From Arena to Ring: Dog Shows and Horse Shows — More Alike Than You Think!

From the age of six, I’ve been on the back of the horse until I wasn’t. 

From the local shows in Indiana to the plains of Kansas — I never thought I would be without a horse in my life. Then I was. I leased my mare out to a 4-H member when she was permanently injured after a trailer accident. With life changes from marriage, the horses weren’t bringing the joy they should have been so I sold the horse as a broodmare and my husband allowed me to buy the dog. 

From the moment Poppy Laurel and I walked into our training club, FWOTC, we’ve been counting the similarities between the dog and horse shows. 

Less than two years after the change, I’m so glad to have traded arena dirt for the show ring. 

Did you know Conformation is a Halter class, Agility is a Barrel Race, Rally is a Showmanship Pattern, and Obedience is your groundwork. Just like your horse is only as good under saddle as they are on the ground, a sport dog is only as good as the obedience fundamentals. 

No matter the sport or discipline, find something your teammate enjoys, is bred for, or simply just good for them. 

Here’s our take of the similarities! All in good fun — how many more can you come up with?

Weanlings and Pups
Every moment has been a training moment since we brought Popstar home. Granted our breeder, Adorn Poodles, gave us the best head start. She came to us table trained for grooming, crate trained, and was a good house citizen. Like a colt, we considered every experience an opportunity to train and broaden her world. 

The pre-show conditioning has been our favorite. As our old coach truly taught me, I train every time we are with Fort Wayne Obedience Training Club like it’s a show. 

While we have a lot of fun with our new found friends, we treat our class teachers as coaches and try to show and learn from them in class. We’re blessed to learn from our mentors and fellow handlers. 

Ready for Precision
We were blessed with many opportunities in both the horse show and dog show world. Just like horses, you can show by breed or by function. A personal opinion or a timed event to create the score — it’s all about the teamwork. 

Since Poppy is only 18 months old, we are just beginning our journey but have fallen in love with Rally Obedience and FAST CAT. While our girl isn’t running yet, we start Agility this week, too. 

Keep your toes up, straight back, crisp movements and clearly communicate with your partner. 

A perfect reining pivot to the left or a 100 on an advanced course. A penalty on a trail pole or a knocked jump. A rider error or a handler mistake, our partners are at the mercy of our cues, our performances, our energy we are feeding through the line — it’s comparable. 

Practice makes perfect in both and bloodlines matter, too. 

Presentation
I credit hours in a horsemanship outfit to my ring presentation. Colors to match my partner — if it was saddle pads and chaps or a no slip collar and our leash. 

Presentation matters. While pink is Poppy’s signature color; our favorite show shirt is well worn and our jeans are pressed, even for Obedience or Rally events. 

The grooming! If you can band a hunter’s mane, you can band poodle hair. No matter your dog’s fur type, I encourage brushing at a minimum for ring presentation. 

Consider your pleasure classes similar to conformation where everyone looks perfect. Your ranch horse classes could be like your obedience trials, not as done up but presentable. And your FAST CAT runs are like your barrel race, we’ve taken off the dirt but we’re ready to get just as dirty again. 

All the Things
Packing for a trial is just like packing the trailer. When I throw brushes, leashes, crates, fans, water bowls, enrichment toys, and more into the car  it often feels like I’m packing saddle pads, saddles, sport boots, feed pans, and hay. 

One of the best things we enjoy about the change is the ease of packing. Poppy’s stuff lives in her “diaper bag,” which we pack every time she leaves the house. There are no special trucks or trailers to hitch, we can throw and go. It’s one of my top selling points for changing from the arena to the dirt. 

Since we joined dog sports and trails, I have enjoyed comparing our new world to the horse world. While both celebrate the partnership between handler and animal — I’m grateful my new teammate can take a nap with me and go everywhere with me, too — try that with your pony!