HOYS - Showing the world that a lame and obese pony can be a champion

Pinkvboots

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I am stabled next to a lovely lady and her daughter that show to a high level with natives. Lovely people who do a classy job with their horses... But as I stand there watching them use hair straighteners to straighten their fell pony's mane in order to make it straight enough to fit the breed ideal, I just can't take any of this nonsense seriously. Over and out - enjoy your horses ?

Why are you bothered by it is it doing any harm to you, I have no interest in jumping myself really don't get it but I understand people are different and if that's what someone wants to do it's there business.
 

silv

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I do think HOYS is one place where if you are wealthy you can buy your qualification as you can buy a horse already qualified and ride there yourself or you can get a pro to qualify and then you ride on the day. I don't think you can do that with other competitions such as SJ or dressage?


[Q
[QUOTE="lozloz1, post: 14738980, member:[/QUOTE]

You may be able to buy an expensive horse or pony that has qualified but you may well not be able to produce it or ride it to the standard required. I am not talking about feeding it till it is obese.

There is a great satisfaction to be had spotting something quite ordinary and working with it to produce something quite special. Covering up faults by careful presentation is a skill in itself, clever use of tack etc can make all the difference. Also many of these horses and ponies and not easy to ride in an electric atmosphere especially when you think of what they have to put up with at County Shows and they have to have a decent way of going. Not all are drilled in side reins. I didn't see any of the working hunters in the final cantering round with their quarters in, its a massive achievement to compete at HOY in workers and get a clear round. They are not dressage horses, maybe under the atmosphere the riders "forgot" to work on straightness or put the horse in shoulder fore!!! Maybe the person who commented that saw a different video to me, it saw the supreme horse products on where they were all cantering down the long side of the arena face on.

Many of todays top riders in other disciplines started out as show ring riders, Charlotte Dujardin and Jane Thelwell spring to mind off the top of my head but there are plenty others. Jane Thelwell said in her book that it taught her how to ride under extreme pressure and manage difficult ponies whilst making it look easy.

Plenty show horses start their careers in the show ring and go on to do other stuff very successfully.

I know quite a few folks who show minatures, they spend hours on their outfits, dying their tails, applying make up etc, not my thing, but they love doing it, the ponies are happy and well looked after, each to their own, everyone is entitled to enjoy their hobby. Show jumping or Le Trec would certainly not be mine, I find it boring but lots don't so long may it continue.
It's meant to be fun after all, I don't know why people are so judgemental.
 
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LegOn

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I do think HOYS is one place where if you are wealthy you can buy your qualification as you can buy a horse already qualified and ride there yourself or you can get a pro to qualify and then you ride on the day. I don't think you can do that with other competitions such as SJ or dressage?

[QUOTE="lozloz1, post: 14738980, member:
You may be able to buy an expensive horse or pony that has qualified but you may well not be able to produce it or ride it to the standard required. I am not talking about feeding it till it is obese.
[/QUOTE]

I think to be fair, if you have enough money in the horse world you can can pretty much buy your way to any level. A friend who worked in Florida said that the showjumping and hunter jumpers werent ridden by their owners from one end of the week to the next, they would fly in in helicopters, in all their gear while the horse was being warmed up for them and literally sit on it before they went into the ring and expected it to jump clear, if it didnt - it was the fault of the yard, riders, trainer, coach and groom - so it does happen.

And as for HOYS, their are ponies produced with their qualification already in place, and then sold to the family for the kid just to have the experience of riding at HOYS - producers do all the work with the pony and have pro kids show until its handed over.

To be honest, all of this doesnt really matter if you are riding as an amateurs' - everything we do with our horses, should be for our own enjoyment as a hobbie, we all know its nice to win a rosette but its also nice to go out and do your best and maybe perfect that one thing you have been working on or have your horse really enjoy his day out & behave really well!
 

scats

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I got quite into showing in my early twenties but then soon became bored with it. Even at local level, some of the animals winning classes- particularly the m +ms and cob classes, are far too overweight for my liking.
As someone battling constantly with two good doers, and who feels absolute shame at times that I can’t seem to get it under control, I struggle to get my head around people looking at an obese horse and thinking it looks amazing.
 

AShetlandBitMeOnce

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This pony looks fat too, I doubt you could feel a rib on it?

No,I agree with you, the pony isn't in ideal condition but I think you need to pick your battles sometimes and if you go for the lesser obese ponies then people will just revert to 'well you just don't understand showing condition' or 'you're being pernickety'.

The Dales Winner was at the very least in pretty good shape
 

SO1

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As someone who has a native pony I do understand how hard it is to get the weight down to the idea weight and I don't always manage it but as least that is the aim of my game.

However these people are meant to be at the top of their game and would probably have more facilities or ways of managing weight if they really wanted to and if the correct weight was rewarded they would all be slim I expect.

Agree it is not as obese as some of the others but still not the correct weight.

No,I agree with you, the pony isn't in ideal condition but I think you need to pick your battles sometimes and if you go for the lesser obese ponies then people will just revert to 'well you just don't understand showing condition' or 'you're being pernickety'.

The Dales Winner was at the very least in pretty good shape
 

scats

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In comparison I don't see much wrong with him..

