Work Week:

Every member of the club must sign up for a committee to clean, organize, and prepare our horses, facility, tack, et cetera for the upcoming show. Your committee head will delegate tasks and make sure everything is done the week before the show.

Work week is the week prior to the show, and it is required that everyone puts in at least three hours of work toward their committee's responsibilities. If you do not participate in work week you will receive a $60.00 fine.

Please be responsible for what you are assigned, and respect the facility and/or equipment you may be working with during the week. Make sure everything is cleaned and put back where it belongs before you leave.

Please respect and listen to your committee heads; they were chosen for a reason and know what they are talking about.

The Day of the Show:

Everyone must arrive at the barn by 6:30AM (unless specified otherwise) on both days of the show. We will take attendence and if you are late you will be fined.

You MUST stay all day; you may not leave to get food, meet parents, go shopping, et cetera.

Even when the show ends, you are not permitted to leave. There are still things that need to be cleaned up or taken care of before the show the next day or before we return to a regular schedule Monday. Attendence will be taken again at the end of the day.

Encourage family, friends, coworkers, et cetera to come watch you ride; the team loves the support and they might spend some money at our concession stand! However, please don't be too distracted by your fan club; we have a show to run and the more cooperation we have, the smoother it will go.

What to Wear:

Make sure to wear appropriate clothing for the weather and for dirty work; you will most likely be tacking up a horse or doing barn chores in the morning. Please wear boots; tennis shoes are not permitted around horses.

Please try to wear something Miami-related so anyone with questions knows you are affiliated... Plus it's cool to be true to your school.

What to do at 6:30AM

Be at the stables by the picnic tables BEFORE 6:30AM for attendence.

Jobs will be assigned, most likely on a poster board for easy reference, but they will most likely be cleaning stalls, sweeping, tacking up a horse… listen for instructions because the horse you may be holding could be in the first class.

Breakfast foods will be provided, please help yourself.

During the Show:

You may be assigned a horse to hold, this means you are responsible for your horse for most of the day. Don’t worry, the horse you hold is assigned to you for a reason, it will not interfere with your class.

Please don’t bring your horse down until you are told by a coach or an officer. You will be responsible for having your horse down by the arenas for all of the classes it is assigned to.

Please read the “Horse Handling Guidelines” provided to you at your horse’s stall. This will be with a list of the class numbers you horse will be going to.

IMPORTANT: When a rider comes to you to mount your horse, they are only allowed to adjust the stirrups and check the girth. **You are the only one allowed to tighten the girth and check saddle placement as it may need to be reset!!!!!!

Please refer questions about horses to the coaches.

Be very friendly to the riders, we want to maintain a good reputation and make the Miami show a good experience.

Be cautious about riders carrying crops. If you know your horse can NOT have a crop let the rider know immediately. Riders are NOT allowed to use a crop out of the ring – this is grounds for a disqualification, the stewards will be in charge of this!!!!

Riders will mount when the announcement is made (usually when the class already in the ring reverses, but listen for the announcement.)

Stand with your horse until they go into the ring.

When the horse is done, meet them on their way out of the ring and take them back to the mounting area. You may loosen their girths (but don’t forget to tighten them for the next rider!) and always make sure they have access to water.

Make sure the riders always have access to a mounting block or a leg up…NO MOUNTING FROM THE GROUND!

Those of you not assigned to the horse, remain accessible to others so if they need someone to hold their horse because nature calls, you will be able to take over.

Before Your Class:

Make sure you are fully clothed and ready to go at least two classes before you go.

About two classes before yours, you will be called to the draw table to draw your horse.

Once you know who you are riding, find a coach or a teammate, and then go find your horse in the mounting area, check the stirrups from the ground and ask questions about the horse if you need to.

Make sure you are ready, gloves on, hair up, chin strap pulled flush to your chin.

Don’t forget to find a coach before you enter the ring!

After Your Class:

Stay positive about your ride and the horses.

Find the horse holder to take your horse, run up the stirrups, thank them, and find a coach for information on your ride.

When you are changed, be ready to pick up a horse from someone else or work in the barn so we don’t have as much to do after the show.

What to Pack:

Usually our away shows are cold. Pack lots of layers and warm clothing. (Midway is like an ice box, it’s colder inside than it is outside!)

Don’t forget your show clothes!

Money! We usually go out to eat for dinner both nights we are there.

Travel:

If you do not sign up to stay with your parents you are expected to stay in the team rooms. There are usually four people in each room. Rooms will be assigned when we get there.

We usually meet by Cook Field to catch the bus. Check your email the week before the show for information.

Don’t be late, we will leave without you.

Come early to get a good seat. Bring DVD’s for the bus (the team usually votes for the funny ones)

Hotel Rules:

Make sure you have an alarm or wakeup call. You will be told the night before when we are leaving and are expected to be on the bus by that time! Again, we will leave without you.

We do not return to the hotel on Sunday after the show. Please bring all of your stuff on the bus with you Sunday morning.

If the team goes out to dinner, you must attend unless you are sick (and can prove it) because it’s fun and a good way to get to know each other. You may go to dinner with your parents if they were nice enough to make the trip, but make sure a coach knows where you are.

Try to get some sleep, we need you rested to kick butt.

NO ALCOHOL

The Show:

Check your class number in the program and make sure your number and all other information are correct. If you are in the wrong class find your coach immediately to move you to another class.

We will sit in the bleachers as a team. Please stay in the arena or in the bleachers to support your teammates. You are allowed on the bus but don’t sit on the bus for longer than 15 minutes!

Support your teammates when they are in the ring, and help those who need them.

Make sure you know where all of your stuff is at all times, last year we had a couple pairs of breeches taken out of the bathroom.

If you are disappointed with your ride, please don’t complain about the horses or tack, be positive and thank your horse holder. Even if your horse was crazy, keep a positive attitude. You wouldn’t want to hear anyone complain about our horses either!

**Remember, have fun! If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask the coaches or officers.