Addington

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magic104

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www.jc-countryside.co.uk
Just come back from Addington, some very smart foals. There was only 1 mare forward for the heavy weight brood mare & that was an ID, her colt foal must have been a good 14hh! The 2yr olds looked very well grown they could have passed for 3yr olds. Came back & looked at my two & bless them they look very small & pewny. Prince is meant to be going to Keysoe Saturday, but his hock is blemished now & I have near enough decided to pull out. It is a lot of work to go to just for the experience & he has shown how good he is with his visit to the vets.
 
Tell me about it - how old were the foals there mine is 2 months old and over 13hh !!

Thats a shame but if it was just for experience then i wouldnt bother either
 
I'm off there to pick up my new two year old tomorrow, so you probably saw him! I haven't seen him since the spring and he looked pretty good then, so I'm hoping he looks even better now.
 
Foals from the other groups included an Apr filly who was one of the smaller ones but she still made our June colt small. I could not get over the size of the ID colt though he was huge! I thought smaller horses were coming back into fashion, LOL. There were some beautiful well mannered horses being ridden side saddle.
 
Wasn't it fantastic weather for them as well. I spent most of the day sitting on the bank watching the hunters and keeping an eye on the workers at the same time, really relaxing day and as you say some beautifully behaved horses.
 
I didnt realise you were there! I took my mare for grading and stayed and watched the 2yo fillies class before heading home. Did spot some of the foals as we were getting her ready and there were some huge ones!

(I am in a top mood though as my old girl scored enough points to go Elite but sadly even though she got to advanced level eventing she needed a top 12 placing at a 3 star event to get Elite status). Even so the judges were so positive about the old girl that I am thrilled to bits with her
 
Well done volatis! Got any pics of this mare?

Magic104 - maybe wait till next year - your colt might 'catch up' over the winter?

I only really know about showing Arabs, but with Arabs tbh I always prefer the ones who look a bit immature as yearlings and 2yos. The ones who look too big and fully-formed as youngsters tend to grow rather heavy and coarse as adults, whereas the less mature-looking youngsters stay refined and typey.
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(Not just my opinion - a lot of top Arab breeders agree with me on this!)

Don't know if this applies with the type/breeds that you are producing, but just thought I'd mention it in case it made you feel better!
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volatis I'm really annoyed with you - I've just spent the past 20 minutes looking at all the lovely mares and foals on your website - again !

I'm supposed to be working ! LOL!
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Gertie is fab - not surprised she did well!
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Just come back from Addington, some very smart foals. There was only 1 mare forward for the heavy weight brood mare & that was an ID, her colt foal must have been a good 14hh! The 2yr olds looked very well grown they could have passed for 3yr olds.

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This is not good. They will be coarse and over-grown when they are adults and their athlecticism and soundness will suffer as a result. Such a silly short-sighted thing to let them develop like this just so that they can win a couple of classes in hand

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Came back & looked at my two & bless them they look very small & pewny.

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This is much better for their long-term development, especially if they are Trak or part-bred Trak as they should not be properly mature until they are about 7 years old -- and I am sure they are just the right weight (you can just see their ribs) not actually puny, but just slimmer and fitter in comparison with the hunter youngstock.

I'm going to Addington tomorrow as J L-C is judging the sports horse youngstock classes and they are holding the 3-year-old loose jumping competition at lunchtime so it will be interesting to see how they attempt it.

Bad luck about Prince. May be next year ...
 
Ciss may not be good for them, but they were all the same, so everyone is of the same mind. I would assume (makes an ass of u and me) that they are expected to look like that, because that is what judges are looking for? I would have struggled to have known they were 2 & not 3, unlike the yearlings, but perhaps it is just me.
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Ciss may not be good for them, but they were all the same, so everyone is of the same mind. I would assume (makes an ass of u and me) that they are expected to look like that, because that is what judges are looking for?

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Sadly, probably true which is why hunter youngstock classes are such a no no for people with long-term sports plans for the horses they breed.

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I would have struggled to have known they were 2 & not 3, unlike the yearlings, but perhaps it is just me.

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I'm sure its not just you and some other organisations (eg NPS, Ponies Uk, CHAPS and BSPA) seem to be getting the message and telling their judges that this is not what is required, so perhaps given SHBGB's usual 25 year time lag we might see a change in about 2030 (but I'll be long gone by then!)
 
Sorry went of to bed early. Its the sports' horse yearling class we are going for specifically but it's sport horses all day really.

SN Love to see you tomorrow, would be good to catch up. Give me a ring on my mobile if you make it there.
 
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Just come back from Addington, some very smart foals. There was only 1 mare forward for the heavy weight brood mare & that was an ID, her colt foal must have been a good 14hh! The 2yr olds looked very well grown they could have passed for 3yr olds.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is not good. They will be coarse and over-grown when they are adults and their athlecticism and soundness will suffer as a result. Such a silly short-sighted thing to let them develop like this just so that they can win a couple of classes in hand

[ QUOTE ]
Came back & looked at my two & bless them they look very small & pewny.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is much better for their long-term development, especially if they are Trak or part-bred Trak as they should not be properly mature until they are about 7 years old -- and I am sure they are just the right weight (you can just see their ribs) not actually puny, but just slimmer and fitter in comparison with the hunter youngstock.

...

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That's v interesting - I knew this was true with Arabs (see my post above) but wasn't sure if the same applied to other breeds (although logically it should do). It seems it does!

The slight difference with Arabs is that many judges do recognize this as well. Although people mostly don't show the very backward, slow-maturing youngsters until they are a bit older, looking a bit immature is not necessarily a drawback in the ring for a yearling or 2yo - providing it is not growing unevenly.

My chap looked rather slight, leggy and immature as a yearling and 2yo (in fact as a yearling he looked almost too feminine for a colt) and yet he won championships and always beat the bigger, heftier colts.

But this is because Arab judges are looking above all for Arabian type, and they know that, say, the 2yos who look like 4yos are likely to grow coarse and heavy and lack type as adults, whereas the less-developed ones are more likely to stay refined and pretty.

The show-Arab people's obsession with type can sometimes go too far (e.g. when type takes priority over good conformation) , but in this aspect at least it works to the horses' advantage, as there is less incentive for breeders to breed and produce for size and bulk at an early age.
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