Parents' Guide to Horse Shows

Do you show or ride horses?

Help for Riders and Horses!

Welcome to the Shopping Page of The In-Gate!

AQH

Show Season Special!!

The In-Gate: A Parent's Guide to Horse Shows

If you're new to the world of showing, whether an adult or junior competitor or a horse show mom or dad, this book is for you. It's written for show parents who are new to the sport, but will introduce any horse show newbie to the basics of what happens at a show.

$~~14.95~~ 7.00 + shipping.

Candle Lovers Rejoice! A Close-Out Deal on Equus Candles

These beautiful handcrafted candles are from Equus Candle Company located in New England. These 16 oz. candles are hand-poured, hand-crafted scented wax with cotton, lead-free wicks; some soy (round jars) and some regular wax (square jars) are still available.

Their glass containers with cork tops are Keepsake jars that can be reused to store your favorite items in your home, office or at the barn. Once the candle has burned down, place the jar in your freezer for two hours and the wax and wick will pop out. Take a damp cloth to remove any residual wax and fill with your favorite items. Never submerge in water!

Until they're gone, we're selling these GORGEOUS candles, 150 hours burn time, for only $10 + shipping!

Arabian AQH Hunter

Because selection is limited, let us choose scent, image and color for you. $10 + shipping.

Horse Crazy!

You'll fall over laughing at Bob Goddard's "Tongue in Cheek Guide for Parents of Horse-Addicted Girls". A great companion piece to The In-Gate, for horse show moms and dads.

$9.95 + shipping.

To view your shopping cart, or if you're ready to check out, click here:

For more clothes and accessories, visit the Horse Show Mom Shop at Cafepress.com/horseshowmom.

Resources

Stress Busting

Competition is great for our kids, and it's also a learning experience. As parents we are always looking for better ways to help our youngsters (and ourselves) handle the stress associated with competing.

Dr. Janet Edgette is an equestrian sports psychologist who understands this topic both as a rider herself and as a counselor. Her book, Heads Up! Practical Sports Psychology for Riders, Their Families and Their Trainers, is written for riders and their families. It's rare to find a book that addresses things from the family's perspective, which is so helpful to us as parents.

Visit her site, HeadsUpSport.com, to order her book and find out more about Dr. Edgette. For a great column with advice to parents about handling a child's show nerves, click here. Dr. Edgette is a consulting sport psychologist and columnist for Practical Horseman magazine.

You can also request my free tip sheets, Skills and Wills: Assessing The Motivation to Show, and Keeping Your Cool: Tips for Handling the Heat of Competition. Click Here to order.

Horse Sense

Whether you board your horse, lease a horse, or own your own, if you're just starting out in the show world there is a lot to learn. Even many of us who don't do our own horse-keeping like to know more about horses in general. For that purpose, be sure to check out The Complete Idiot's Guide to Horses, by Sarah Montague and PJ Dempsey. The guide is full of information on everything from horse health to detailed descriptions of different riding disciplines. Especially helpful are the very useful tips about handling and being around horses, which we show parents often need if we're not horse people. It also features information on the history of horses and specific breeds. Both authors show horses, as well, so they are knowledgeable about show information. A great all around resource, well-written and easy to read.

Comments? I'd love to hear 'em!

Please write to me at theingate@yahoo.com