Being an IEA parent is tough. You’re asked to put your child on a 1200
pound animal that she has probably never ridden before and then watch her pilot
it across a course of jumps or around an arena.
It is no easy task. In fact, I would
argue that sitting there watching your child show is probably just as stressful
as being the one up there competing.
Here are six
tips to help you survive your child’s first IEA horse show.
Trust your coach
First and foremost, if you can trust that a) your coach
knows what she’s doing, and b) she has your child’s safety and best interests in
mind, everything else will be easy by comparison.
Part of trusting your coach is allowing her to be the
coach. For example, you may feel your
child needs a re-ride. You have to trust
that your coach knows when a re-ride is appropriate and when it’s not, and that
if your child does indeed need a re-ride, that your coach is going to make the
request.
If at any time you feel the bond between you and the coach is broken or in need of repair, you need to communicate with her.
The relationship between a child’s parents and her coach can make or
break her whole IEA experience. Take time
to nurture and grow this relationship.
Respect the horse show chain of command
During an IEA show, only the steward may address the
judge and only a coach may address the steward.
To say it another way, you are free to discuss issues with your child’s
coach, but only the coach can bring that issue to the steward, and only the
steward can bring that issue to the judge.
Keep this in mind before heading
down to the in-gate to share your thoughts with the steward.
Educate Yourself
Many IEA rules and procedures are not intuitive,
especially to a non-horse parent. I find
that parents who understand how the IEA works and why things happen the way
they do tend to enjoy the whole experience more. There is a great book about
the IEA written just for parents. I can’t
remember off-hand who wrote it…oh wait, it was me. I’ll provide a link to where you can buy it
at the end of this post.
Support the team as a whole
IEA riding is a team sport, and your child is an
important part of a greater whole. It is
important to remember this especially toward the end of a long show day when
everyone is cold and tired and the trailer still needs to be loaded and then
unloaded back at the barn, or when another rider from your team wins her class
and your child brings home a green ribbon.
Be on time
Horse shows start early. The morning schooling starts even
earlier. You need to confirm with your
coach what time your child should arrive and be there ten minutes early. You should also be on time in the days/weeks
leading up to the show with your payment and any paperwork your coach asks you
to complete. You don’t want your
daughter to miss her first show because you forgot your checkbook. Be prepared to stay late. Don’t allow your child to leave until she has
checked with her coach and confirmed that she has completed all of her
responsibilities.
Be positive
Horse shows are always a learning experience, especially
the first one. Your daughter won’t
always have the best ride and sometimes you may disagree with the judge or
steward. That’s all part of the game. Try to instill in your child the idea that she
can learn something from every horse she has the opportunity to sit on. Sometimes the best learning experience isn’t
going to correlate with the highest ribbon.
The team riders take cues from the parents and coach on how they should
behave toward other teams, coaches, show officials, and each other. Be a positive role model.
These are just a few tips to help you with your child’s
IEA journey. For more information, check
out my book, “A Parent’s Guide to the Interscholastic Equestrian Association,” now available in ebook and paperback.
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