Impressing the showing judge means knowing your stuff and looking the part. The main components of a good impression in the showring are:

Turnout – neatness, cleanliness and coordination of horse and rider/handler.
• Schooling – training and preparation, correct completion of tasks required for the class.
• Impression – an overall perception of compatibility of horse and rider/handler, suitability of the horse to the class and to his breed, politeness of the rider/handler, and overall style.
• Presentation – highlighting of skills of the rider/handler in the way the horse is presented to the judge.

Turnout
A neat, clean and coordinated turnout is pleasant to look at and gives the judge a good first impression of you. Judges appreciate the effort you have made for the show. The more effort you put in, the more you will please the judge. Make sure that every part of you and your horse is perfectly primped!

By die skou
Dis moeilik om 'n skou te geniet as jy nie iemand saamneem wat ook na jou perd kan kyk nie. Jy moet genoeg vryheid hê om te kan rondloop en seker te maak van jou klasse se tye, om nommers te gaan haal en dalk bane te bestudeer (in die geval van werksperdklasse). En dis baie moeilik om jouself skoon te hou as jy op die laaste nippertjie alles moet doen. Sorg dus vir 'n helper!

Schooling
In ridden showing classes, a relaxed horse working in the correct frame is a must. The judge has a tough job deciding who is to be placed, so the well-schooled horse is naturally placed higher. Make sure you fine-tune your flatwork at home, so that you can complete the required tasks of the class with minimal error and maximum finesse.

The same goes for in-hand classes. Your horse needs to walk, trot and stand obediently with you when you ask. It looks very untidy if you have to drag the horse behind you, haul on him as he rockets around the arena, or dance around his feet as he barges over you. This not only endangers you, your horse and other horses, it is also seen in a very bad light by the judge!

Impression
It is very important not to annoy the judge in any way, if you want to be placed.
Do not ask the judge questions, talk to the judge, or complain about your placing. Do not stare at the judge! Don't ride up close to the judge, shadow other riders or race past other riders, or push others out of the way.

This is very bad manners in the showring and will see you marked down or even eliminated.
Respect your fellow competitors. Try to make sure the judge sees your horse, without being pushy about it. Position your horse where he can be seen at his best, but in a calm, polite manner. Sit up straight, face forward and look up, smile, ride neatly and keep your horse soft and calm. Maintain this position even when standing in the line-up while the judge looks at the horses – you never know when the judge is glancing at you and you do not want him to catch you slouching while your horse catches a nap!

Presentation
Know your horse well. Know his good points and his bad points. Learn how you can hide his faults and highlight his qualities. Keep your individual tests short and simple – do what is compulsory in the test and only add something your horse is exceptionally good at in your individual test, if you are confident he will definitely do it very well.