Preparing For Inspections

After each training the horse should be hosed down with lukewarm water and then walked in-hand for around ten minutes. This has a double function because it is a good cooldown and at the same time it teaches the horse obedience when being led in-hand. Remember to walk the horse to the right like it is done in the inspection ring. Maybe the horse is already getting some under saddle or in-harness training. Experience has shown that these horses often have problems with standing still for longer periods and walking in-hand. Early on in the training, the horse must therefore be taught how to walk and trot and stand still when being led in-hand.

If in any way possible it is a good idea to copy the inspection settings two weeks before date. For this purpose you can mark out a triangle with all sides measuring 60m. You could add a flag, put up a party tent or parasol and introduce the horse to umbrellas. Just about anything that helps to imitate inspection condi-tions is a useful training for your mare to prepare her for the event. Walk your horse through this triangle and make sure to include the corners.

Lunge the horse until five days prior to the inspection and from that time keep it stabled and give it box-rest. Just walk it every day in a bridle for about fifteen minutes. Four days before the inspection is the time to concentrate on grooming. Trim the chin, but leave the whiskers around the muzzle and only trim those hairs that stick out beyond the edges of the ears.

Even though shoeing is not mandatory it enhances the overall picture when horses are shod. This has the added advantage that when the inspection is held on grass the irons can be fitted with studs for a better grip. Shoeing should be done a fortnight before the event: this will give the horse sufficient time to get used to the ‘new shoes’.

One day before the inspection you should give the horse a shampoo, comb through the hairs and give it a good brush-over. The feet can be blackened with a black hoof polish. Now the horse is ready for the inspection.

From the time you start the training, you must keep the horse stabled with some turn-out time in the paddock. A horse who until now has been foraging on fresh grass is usually too rich in condition. The horse needs to develop dry and strong muscles through fitting work. Correct feeding of horses requires something of a master’s eye but as a general rule, you could stick to the following diet. Start with two daily feeds of forage (hay or haylage) and half a kilo of hard feed. Then you should gradually decrease the amount of forage and increase the amount of hard feeds. Four weeks before inspection days introduce oats: half a kilo of oats twice a day. Three weeks before the inspection you can progress to three daily feeds of half a kilo and two weeks before step it up to one kilo of oats three times a day. Oats is a great energy source for horses but should always be fed separately from any other hard feed. If you combine both feeds the horse will not properly grind the oats which will then leave the body practically intact via the droppings.

And then the great moment has come: the day of the inspection. If you have to travel quite some distance then hire a box in the vicinity of the inspection venue. It is good practice to arrive at the scene at least one hour before the event to give the horse some time to recover from the journey. You must also factor in some time for the secretarial office where you can pick up the bridle number and have your horse’s passport and vaccinations checked. The bridle number can be attached to the bridle with a tie wrap. Now give your horse a final brush-over to make him look his best. Horses that are here for acceptance in the Studbook first need to be measured for height at withers by the jury or a measuring team. Take your horse to the inspection ring ten minutes ahead of schedule. Avoid walking your horse near the inspection ring for an hour or longer because this will eat away his energy and stop him from showing off when he is finally allowed into the ring.

Presenting horses to the best of their ability is an art in itself. This is the reason why most foreign daughter associations of the KFPS invite professional Dutch runners to present the horses. These people know the tricks of the trade. If this option is not available or if you are keen to present your horse yourself then keep the following in mind.

The ringmaster will invite the runner with his horse and assistant to enter the ring. First, the horse must be lined up in front of the judges. On the basis of the linear score form, they will assess the horse on the 25 exterior characteristics as well as breeding type, conformation, and legwork. The jury will then ask the run-ner to walk the horse around the triangle for assessment of the walk. Following this, the horse is asked to do two circuits in a relaxed but active trot so that the judges can assess the last item on the linear score form: the trot.

Then comes the most exhilarating moment of the inspection: the result. Weeks of preparations have gone into this. Whatever the result may be, training, presenting, and caring for Friesian horses is a fascinating, thrilling, and educational process.