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

AmyMay

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Clearly some of you don't know how hard it can be keeping weight off certain types.

I know Welsh cobs who are pretty much in starvation paddocks and are still very much overweight. I think that little Welsh cob is positively delightful :).

I hope you're all whiter than white :D.

He is positively delightful, I agree. And has been produced exactly as his owners would have wanted. Very well covered.
 

ozpoz

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The mini’s are judged vey highly on manners, and for tiny riders with really only the goodwill of their ponies to keep them safe in a highly charged atmosphere this is the first and foremost consideration to me. I am quite surprised at some of the comments, re grab straps. I’d rather see a 3 year old riders holding on to one than holding on to their mouths with their hands in the air! Little ones don’t have much balance and tend to fall on their larger heads.
I think the riding in by heavier riders is dying out now thankfully,
with this practice banned at many shows.
 

Velcrobum

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Having received my paper copy of H&H I was horrified so see the picture of the M&M working hunter pony Champion which was a Shetland ridden by an adult. The riders feet would have touched the ground if she had taken them out of the stirrups her legs were so bent her knees were level with the pony's withers, not a pretty sight at all!!!
 

Tiddlypom

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The rider is very slim, and it's probably a photo that caught her in an unfortunate pose, but she is indeed very tall on him especially in a class where they are required to jump. IMHO not a welfare issue, though, although the pony is sporting a very round tummy.

I've no problem with adults on the larger ponies, but Shetlands?

D44C0466-FC09-447D-B611-9D0DD603A323.jpeg
 

ester

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There's plenty of vids of him which I think do show her better than the angle of that pic, and he doesn't look particularly overweight in.
Jumps! Did FR and grand national wiht her too.
 

Apizz2019

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A few years ago my then 7 year old daughter was showing her Welsh A who didn't have a fat pad on him, because we managed him carefully. He was healthy and looked amazing! He was happy, sound, tracking up beautifully, no visible ribs but no fat pads, crest etc

The judge pulled us in bottom of the line and gave me feedback.

The feedback was that he was a lovely pony but that he should be in a Wilkie, so that he was more 'rounded', aka so that his chin was tucked to his chest, incorrectly over bent and not able to move freely. Oh and that he needed more weight - he didn't have enough of a covering.

First place went to a pony whose chin was tucked to its chest, it was lame behind and obese.

I'm so glad my daughter doesn't enjoy showing, it's a joke at every level, for the most part.
 

SEL

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Having spent many a saturday morning riding a shetland to get the boings out of it before riding school lessons started I'm sure it could manage her weight - it doesn't look pretty but they are tough little characters. I used to have to hack the RS one and it was a little sh*t! I'd like to say it behaved with the kids.... it didn't

Still recovering from the whiteness of that tail in the championship video.
 

McFluff

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The pic of the Shetland looks healthier and happier than many others. Pony is fit, rider is very slim, and she must have great balance as her height won’t make that an easy ride.
I like seeing these smaller ponies with a job and fit - and as they are so clever they usually need an older more experienced jockey.
 
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Trust me that shetland and rider combo are some of the better ones out there with adult riders! If you had seen a couple of the jockeys on them in the Open flat class you may rethink your idea of the whp! Though I was glad to see the kids holding their own in the Open Ridden on their shetlands and beating the adults.
 

Velcrobum

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The pic of the Shetland looks healthier and happier than many others. Pony is fit, rider is very slim, and she must have great balance as her height won’t make that an easy ride.
I like seeing these smaller ponies with a job and fit - and as they are so clever they usually need an older more experienced jockey.
This particular one teaches children to ride according the the writeup so he has a job. I did not claim she is too heavy but that is not a pretty picture however people want to justify it IMHO.
 

ihatework

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This particular one teaches children to ride according the the writeup so he has a job. I did not claim she is too heavy but that is not a pretty picture however people want to justify it IMHO.

It’s funny how we perceive things.
I despise showing but interestingly that picture doesn’t really get my back up at all.
 

windand rain

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The same stud produced 6 of the dales finalist some full brothers and sisters they all looked magnificent and it must be something of a record. Nipna dales
 

ycbm

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Because of her length of leg and desire not to have her feet dangling well below the pony's belly, the Shetland rider's bum is in a place where few reputable saddlers would agree to fit a saddle. She doesn't appear to fit in the saddle which is on him and if she does ever sit down her bum must be on the cantle, which for me is a huge no.

