Katie Jerram's column in H&H

volatis

volatis

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So which breeders read Katie's column in H&H this week - and more importantly what did you think?

Katie has basically said something I whole heartedly agree with - that sport horse breeders need to get their mares and youngsters into the show ring. She cant be the only rider who pops over to the in hand rings when she has time to see if she can spot potential ridden star.
Plus the education a youngster gets from doing a handful of county shows is invaluable.

So - is anyone planning to campaign their youngsters in hand this season - if so - which shows?

I have a yearling colt out in the field looking like a teddy bear right now and with the hours I work he wont be competing this season. But if he does well during the year then I'd like tot hink we could target the odd show next year as a 2yo. Bucks County often have good judges for their sport horse classes and Royal Norfolk is another that is usually well supported.
 
TBH, that's always been the case it's nothing new but I'm surprised if people don't take advantage of it where possible.

I'm looking for someone to do this for my Tobago colt this year but so far come up against a brick wall especially as I can't afford to go to a professional and can't do it (physically) myself.
 
That would be a lovely idea Joeanne if I could find someone locally, that would be brilliant. Trouble seems to be that so many around here, most have their own animals but just want to ride and aren't interested with in-hand showing. I've even been quietly looking for someone to either 'share' or lease him in that they do the prep and showing and when/if he's sold they take some of the profit. Something will come up, some day!
 
My mare is due this May and I fully intend to get her and foally out showing - there's only the cumberland close enough as a county show but will be out doing local as well with them. Aside from getting the foal out and seen it's invaluable experience.
 
Maesfen said:
That would be a lovely idea Joeanne if I could find someone locally, that would be brilliant. Trouble seems to be that so many around here, most have their own animals but just want to ride and aren't interested with in-hand showing. I've even been quietly looking for someone to either 'share' or lease him in that they do the prep and showing and when/if he's sold they take some of the profit. Something will come up, some day!
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Id glady help Maesfen but Im probably not good enough to do your sparks justice:o

I will be getting my yearling out and about this year. Hoping to do some county shows with her. Plus id quite like to get my 2 YO old out, just need to find a way of getting some topline on her first.
 
Probably just one or two shows, where there are sports pony classes. IME the sports ponies don't do as well in the HP classes
 
The cost is a major factor.

My local show is the Counties. Entry is £23, plus cost to register with SHGB.
Add diesel and cost of producing the horse. I realise level of production is subjective, but I would not take a horse that could not do itself justice, for a variety of reasons, mainly it is not fair on the horse or the sire.

The entry fee will produce 2 day tickets and a lorry pass. I would always take more than one helper so another £17 is required for the helper.

I love the Counties and have enjoyed some major wins with the ridden horse, he always covered his fuel and entry costs and the pleasure was priceless but I am really struggling to find a good reason to take the filly. There are some smaller shows that she could gain experience at without the cost.

Having said that, maybe she is good enough to take the hunter fillies and the partbred ID class, that would be nice wouldn't it ! where is the calculator, lets look at the costs again.
 
The life experience our babies have got from county shows has been invaluable. We don't got to win, far from it (I am absolutely not a showing person), but where else could you meet monster trucks and motorbike display teams and horses and carts and funfairs and pushchairs and trade stands and ice cream vans and.....and....and..... Price wise the counties work out cheaper for us than doing the breed shows, even local shows in some instances, and also the county show classes are more 'traditional' so we're less likely to encounter the twirling and shanking that can go on at breed shows.
 
ritajennings said:
Yes look at those costs again please xx
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Promise I will Rita.

I will know on Friday if my health will allow a plot to be hatched for Alice's debut. You will be the first to know. At this very minute she is looking over the gate wondering why she has been abandoned in the field.
 
EstherYoung said:
The life experience our babies have got from county shows has been invaluable. We don't got to win, far from it (I am absolutely not a showing person), but where else could you meet monster trucks and motorbike display teams and horses and carts and funfairs and pushchairs and trade stands and ice cream vans and.....and....and..... Price wise the counties work out cheaper for us than doing the breed shows, even local shows in some instances, and also the county show classes are more 'traditional' so we're less likely to encounter the twirling and shanking that can go on at breed shows.
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Absolutely agree. The best photograph I have of my Embla George horse as a 2 year old was taken at the Counties. It helped the red arrows flew over him just as it was taken !

The same horse made his debut as a 5 year old at Leics County, the ring was alongside the funfair and we hacked past the white helmets motorcycle team. It was an interesting day to say the least but did him no harm.
 
I DETEST showing, really not my scene at all. I will do the futurity, who I think are not helpful in removing stock by ungraded stallions. The results should show for themselves.
I really dont want to take youngsters to a show and get marked down because I want to put their health first. I would want to show my youngsters off to someone who I believe knows a quality sports horse.
That said the futurity is expensive, but with the vets advice as well, and the set at improving and making the most of your horse, not marked down because they are light condition as they have just had a growth spurt.
 
DEFINITELY! He went to his first one last year and actually won his class.

We'll also give futurity a go and see what judges think. Will be good to get some professional advice as well.

That's once he decides to get out of his thuggish mood - hormones ahoy! ! :)
 
volatis said:
So interestingly its not having bona fide sport horse judges, judging the sport horse classes that puts people off?
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Yes, that and, the stupid rules of wearing white, and just how long a class takes to judge when using that daft triangle idea which leave other exhibitors standing around for up to 2 hours. We wont be showing out warmbloods in sport horse classes because of these reasons, I have better things to do with my time so my youngstock wil go in hunter or riding horse youngstock classes. Time to get real with these classes and have a good look at how to improve them in order to get more exhibitors , better judges, ditch the white clothing rule and that stupid traingle.
 
