging panels and directly affects placings. You will see welfare as a decision-making framework that runs through every choice you make — vaccination timings, hat standards, training methods, gear, pre-show routines — not just on the day itself. You will learn what the governing bodies and major shows now expect, why the direction of travel is clear, and that staying current on welfare isn't optional to success. You will discover that you don't need to fix the old culture; you need to make consistently kind, evidence-led choices for your horse and notice when something recommended to you doesn't have a real welfare or training reason behind it.

You will learn how to navigate the UK and Irish showing systems, identify which class your horse belongs in, and manage all the practical paperwork required to compete successfully. Specifically, you will understand the network of showing societies that govern different class types in the UK (BSHA, SHB(GB), BSPS, NPS, CHAPS, ROR and others), and the parallel structure in Ireland (HSI, ISA, RDS, and breed societies).
You will see how most amateur competitors hold multiple society memberships in a single season, and how to read a show schedule to determine eligibility. You will learn to assess your own horse honestly against class definitions, matching height, weight category, type, and novice or amateur status, and to identify the common errors that result in entering the wrong class. You will understand how Day Tickets work, and when they do and don't qualify you for championship finals.
You will master the paperwork layers: society membership for rider and horse, breed studbook registration where relevant, JMB height certification, passport and microchip verification, and vaccination protocols. You will have a 12-month calendar showing when each task happens, and a kit list for the folder you keep in your lorry. By the end of these lessons, you will walk into your first show knowing which class you belong in, what paperwork to bring, and why the system is structured the way it is. You will understand the qualifier pathways to HOYS, RIHS, and Dublin, and how amateur-specific routes work. You will be equipped to plan a full season, whether in the UK, Ireland, or both, without learning any of it the hard way.

How showing judges assess horses by type, and what each major class — hunter, hack, cob, riding horse, and native breeds — is actually asking for. You will understand why conformation matters differently across classes, and why honest comparison against published winners is the most reliable way to check whether your horse is the right type for your target class. You will learn how to build and maintain the topline and fitness that modern judges reward: what correct work looksively like, how to score your horse's body condition honestly, and how to structure twelve months of conditioning that arrives at the season ready rather than bloated. You will understand why the judging direction has shifted from well-covered to fit and muscled, and how to make that work practically on your own horse. You will learn what to prioritise if you are buying a horse specifically for showing — clean type, form or clear conformation, quiet temperament, sound limbs, and how to test a potential purchase before committing. You will also learn how to assess the horse you already have, identify whether it's the right match for your chosen class, and recognise when a different class might be a better fit — or when honest reassessment means moving on. Throughout, you will hear from producers and judges about how they see the sport, and you will have practical tools to use at home: how to photograph your horse for honest assessment, how to build muscle through specific exercises, and how to understand what you are actually looking at when you compare your horse against winners in the ring.

Module 4 of the Showing Horses course (3 lessons): Flatwork for Showing; The Individual Show; The Judge's Ride, the Strip & In-Hand.

Module 5 of the Showing Horses course (5 lessons): Plaiting & Hogging; Trimming the Horse; Quarter Marks; Tack by Class; Rider Attire.

Module 6 of the Showing Horses course (3 lessons): The Countdown to Show Day; At the Showground; In the Ring.

Module 7 of the Showing Horses course (2 lessons): Reading the Ring; Nerves, Mistakes & the Long Game.

Module 8 of the Showing Horses course (10 lessons): Hunter Classes; Hack, Cob & Riding Horse; M&M Part 1: Large Native Breeds; M&M Part 2: Small Native Breeds; Coloured Horses & Traditional Cobs; Connemara: In-Hand & Ridden (UK); Connemara: In-Hand & Ridden (IE); Irish Draught & Sport Horse In-Hand (UK); Irish Draught & Sport Horse In-Hand (IE); ROR, Lead Rein, Side-Saddle & In-Hand.

Module 9 of the Showing Horses course (2 lessons): The UK Qualifier Ecosystem; The Irish Circuit.