View attachment 80681

That’s quite a flattering photo to be honest. I’ve seen some videos and pictures of it this morning and I would say it’s pretty overweight.
Its interesting how weight in certain breeds seems to be far more accepted by people. Wonder if it’s coz it’s what we so used to seeing now?
 

humblepie

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I love the art of turning a horse out well and enhancing the turn out with well placed quarter markers and good plaiting. On the flip side, other than at championship level I haven't plaited for dressage this year as that isn't going to make his half pass any better.....
 
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What is the benefit to the throat lash being so horrifically tight?

There isn't one. It has been a trend for quite a few years now to have them tight enough so they don't flap about, it started in in-hand classes and has transfered to ridden. I get that it looks better not to be flapping about but there's neat and then there's too tight which I would say this is.
 

J&S

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The photos s I have seen today were possibly the same pony but ridden by a man, and looked way fatter than that photo, I fully agree not too bad at all in this one. It was on the H & H site, I will try to find again.
 

Andie02

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I sometimes wonder if some people’s brain converses with their fingers before the send button is hit.

The level of ignorance is astonishing in parts of this topic.

Totally agree with you here AA.

As for those making comments and those ' liking them', regarding 'badly photoshopped' and the pony 'not in proportion', give yourselves a day off from the ignorance and ridiculous comments, and go and play around with a camera, clearly you do not understand photography and angles. That photograph is a point and shoot taken by a non professional, taken more towards the front end of the pony, which can and has made the pony look totally out of proportion, there are also others on the HOYS fb page which also are making heads look big and back ends not in proportion. Regarding the pony's neck, he was left entire and advertised for sale as a stallion as a four old, if anyone bothers to look the pony up, and if any of you have had dealings with colts left late before gelding you should realise that usually they have a more cresty neck.

Another photo taken at BSPS champs, same pony, same ownership and jockey, however in his summer coat here, and, taken correctly from a totally different angle !

239999252_10158901279767732_1131219645684192041_n.jpg And no I have no connection with the people concerned.
 

Squeak

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That’s quite a flattering photo to be honest. I’ve seen some videos and pictures of it this morning and I would say it’s pretty overweight.
Its interesting how weight in certain breeds seems to be far more accepted by people. Wonder if it’s coz it’s what we so used to seeing now?


This was the photo that I saw of it earlier and it does look a lot more overweight in it than the one above.

https://www.facebook.com/Horseofthe...J6esEW94rPszjdidiM8TUEQ6SymhwHiNk&__tn__=EH-R
 

Rowreach

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Totally agree with you here AA.

As for those making comments and those ' liking them', regarding 'badly photoshopped' and the pony 'not in proportion', give yourselves a day off from the ignorance and ridiculous comments, and go and play around with a camera, clearly you do not understand photography and angles. That photograph is a point and shoot taken by a non professional, taken more towards the front end of the pony, which can and has made the pony look totally out of proportion, there are also others on the HOYS fb page which also are making heads look big and back ends not in proportion. Regarding the pony's neck, he was left entire and advertised for sale as a stallion as a four old, if anyone bothers to look the pony up, and if any of you have had dealings with colts left late before gelding you should realise that usually they have a more cresty neck.

Another photo taken at BSPS champs, same pony, same ownership and jockey, however in his summer coat here, and, taken correctly from a totally different angle !

View attachment 80688 And no I have no connection with the people concerned.



And that's not an overweight pony?
 

Velcrobum

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Totally agree with you here AA.

As for those making comments and those ' liking them', regarding 'badly photoshopped' and the pony 'not in proportion', give yourselves a day off from the ignorance and ridiculous comments, and go and play around with a camera, clearly you do not understand photography and angles. That photograph is a point and shoot taken by a non professional, taken more towards the front end of the pony, which can and has made the pony look totally out of proportion, there are also others on the HOYS fb page which also are making heads look big and back ends not in proportion. Regarding the pony's neck, he was left entire and advertised for sale as a stallion as a four old, if anyone bothers to look the pony up, and if any of you have had dealings with colts left late before gelding you should realise that usually they have a more cresty neck.

Another photo taken at BSPS champs, same pony, same ownership and jockey, however in his summer coat here, and, taken correctly from a totally different angle !

View attachment 80688 And no I have no connection with the people concerned.

Regardless of camera angle this pony in this photograph has a condition score of 8/9. There is a gutter over the hindquarters and the flank looks filled in. This photograph hides the crest and the withers however the grab strap is clearly seen attached to the front of the saddle.
 
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One of mine was a stallion until he was 7yo, he doesn't have such a huge crest now as a ridden pony and he does a bit of everything but is still more than well schooled enough to go to HOYS. Our Welsh was cut at 5yo, he doesn't have a ridiculous crest, he has a nice one. So being cut later doesn't always mean they have or keep a huge crest.
 

AmyMay

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Some good points Andie02. And I photograph animals regularly so can see where you’re coming from. However, having also watched the video - I stand by my initial thoughts on the pony.
 

ester

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The photos s I have seen today were possibly the same pony but ridden by a man, and looked way fatter than that photo, I fully agree not too bad at all in this one. It was on the H & H site, I will try to find again.
Eurostar is ridden by a man :)
 
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