Make sure your horse is well fed and watered.

For the record, it’s important to make sure your horse is getting ample water before and during a show. If they are dehydrated, their muscles will cramp up and they won’t be able to perform as well.

If you have a chance to get your horse in shape before the big competition, start with pre-hydrating them three days beforehand by giving them half of their normal daily water intake for each drink time (morning and evening). For example, if your horse normally drinks 50 ounces per day, give them 25 ounces for each of these two days before the show starts.

The prep work starts way before the day of the big event.

The prep work starts way before the day of the big event. Ideally, you should start your prep work a week before the show; however, if you’re not able to get in that much time with your horse and tack, try at least two or three days before.

Set up a ‘to do’ list for yourself and your horse. This is important because it allows everyone to see what needs done before entering the show ring. It also ensures that nothing is left undone or overlooked on competition day.

A good idea when preparing yourself mentally (and helping prepare your horse mentally) is to spend some time at home practicing with your tack/equipment beforehand so as not to be thrown off by any last minute changes or surprises inside the ring itself.

Your horse needs an exam by a vet, even if the vet says the horse is healthy.

In this section, we’re going to talk about why it’s so important that you bring your horse in for a vet check before the big event. The truth is, even if your horse seems healthy, they could still have something going on that could seriously affect their performance at the show. Vets can help you diagnose what’s going on with your horse and give them the best treatment possible!

So let’s say you’ve been riding your horse every day since they were born and they’ve never had an issue before. You’d think that would be enough for them to be good for the big show! Not necessarily! Your vet will look over all of your animals’ vital signs as well as how they move around (just like when people go to get their physicals). They may also recommend more specific tests depending on what kind of issues come up during this exam if any arise at all which should definitely be expected since these are thorough checks done by professionals who know what they’re doing!

Don’t wait to make a plan until you’re at the show.

Before you know it, your horse will be standing in the show ring about to compete. If this is your first time showing at an event, you may be feeling a little nervous and unsure of what to do. The best thing to do is make sure that you have all the essentials packed up in advance and ready to go!

If there are things that are important for your horse’s health and safety, then it might be worth bringing them along as well. Things like halters should be washed prior instead of using one from another horse or just buying one at the show grounds because they probably won’t fit correctly without being broken in first (especially if they’re new).

Try not to get caught off guard by anything that happens either; have back-ups ready in case something goes wrong while on the road or even while at home before heading out on bigger trips such as this one where things can get stressful fast!

Make sure your horse has adequate downtime before the big event.

After a few days of intense training and practice, it’s important to allow your horse some downtime before the big event. It’s best for your horse to be kept in a quiet area where they can relax and tune out any distractions. If you choose not to use tranquilizers, you may want to consider keeping your horse away from other horses or animals so as not to disrupt their peace and quiet.

Have a plan for cleanup after the show.

• Set up a wheelbarrow, and make sure there are shovels, trash bags and water nearby.
• Have plenty of feed available in the stalls so that you can quickly get it out to your horses after they come back from the show ring.
• Make sure there is enough hay for all of your horses for at least another day or two, depending on how long you plan to keep them at home before shipping back out again (some shows have mandatory rest periods).

Prep for the show starts weeks before so you’re not scrambling last minute.

It’s important to always be prepared, but it can be especially difficult when you have a show on the horizon and things seem to be going according to plan. One of the most important things you can do is create a checklist of all the things that need to get done before your big event. This will help you make sure that nothing gets overlooked in your frenzy of preparation so that you don’t end up scrambling around at the last minute trying to remember everything.

You should also take into account any factors that might throw off your schedule or plans for getting ready for this event—for instance, if any horse shows are canceled due to weather conditions or other unexpected incidents, these changes may affect how long it will take for your horse’s legs and body conditioner coats (and even their hooves) to dry after being bathed. At this point in time, there isn’t much we can do about this kind of thing—but by planning ahead as best we can with checklists and timelines, we’re better equipped than ever before at making sure our horses are ready right on time!