HOYS announcement regarding judging

[ester]

One of the best pieces of advice I was given , by an eminent judge , regarding identifying the breed of non typically coloured ponies , is to squint until you can't see the colour and then just look at the silhouette .
" And if you still can't tell " he added " It's a New Forest . "

( Apologies in advance to Foresty fans ) .

In a very non professional capacity I think I've used a similar mantra lol

 

[Peregrine Falcon]

*steps away from the keyboard*

 

[ester]

Sorry PF, I think what throws me most is that show connies don't look like the connies I know (usually a lot fatter with more hair lol)

 

[Fire sign]

A hypothetical question to you if you don’t mind? If there are two horses, one true to type, everything about it correct, apart from it’s behaviour, and another, has a conformation fault or isn’t true to type, but is beautifully behaved and does a lovely individual show, which do you choose?

Ooh I am guessing the first should win ?!

 

[fetlock]

Ooh I am guessing the first should win ?!

It would depend on the level of behaviour, how poor the other horse actually was, and the class though, wouldn't it.

If behaviour was so bad, the judge does have the option to ask it to leave the ring. Likewise, the judge doesn't have to award first place either. I vaguely recall a Scottish show a few years ago, which was a RI or HoYS qualifier. The top placed horse was placed top but given a third place rosette (or something like that) so as to avoid it qualifying, despite being top of the line.

 

[honetpot]

Sorry PF, I think what throws me most is that show connies don't look like the connies I know (usually a lot fatter with more hair lol)

I worked on a Connemara stud in the 70's, they were very much ponies, none of the brood mares were above 13.2, and they were all dun, bay and we had a chestnut. They imported Leam Bobby Finn, and that introduced a lot of grey, which makes them look bigger and then everything seemed to get bigger. I have two types on Connemara, the old boy who was the last bred by the stud I worked for, looks like a large pony, and the rest like a small sports horse. What usually fools the judges is none of them were grey, so I entered them in sports pony. The two I have left are dark dun and cremello, stood together in the field, they hardly look the same breed, but they both registered on the main stud book.
The Highland yearling I have is greying out, and he could almost pass for a connie, but he has far bigger hocks, and a much thicker mane and tail.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

A hypothetical question to you if you don’t mind? If there are two horses, one true to type, everything about it correct, apart from it’s behaviour, and another, has a conformation fault or isn’t true to type, but is beautifully behaved and does a lovely individual show, which do you choose?

If would depends on how naughty the types one was and how untrue to type the other one was. You weigh up which is the lessor of two evils.

Say you had a hunter class and the true hunter bucked in its show and fidgeted. But the other competitor was a well behaved shetland. You have to go for the hunter because the Shetland is the last horse on the planet that could carry 14st out hunting all day. BUT you do not need to award a 1st place rosette. You can start the placings wherever you like if you do not think the animals in front of you merit them. And trust me that causes issues sometimes!

I have refused a 1st place rosette in an Open class when I was the only one in it because I did not want to de-novice my pony for the following year so took the 2nd place rosette instead.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It would depend on the level of behaviour, how poor the other horse actually was, and the class though, wouldn't it.

If behaviour was so bad, the judge does have the option to ask it to leave the ring. Likewise, the judge doesn't have to award first place either. I vaguely recall a Scottish show a few years ago, which was a RI or HoYS qualifier. The top placed horse was placed top but given a third place rosette (or something like that) so as to avoid it qualifying, despite being top of the line.

I remember that and the ruckus it caused ???? the horse did not deserve the ticket and the judge was not willing to be the one to have their name next to its qualifying place sending it to the RIHS!

 

[Sanversera]

love the advice about new forests. about right I think.

 

[fetlock]

A snippet from a Robert Walker opinion piece in H&H this week.

As one of the country's leading showmen, and so with the influence and voice to be listened to, I don't think he's doing showing any favours by not kicking up a fuss.

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/plu...countable-to-stamp-out-bias-in-showing-795914

Alongside changing competitor attitudes, we need to ensure judges feel that appointments are a privilege and a responsibility. If an individual is skating on thin ice when it comes to being fair and unbiased, then perhaps they need to be called up and either reassessed or asked to step down from their position.

Showing is the only sport where judges do not undergo reassessment at some stage. Perhaps, if a society believes that someone has judged with a strong bias then they’re called in, thanked for their time and sent on their way.

Likewise, if a competitor approaches a judge prior to a class in an inappropriate way in terms of asking for favours, they should be reported.

Everyone should be held accountable.

Nevertheless, we’re only talking about a small pool of judges. I have about three judges who I won’t enter under for this reason. I don’t kick up a fuss – would just not put myself in front of them.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

A snippet from a Robert Walker opinion piece in H&H this week.

As one of the country's leading showmen, and so with the influence and voice to be listened to, I don't think he's doing showing any favours by not kicking up a fuss.

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/plu...countable-to-stamp-out-bias-in-showing-795914

He's done no favours there by admitting that dodgy stuff goes on and you just suck it up or stop showing.

You can't just strike judges off of lists without 100% solid proof of their dodgyness. It brings back around the whole thing of opinions. A judge gives a horse a good place despite a wrong leg, people outside of the ring go spare and declare the judge dodgy and doing favours. The judge could then argue that it was the best example of breed type in the class by far which outweighed the wrong leg. Who is right and who is wrong?

Trust me you see far more from the middle of the ring than you ever could from outside of it.