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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Tips for New IEA Parents—Surviving Your Child’s First IEA Show

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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