Showing -- TWH questions

[Horselessnomore]

Now that I am taking riding lessons weekly, I have decided to bite the bullet and be brave and maybe, just maybe, show my TWH next year. He's doing well mixed with the QH & paint that I take lessons with and we have even started a little ground pole, small jump work. He just does the poles at a running walk instead of a trot.
Now for my questions -- I know I can't show him with "regular" horses unless it is an open show but I can show him at the TWH breed shows in the area (there's 2 I think). Does anyone know what I need to do with his mane?? All the pictures I see of TWH being shown have a long flowing mane with a longer bridle path cut. How far down do I cut?? Everything I have read says "to breed standard", well, what is the breed standard -- how far down his neck do I trim???
Also -- has anyone shown their TWH in an open show?? When they ask for a trot, do you just do a running walk?
W if the judges are not familiar with TWH? Would you be marked down because you are not trotting?
As for the hunter headset or WP headset are you suppossed to achieve that head down to the ground look with your TWH as well? What about the head shake/nod?
Sorry about so many questions, but has anyone successfully shown their TWH mixed in with "regular", non-gaited horses?
Keep in mind that I will be showing mostly for fun and the experience but would also like to do well.
The horse has had some show experience as a weanling/yearling and at 2 yr. old english 2 gait in the breed shows, so he is not a complete novice (like his rider) -- and he had done fairly well at these early shows, so I would like for him to do well with whatever I plan to do with him. Should I attempt some local, non-breed shows just for the experience (for me) and skip the breed shows or should I go all out and jump in to the world of the TWH breed shows.
I am so about all this . . . . . . .

Oh yeah -- forgot to add will be shown barefoot (the horse, not me ). No shoes or pads for this boy!!

[kyspottedwalker]

I think I may be able to answer some of your questions. With the mane I would leave it long and just trim a decent bridal path( I trim mine about six inches long). With the open shows around here they ask for a favorite gait instead of trot, but I guess we have a few more TWH around here though. But I would a judge in an Open show would know the standards for the walking horse and you would not get bad marks for gaiting. The head should be a natural head set, not lowered like in WP.
I hope I have helped you some.

[Freedomnchrist]

The gaited classes around here just call for a walk...and then "your favorite gait"!!!


And basically...they just let em go!!!

They usually have ling manes with a bridle path as stated above.

They want lots of head shaking action!!!

[pippy]

You would want to leave the mane long, and for breed shows, you can braid in a couple ribbons at the start of the top of the mane. I usually cut my bridle path to be the length of the ear backwards.

Around here, at open shows, you just have to hope the judge knows how to properly judge a gaited horse, as far as if he is doing the right gaits...compared to if a regular horse is trotting correctly....around here, in the local shows, I've only seen one TWH place above the western pleasure...I know it is known among the TWH people, which open judge knows how to judge a TWH vs those that don't. When those that don't are the judge, TWH people don't attend.

edited to add: no, you should not be expected to have your horse's head low as a wp non gaited. But, not any higher then usual for the TWH breed either.

There is a Canadian TWH association, perhaps you could go to some of their breed shows? Also, the MWHA has a few members from Canada as well, if you would be of a mine to travel further down for breed shows.
Also, sometimes it's good to just jump in & go to a breed show, to get your feet wet and learn, esp. if the horse has already done so- I think if I were going to ride in any of the pleasure type classes, I'd rather be at a breed show then the local shows. Maybe the association up there is like MWHA- they have a very laid back breed show in the spring...they call it the Early Bird Show- something like this would be perfect for you to introduce yourself to the breed show world.

[Val]

I have a couple of walkers....I would like to learn how they do that neat braid in their mane. I have done searches on it, but no luck. As far as the bridle path I lay the ear back and use that as my guide. Keep us updated on how things are going. Im real curious

[Horselessnomore]

Val -- apparently you can do either of two things with the braid. I am assuming you are talking about the ribbon though. You can actually braid the ribbon in to the mane or and this is the easier way -- you can braid the ribbon separately and then clip it in to the mane. I haven't tried either way, but am thinking of trying the 2nd way and just attaching an alligator clip to the ribbon so it will stay solidly in the mane. I have also strung a long line of beads on to a clip and will see if that will stay in his mane .

[David]

Good advice so far...The bridle path is usually the same length as the ear( although some shows don't ask for a bridle path at all )

As for the head set it should be higher than the typical WP headset but you don't want stargazing. The nose should be pointed down so the face is on a vertical and the horse is carrying the bit ( or on the bit, or collected, etc etc etc however you want to describe it)

The head shake is natural for walkers and I've even been told they have to "bob that head" to gait properly.

The shows I've been to they ask for a country pleasure gait which is slower than a run walk then they will ask for a flat footed walk and then for a run walk.