Coloured shetland ponies and judges

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Marigold4

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I've been to watch a few local showing shows over the last couple of years and have been a little mystified about judges' choices for the line up in inhand classes. In the novice and youngstock classes there have been some pretty impressive horses who look as though they could turn their hoof to a variety of disciplines, good conformation and condition, nicely turned out etc, then in comes a portly coloured shetland with its little legs whizzing round and they walk away with the red rosette. I've seen this happen in three different classes with different horses/shetland ponies. Please can someone explain to me the coloured shetland pony magic? Are they particularly rare? Am I missing something??
 
Marigold4 said:
I've been to watch a few local showing shows over the last couple of years and have been a little mystified about judges' choices for the line up in inhand classes. In the novice and youngstock classes there have been some pretty impressive horses who look as though they could turn their hoof to a variety of disciplines, good conformation and condition, nicely turned out etc, then in comes a portly coloured shetland with its little legs whizzing round and they walk away with the red rosette. I've seen this happen in three different classes with different horses/shetland ponies. Please can someone explain to me the coloured shetland pony magic? Are they particularly rare? Am I missing something??
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There is a trick to showing coloured Shetlands! Pick your judges wisely and rarely bother with Shetland Breed classes! Oh and make sure it's a mare of gelding and not a stallion! It's the cute factor! Basically!

In the standard Shetland Pony showing world you have a black pony. If it isnt black it had better be chestnut. If it's not black or chestnut it had better be bay or grey! Multi-coloureds rarely get a look in unless they are very, very good!

In the mixed M&M world you do ok, again if you find a judge that doesn't mind Shetlands.

In coloured classes you need a mare or a gelding once you get to the adult classes. Stallions don't cut it apparently.

As for local level - it's defos the thelwell cute factor for Shetlands! I have seen some truly awful ponies winning because they are small, hairy and have a wee kid dragging them about!
 
Aha ... that sheds some light on it! I hadn't considered the cuteness factor! I was wondering why they didn't stick to their breed classes and now I know. I would find it very difficult to judge between a good example of a Shetland and a poor example - they are so hairy its difficult to see their conformation, but maybe these winning coloured shetlands are just fantastic ponies but I can't tell! And how do you judge a tubby hairy Shetland against an athletic retrained racehorse? Surely they shouldn't be in the same class? Glad I'm not a judge !
 
You judge what is in front of you against it's breed type not against each other. A good shetland should have a decent shoulder, thick legs, short cannons, good round feet, a nice depth of girth with a big round bum, a neatly set tail, an abundance of hair and a strong hindlimb. Their movement should be active and workman like. They should be strong enough to both pull a cart or be ridden by children. So if most of the boxes are ticked you would mentally give that pony a score of 8 out of 10 for breed type.

A tb on the other hand should again have a good shoulder, nice length of rein, decent length and depth with the appropriate amount of bone for size. They should float across the ground and look effortless. So say that's a good example of what it is turned out to be - hack/riding horse/hunter - you might mark that 8.5/9 out of 10 in your head.

You put the same way of thinking to a Clydesdale - big strong shoulder, powerful neck and a deep girth with lots of lung room. Good, solid round feet with a nice width of chest in front - where all the pulling power is. There is a trend these days to have Clydesdales close behind and cow hocked, how close you are willing to allow is down to judges discretion. This horse suits it's job of pulling a plough. So you would give it maybe a 7.5/10.

So in this case the tb would win as it had the better mental score. Of course behaviour is also taken into consideration.

Colour shouldn't actually come into it. But it does. As does personal preference. You might like fat hairy ponies so mark them well. You might not like heavy horses so you might be more critical and harsh when judging them.

If every judge liked the same thing life would be very boring indeed!
 
EKW is spot on with the marks out of 10 thing. It's really quite common to see a range of types in veterans, coloured etc and most judges do ok. Occasionally, you get one with a real preference or aversion and if you show regularly, just make a note of their name and avoid - I own a clydesdale and believe me, he's a marmite horse in open classes! Even in heavy horses classes, there's a few who will only place shires, so we don't go to those shows.

If you think about mountain and moorland classes, you could easily be judging a Shetland against a 14.2 connemara against a Dales, so comparing the different types fairly is a huge part of judging.

'Cuteness' is a bad thing to judge a class on unless it's a bonny pony or similar.
 
My friend has 2 coloured Shetland and a buckskin and she does mainly local shows and does really well often winning the championship, she has done Shetland shows and has also done quite well at those as well, I have shown them in hand for her in the past and they know there job they whizz round and stand up really well, and they are all good example of the breed and they have beaten lots of other types that were certainly not rubbish.
 
I think then that it's probably just me and i remain mystified by the appeal of Shetlands ! I shall try harder and apply the conformation points given and see if I can see past all the hair and the lack of distance between Shetland tummies and the ground!
 
Marigold4 said:
I would find it very difficult to judge between a good example of a Shetland and a poor example - they are so hairy its difficult to see their conformation, but maybe these winning coloured shetlands are just fantastic ponies but I can't tell! And how do you judge a tubby hairy Shetland against an athletic retrained racehorse? Surely they shouldn't be in the same class? Glad I'm not a judge !
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I've stewarded for few judges who have said exactly that, though mostly about miniatures a lot of whom seem to look like round fluffballs on legs, however that does make the better ones stand out as they do in comparison have good confo and movement.
 
