I find this sad

I'm a pony patter and show from the field. My lot are barefoot and hold their own against the 'professionals'

I was a bit disappointed when I saw the lady who the article was about having to correct the incorrect information in the article. But I suppose the truth isn't as interesting or news worthy.
I'll see if I can find it.

ETA - found it. See attached.
 

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I don't understand why 'happy hacker' is derogatory.
Someone who hacks out will be dealing with traffic, loose animals of all kinds, steep hills (round here anyway), big open spaces, and people sharing that space. They'll be opening and closing gates, cantering in company, coping with spooks and the occasional panic from their horse (or pony!). All of that takes skill and nerve, I would say it's as challenging as any other type of riding. So IMO 'happy hacker' is a huge compliment.
 
pistolpete said:
I’m a pony patter wannabe. My pony spent like being touched 🤣. He is happily retired and has a peaceful life being a pony.
Other terms I dislike which are sometimes used in a derrogatory fashion are field ornament paddock pet and similar!
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Tbf my boy was very ornamental ever when rather plump. And fields do look better with something grazing in them 😁
 
Trot_on said:
I find it the weirdest insult, usually from people who are seem to think it's cool to also call horses 'it' and forget that we all absolutely adore them.

If being a pony patter means I actually love my horses and put their welfare before my interests or sport, then I'm very very proud to be one!
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I feel like you have absolutely just hit the person nail on the head! The person who calls their horse "IT" all the time would totally use the term pony patter and not mean it in a particularly nice way. Shows what kind of relation ship they have with their poor horse!
 
I’ve now read the article. So the nasty comments are coming from the showing fraternity who are utterly entranced by lineage and

- have spent a lot of money on ponies that should be good because they’re 18th cousin to some prize stallion

- spend a lot of time strapping pony body parts to other body parts in order to cut corners

- Wean way too early (a new one on me, bastards).

…all so they can get a rosette.

They aren’t entirely normal. Do not expect normal behaviour.
 
Burnerbee said:
I’ve now read the article. So the nasty comments are coming from the showing fraternity who are utterly entranced by lineage and

- have spent a lot of money on ponies that should be good because they’re 18th cousin to some prize stallion

- spend a lot of time strapping pony body parts to other body parts in order to cut corners

- Wean way too early (a new one on me, bastards).

…all so they can get a rosette.

They aren’t entirely normal. Do not expect normal behaviour.
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I don't see any of this in the article
 
I’m a guilty-as-charged pony patter and cob cuddler! 😍

Saus has been more or less retired ever since she came to me, and seems very pleased about it! I ride Erin in a rope halter as much as possible, and mainly bareback. Definitely in pony patter, happy hacker territory, heaven forbid! 😱
 
I have ponies and cobs, pat them, kiss them daily and do positive reinforcement. If I am ever able to ride one of them, I will be thrilled (retired, young, injured) but will then reinforce positively as we hack along past obstacles! I do herbal self selection sessions with them too.
 
Another pony patter here. I’m also a happy hacker, mostly at walk, and only when the weather is good. I hack somewhat unhappily when it’s cold or wet. My ‘ponies’ tend to be nicely bred sports horses so ‘wasted’ on me. However they seem pretty happy.
 
The majority of the comments on the FB page seem to be agreeing with the ladies methods. But I don't feel this is the majority of the showing world. When we took Ben to the Royal Welsh in 2024 we walked him out and hand grazed several times a day as he wasn't used to being stabled. We got some funny looks. He came back to the lorry for his dinner and to hang out with us for a few hours in the evenings too. This wasn't the norm at all. In fact I was quite shocked to see that owners were still allowed to bring their own top doors and screw them shut in some of the stables. It was very obvious these horses weren't seeing the light of day as they were mucked out tied up and without removing the top doors.

Now I know that welsh cob showing is very different to they rest of the showing world - it's all about the entrance. And it's true my dad was a top judge (welsh, chaps, bsps, nps, BSPA, Appoloosa, etc etc) and he always said he'd pick his initial 'top 5' within the first 30 seconds of them being int he ring - so it matters (obviously when looking close up the these 5 could change, straightness etc) . On cob day there were a lot of stewards in the collecting ring and around the entrance to the main ring. They were all telling spectators to not bang on the fence/banners or make noises to wind up or frighten the horses as animal rights protestors have been campaigning to have the royal status of the show removed. There is rules in the WPCS rule book which states that an exhibitor should be dismissed from the ring if they use artificial aids - but I've never seen it actually happen.

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I was glad of the stewards presence as Ben is nervous and I was worried he would shut down and not enjoy his experience. I held back and then we zoomed in once everyone else had gone down the shoot - the atmosphere was amazing and both Ben and I had the best time charging round the main ring. But I feel the issue in the horse lines (stables) need looking at if the show organisers really want to tackle the welfare side of showing, well the part they can control on the show ground anyway.

Again it brings into question what goes on at home if the owners/producers are happy to carry out the actions was witnessed in public.
 
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