She's too big for him by every measure except weight. I would have no quarrel with it if she would drop her stirrups and sit her bum further forward. Would she still win sat properly, I presume not?
.
 
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conniegirl

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Because of her length of leg and desire not to have her feet dangling well below the pony's belly, the Shetland rider's bum is in a place where few reputable saddlers would agree to fit a saddle. She doesn't appear to fit in the saddle which is on him and if she does ever sit down her bum must be on the cantle, which for me is a huge no.

She's too big for him by every measure except weight. I would have no quarrel with it if she would drop her stirrups and sit her bum further forward. Would she still win sat properly, I presume not?
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It is not ridden in a saddle. It has a zoe snape pad on.

https://www.shetlandshowingtack.com/saddle-pads

So no cantle.
She is essentially riding in a numnah with stirrups
 

stangs

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Screenshot 2021-10-14 at 18.45.36.png
Screenshot from a video of the two from 2012.

From this angle, she does look a little too far along the back, but, then again, from the little I watched of the pair this year, pony seems in much better shape than other HOYs horses, even at 21 years of age.
 

DiNozzo

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Clearly some of you don't know how hard it can be keeping weight off certain types.

What does this have to do with anything?

Professionally produced ponies (and horses) are produced by those who charge huge amounts to do so. Whatever time or work needs to go into keeping these animals healthy should be charged. If that makes it too expensive, so be it.

Allowing these animals to get and certainly to remain as obese as they are should be criminal.

The ones rewarding this effort (over slimmer animals, especially in the lower level classes) should be prosecuted.
 
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normal adults who are riding such fat horses their legs are stuck out the side and look like Thelwell riders.

I felt like one of those earlier ??? I rode a barely scraping 16hh narrow horse that my legs went straight down on and there was obviously no belly behind my heel as he is race fit then I got on my 17hh tank of a horse who again is race fit but always carries a little around the waist. I could definitely feel horse behind my heel there! I felt like my legs were sticking out sideways ??? I ride these 2 horses every day, as well as another big tank and another Dainty midget (it's quite comical when you put them all side by side ?) and yet some days you just feel daft on one or the other of them!
 

ycbm

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View attachment 81088
Screenshot from a video of the two from 2012.

From this angle, she does look a little too far along the back, but, then again, from the little I watched of the pair this year, pony seems in much better shape than other HOYs horses, even at 21 years of age.


That was 9 years ago, she's a fair bit bigger and say a fair bit further back today.
.
 
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fetlock

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I stand to be corrected, but pretty sure M&M ponies used to have to carry a judge in days of old.
I can remember - and it was probably in H&H- a photo of jennie Loriston-Clarke in ride judge capacity, astride a Shetland pony, which caused some hilarity at the time.

Edited as I've found the pic (from 1998)
 

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The Fuzzy Furry

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I stand to be corrected, but pretty sure M&M ponies used to have to carry a judge in days of old.
I can remember - and it was probably in H&H- a photo of jennie Loriston-Clarke in ride judge capacity, astride a Shetland pony, which caused some hilarity at the time.

Edited as I've found the pic (from 1998)
I remember that well, was stood at the ringside.
 
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I stand to be corrected, but pretty sure M&M ponies used to have to carry a judge in days of old.
I can remember - and it was probably in H&H- a photo of jennie Loriston-Clarke in ride judge capacity, astride a Shetland pony, which caused some hilarity at the time.

Edited as I've found the pic (from 1998)

Yes they used to ride them in the finals at the NPS Championships. Then they stopped riding the small breeds as not all judges were small enough to ride them. They might still ride some of the large breeds but not many now.

I think the judge still rides the C's and D's at the Royal Welsh though I will happily be corrected on this. It is common for the judge to ride Highland ponies up here I breed classes.
 
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The pony JLC is on - Briar Pandora is the paternal grandmother of Briar Snow Fox who was 3rd in the Open Ridden at HOYS this year and 6th in the First Ridden. He also qualified for the Lead Rein but was unplaced. Their breeder, Mrs Hampton was the confirmation judge in the M&M Junior ridden at HOYS this year.

Funny how a HOYS thread can take so many twists and turns ??
 

BronsonNutter

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Out of interest, how do you know it was lame?

Apologies if someone has replied to this already, but I've seen videos of said pony which won and it was a good 3-4/10 left hind lame. Unfortunately I can't work out how to share a whatsapp video to here! It was really sad to see - should have been quietly taken out of the ring by a steward in my opinion...
 
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