Outside the Arena – After You Complete Your Test
After you leave the competition arena (after your final test), you may dismount your horse and hand-walk him/her to the truck/trailer/van, or you may choose to walk your horse to the truck/trailer/van.
Once you arrive at the truck/trailer:
Some people tie a horse to the horse trailer. Personally, I think this can be dangerous. I prefer holding the horse for the following.
- Quickly remove your show attire.
- Untack the horse. You may want to keep the bridle on until the horse is on the trailer; by doing this, you are less likely to get a loose horse while transitioning from bridle to halter.
- If the weather is warm and/or if your horse is sweaty, if the venue has a hosing station, horse your horse down. If the venue does not have a hosing station, cool your horse using water in a bucket and a sponge. In both cases, use a sweat scraper to remove excess water on his body.
- Put on the shipping boots and header bumper.
- If your horse is quiet standing on a trailer, load him/her on the trailer and secure with cross ties.
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