I'm not a showing person but I try and take babies when I can. Both Gaia and Max went to the Royal Norfolk as foals, as mum is completely unflappable and they both absorbed mum's calm in the face of all those scary things, parachute jumpers included. Both of them grew up to be very bold and brave. That being said, if mum had been stressy I wouldn't have taken them. Mum has to be a good example.
Gaia did a couple of smaller local shows also as a foal and as a yearling. Max did the Norfolk again last year as a two year old and when I saw the field of 11, mostly beautifully produced, looking incredibly mature for their age, ei thought
 
There is hope ahead with J.L_C at the helm of SHGB. Pleased to see people say good things about the vetting at Futurity and some of the judges belong to a breed society that requires judges to go on a refresher course every 3 years in Germany where they see several hundred horses in the week.
 
I wouldn't do it- I have the image in my head that only big hunter types would be acceptable- the type that are 16.2hh already as 2 year olds and already look like 4 year olds. My little fillies would just be sneered at!
I think county showing is only for the hunter stamp, this is the type of horse I would never buy or use for myself .
 
tweedette said:
Yes, that and, the stupid rules of wearing white, and just how long a class takes to judge when using that daft triangle idea which leave other exhibitors standing around for up to 2 hours. We wont be showing out warmbloods in sport horse classes because of these reasons, I have better things to do with my time so my youngstock wil go in hunter or riding horse youngstock classes. Time to get real with these classes and have a good look at how to improve them in order to get more exhibitors , better judges, ditch the white clothing rule and that stupid traingle.
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Twedette, which shows insisted your wear white. The county shows we went to, everyone was in tweed, bar the old Royal Show which had a warmblood class, where everyone wore whites

Funnily enough in germany, most people wear jeans to run their horses up with either the verband top or a white top. So not totally sure where the everyone must wear total white rule came from.
 
As someone new to breeding with just 2 sports horse youngsters (1 9 month old and a nearly 2 year old) this is a really interesting thread. I would really like to take both of them out selectively for experience appropriately this and next year but have to admit it is all rather daunting having hardly any showing experience, not sure to be honest which classes or levels of show to consider. We did take the youngest to Futurity last summer and found it great experience for him and us with the vet assessment and evaluation comments etc, but it was a lovely calm atmosphere which I'm sure would not always be the case at a usual show; although that being the point obviously for a supported learning experience.
 
Volatis ...They wear white in Sport Horse in Scotland but not the rest of the UK...I have no idea why lol

Have to disagree that they always place big hunter types in the Sport Horse classes...yes sometimes it happens but usually they get it right.

Just because a horse is heavier boned doesn't make it less of a Sport Horse type or vice versa.

It's conformation and movement they are judging...the weight issue goes both ways...I've seen some over topped fat youngsters and some that need a blooming good feed.

I've seen some handlers not trot their horses up properly or stand them up correctly and also not dress correctly...and then hear them complain that the judges have only placed so and so first because they are well known producers etc.

I do show my youngsters in both Hunter and Sport Horse classes ....I think it is a great education for them...most of the time I have a good idea whereabouts they will come in the line up from looking at the other horses in their class.
Without looking at the catalogue to see the breeding, you can see from the conformation/movement how horses will place approximately in the line up.

So you can't say 'it's warmblood breeding so it should place higher than the Irish horse in the Sport Horse class because warmblood is Sport Horse type but the Irish is a Hunter type'

Sport Horse classes are for all the disaplines : Eventing, dressage and SJ and the judge would decide if horse A is a better speciman as a SJ than horse B is a Dressage horse etc....they might prefer the Eventer type?

Mine are Thoroughbreds and have won or been placed in both classes...very rarely do I disagree (to myself, not judge lol) where they are placed...and I've never felt they have been discrimated because they are not warmbloods in the Sport Horse Class or Irish in the Hunter class.
I take them to the Futuries too and they have had Firsts and Higher Firsts so does seem to match up to their placings at the County shows.

Just feel if some people did their handling preparation at home better and did follow the dress code.... then their placings would be better 'if' their horse is correct in conformation and movement with the correct weight.

Just MHO as I'm just an breeder/owner/handler not a professional producer :)
 
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Good post Truly and your last paragraph is spot on. Conformation is key whatever the type.

I do have to say I don't like the triangle as I don't think, as a rule, they are large enough to be able to give a good indication of paces; far better to do a walk up then be able to flow around a ring properly and also the spectators see more from that than a triangle; IMV anyway.
 
Great post Truly

I think the triangle is where experience does help. I never found it a problem to show my horses well if a triangle was used, but did see some people unable to use it to its full advantage. often because they were handling a big moving horse and quite frankly it wasn't listening to its handler and the handler was a poor runner!

That's all about gaining experience, both the horse and the handler. I enjoyed progressing over the years and we ended up with some great wins that brought myself and the breeder immense pleasure, even beating some of the best known in hand producers.

What interested me most about Katie's column was that she herself uses the inhand classes as a shop window and is urging breeders to get their stock out there to be seen. So often we breeders moan it is so hard to sell our lovely stock, here is one possible solution.

It becomes a self fulfilling cycle, the more and better quality youngsters that are at these big shows, the more likely the buyers might be wandering down to the ring to see whats available. And if you know your horse might be 'spotted' by a potential buyer, you, as a breeder, might be more likely to enter
 
Thanks Maesfen and Volatis :)

The triangle is only a guide line and the problem most inexperienced people have is trying to take the corners too tight and keeping as close as possible to the triangle.

They need to take them wider so the horse continues on a fluent stride and it makes it easier to turn to the right...I put my left hand up to guide them to the right :)

Maesfen...the triangle at Osberton Champs was enormous! ....and on a slope!...I needed oxygen afterwards lol
 
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