Learned something new! Shoes/WH.

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Baileyhoss

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Apparently you HAVE to be shod all round for WH? A horse was eliminated at Blair yesterday after going clear as it was unshod. Seems quite an archaic rule tbh. Is this rule commonly known but overlooked or was it a particularly sticky judge?
Obviously it wasn't picked up in the qualifiers. Disappointing for the girl going all that way!
 
Sport Horse Great Britain apparently have that rule.

I have a second hand reliable account of a girl being pulled in first. The judge then berated all the other horses for not having studs and slipping. Then picked up the winning horse's foot to show the others what they should gave done, only to find out that it was barefoot and take back the rosette and strip it of it's hoys qualifier.

No doubt they'll say hunters need shoes. Mine don't.
 
I was at Blair yesterday and spoke to the steward who was letting folk in and out of the warm ups, she said a fair number of folk were eliminated. Out of nosiness I checked the rules and it said Ridden Hunters are to be shod all round, it didn't mention Working Hunters, I think if I'd been eliminated I would be double checking with the rule makers to get some clarification. Maybe its because I don't compete I'm misunderstanding though.

Agree it's an archaic rule, I hope one day to get out and compete and it's highly likely mine will be unshod, so that rules out any WH or RH classes under these rules :(
 
I know that China has checked this recently with her SFAS HOYS qualified riding horse as apparently someone was pulled up on it at Devon County. For her I thinks she got it confirmed it was ok though so maybe it's just hunters? There was some comment about ride judges being able to choose if they wanted to 'risk' an unshod mount too.
 
I am competing in an unaff local WH class (intermediates) tomorrow with a horse with fronts only :eek3:

Do you reckon it's ok for unaffiliated? Horse doesn't need back shoes! Spend ages prepping for it and don't want to be eliminated!
I'm also doing ridden veteran which I turn out as a hunter for so technically ridden small hunter! Will this affect that aswell?

Sorry for questions major panic now!
 
Kirsty+Java said:
I am competing in an unaff local WH class (intermediates) tomorrow with a horse with fronts only :eek3:

Do you reckon it's ok for unaffiliated? Horse doesn't need back shoes! Spend ages prepping for it and don't want to be eliminated!
I'm also doing ridden veteran which I turn out as a hunter for so technically ridden small hunter! Will this affect that aswell?

Sorry for questions major panic now!
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No for unafill I don't think it will make any difference
 
This was something new to me too, I learned this earlier in the week! But I just heard it re: Sport horse GB, don't know if it goes further.

I was watching the hunter classes at a regional Irish Draught class the other week, and the class winner/champion/supreme champion was unshod, but, I know that horse has been out all season at various county shows in affiliated classes, I assume unshod.

When I'm back to ridden showing, instead of in the dragabouts, I will prefer to have mine shod for the season though, purely for the studs. The rest of the time I'd rather they were unshod.
 
dafthoss said:
Do the same rules apply for M&M workers?
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Guess it depends on the rules the classes are run under? A very quick check of Google brings us NPS as a rule provider for M&M WH classes http://www.nationalponysociety.com/images/rulebook/docs/NPS_Rules_2013.pdf might not be relevant to your particular class though.
 
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Its actually a pretty new rule due to health & safety - its because horses were being shown without shoes, therefore without studs in all sorts of ground. Horses were slipping over with ride judges on board, so in the interests of their safety, the rule was brought in.
 
Be interesting to know how many have actually slipped over with a ride judge.... given that many people find they have better grip in some conditions that those with shoes on- and given that there is no requirement for studs to be used.
 
IdoShowing said:
Its actually a pretty new rule due to health & safety - its because horses were being shown without shoes, therefore without studs in all sorts of ground. Horses were slipping over with ride judges on board, so in the interests of their safety, the rule was brought in.
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Don't make me laugh:D

I have evented five without shoes and hunted four without shoes. The only horse I'm aware of slipping at County level and hurting its rider was wearing shoes.
 