This is my coloured stallion who has done very well but I am very careful who I show him under. He is just a 5yo so still has some maturing to do.

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Well your stallion certainly doesn't fall into the fat furball category! He has a very mischievous look in his eye and lovely colouring. Does he do riding or driving?
 
EKW, he would make a very nice husband for miniscule-fuzzy, shame you are such miles from me tho!
MF is very correct & moves exceedingly well; she is a far better mini than TF, who is only an inch bigger at 33ins, but paddles behind & is more like a stumpy std shetland.
 
A shetlands conformation is like any other. It’s easy to spot faults if you are looking. Because they are little, some faults are easier to spot, ie straight movement. I also think there seem to be many badly put together shetlands in comparison with other breeds, so when you get a good one, it impresses more.
 
Marigold4 said:
Well your stallion certainly doesn't fall into the fat furball category! He has a very mischievous look in his eye and lovely colouring. Does he do riding or driving?
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He is broken to ride but I have no one small enough or good enough to ride him in the ring so I may get him a cart for next year. He is the best 55gns we have ever spent!
 
EKW I will need to get your tips on judges! My coloured stallion is always overlooked for solid colours. He is a mini. My mini mare does better like you say!
 
Quadro said:
EKW I will need to get your tips on judges! My coloured stallion is always overlooked for solid colours. He is a mini. My mini mare does better like you say!
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If you are in a mixed standard/mini Shetland class then leave him at home. I try to find judges that breed colour themselves as you know then they aren't adverse to it. If they breed big black standards leave everything at home unless you have a big black standard 😂😂
 
Quadro said:
Definitely is a black Shetland bias going on. Only had him out at Fife show this year and got nowhere :D
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I had The Wee Coloured Job at Fife show too. That judge does breed coloureds but she prefers others 😉 There is a bigger black bias in Scotland more than anywhere else.

Have you ever joined The Central Scotlabd Shetland Pony Group? They have 3 shows a year either at Howe or Stirling. 1 is a youngstock show but the spring show and summer show are open to all ages and have separate mini and standard sections. No point joining for the rest of this year as membership runs from jan-dec unless you have a youngster you want to show in November.
 
Quadro said:
I did a few years ago but didn't find it the friendliest!
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Ah. Yes. It can be quite cliquey. Not a lot has changed in that respect! There will be some words being exchanged at the AGM next month ...

But on the whole the shows are good and they usually only pick the standard judge to suit themselves as that's what the organisers show 😉🤐🤐🤐
 
I think I should maybe get me a Shetland and join in! I saw the most stylish lady driving a pony trap with a picnic basket at a county show once. The judge even inspected the hamper! It really took my fancy. I'm off to google shetlands in harness!
 
It isn't a picnic basket, its where you carry the spares.:) The judges check to make sure you have stuff to cope with emergencies, ie sharp knife, string, hoof pick, hole punch, and matches and a spare candle if the carriage has lamps!
 
Unfortunately shetlands are like marmite to judges! Its all very well saying they get the rosette because of the 'cute factor' but if you owned one you would soon change your mind. My daughter rides our standard shetland and even if he doesn't put a hoof wrong he can still be put down against bucking broncos!
 
mcnaughty said:
Unfortunately shetlands are like marmite to judges! Its all very well saying they get the rosette because of the 'cute factor' but if you owned one you would soon change your mind. My daughter rides our standard shetland and even if he doesn't put a hoof wrong he can still be put down against bucking broncos!
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I know this feeling all too well! I have one of the most Consistant, correct, well schooled Shetlands in Scotland (well he is 28yo now but could still hold his own in the gallop!) And when I rode him myself ... 2001-2005 ... we were nearly always pulled in below the Welsh and Dartmoors. He always got pulled up the line to 2nd-4th place on a good day but rarely got to be up top. I have had ponies placed above me in open ridden classes that did less trot than a lead rein pony and never even attempted to canter, ice had ponies smacked on the bum by the steward and constantly chased and shimmeyed round the ring by both rider and outside assistance, napping, spooking, bucking, wrong legs - you name it we stood behind it. BUT we have also stood in front of them all with the right judges. My Shetland is grey so he stood out a country mile.

The very first show I ever took him to the ridden judge put me last in both open and junior ridden classes behind some truly awful ponies. The inhand judge let me in the ring very, very late (just about to hand out rosettes late ...) sent me trotting straight away etc. And put me 1st above 2 ponies that had qualified for HOYS the year before. She then went on to give him reserve M&M inhand champion behind a Welsh cob that would go on to qualify for HOYS.

Being a grey Shetland gelding he was also subjected to a lot of 'racism' in the Shetland rings too. But he also won his fair share of championships over black mares and stallions.

The right judge is imperative.
 
I am beginning to think showing and in particular inhand showing is very unpredictable indeed. Some of the judge's choices in classes Ive watched at local level just don't seem justifiable. All that effort, plaiting, washing, chalking, travelling and it's a complete lottery who wins - no feedback, no tips on how to improve. I watched a TSR show the other day and they marked the horses by different categories out of 10, then added up to find the winner with most points and then published scores so evryone could see. Surely that would be better and people could see why they came where they came.
 
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