ALL ridden hunters (including novices,weights,workers & Ladies) under SHB(GB) rules MUST be shod all round!

It's due to the speed hunters are expected to travel at! and how they must be able to turn on the corner and properly gallop :)
 
jessamess said:
ALL ridden hunters (including novices,weights,workers & Ladies) under SHB(GB) rules MUST be shod all round!

It's due to the speed hunters are expected to travel at! and how they must be able to turn on the corner and properly gallop :)
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So how come the one I mentioned above won the class and was held up as an example to the others who were slipping in shoes?

The rules a nonsense. I gallop round plenty of tight corners hunting and did the same eventing.
 
Very stupid rule and not ones I was aware of when jumping a barefoot horse round Blair Novice WH a few years ago!

So by the same token, all native ponies MUST be shown unshod as they're meant to have good strong hard feet? Their rule books say so. It's part of most native pony breed descriptions.
 
If its only under SHB(GB) then I should be ok as deff not under those rules

The show is in an outdoor arena so no slippy ground to worry about either.

Apparently it's going to be quite relaxed as in make sure everyone enjoys day rather than being extremely strict

Thanks!
 
Tis total *******s . if a horse can stay ballanced and cope withthe turns required , whynshould the manner of shoeing matter.
 
oh I agree it's an absolute ridiculous rule, I only ever put fronts on my show horses!

and this year had to put 4 on my 4 year old hunter because I wanted to take him out to a county! I was not impressed haha! but I had a rant at them and thats what they told me!
 
Don't know if still the rule as have no need to check but in a class under BSHA (so hacks, riding horses, cobs) I know I have stood next to a horse only shod in front as we were chatting to the rider/groom.
 
I would like to show my veteran in hand and ridden in the near future, if he still had shoes on my gut feeling is he would not still be with us due to ddft injury, I think ride judges are more at risk from unschooled bad mannered horses than ones without shoes. So horse has to be shod do they also check that the saddle fits/the back has been checked/teeth done/worm count checked. If mine has to have shoes on to do these classes then he wont be doing them, I don't like this one rule fits all attitude, every horse is different and individual and should be treated as such. Just popping off to check my Veteran Horse Society rule book!!
 
How utterly ridiculous. Especially given that shoes aren't compulsory in showjumping, which has far tighter turns and more speed than WH?
 
NooNoo59 said:
I would like to show my veteran in hand and ridden in the near future, if he still had shoes on my gut feeling is he would not still be with us due to ddft injury, I think ride judges are more at risk from unschooled bad mannered horses than ones without shoes. So horse has to be shod do they also check that the saddle fits/the back has been checked/teeth done/worm count checked. If mine has to have shoes on to do these classes then he wont be doing them, I don't like this one rule fits all attitude, every horse is different and individual and should be treated as such. Just popping off to check my Veteran Horse Society rule book!!
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I know under Veteran Horse society you don't get penalised for remedial shoeing so surely bare foot is ok?
 
So do they eliminate all horses without the "correct" studs then? I would have said shod but no studs on wet grass etc would be more of a problem than barefoot.
 
TarrSteps said:
So do they eliminate all horses without the "correct" studs then? I would have said shod but no studs on wet grass etc would be more of a problem than barefoot.
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Kind of my thougths too. I can see ride judges insisting on studs to suit conditions but clearly that isn't what they have said. So what are they trying to achieve?!
 
TarrSteps said:
So do they eliminate all horses without the "correct" studs then? I would have said shod but no studs on wet grass etc would be more of a problem than barefoot.
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This was what I thought, surely wording along the lines that it is up to the competitor to ensure the horse has adequate grip for the conditions would be enough. Shoes, studs or what ever else if the horse copes then why does it matter.


It wasn't mentioned in the NPS link above though so doesn't really concern me, not that I plan to do any workers at that level any way.
 
Looks like I may not be showing my Clevelands after all then.

None of mine have ever had a nail in their hooves. I will not be shoeing unnecessarily just because a committee deems it correct or desirable to do so...
 
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