Bernster
Well-Known Member
And I learnt that navy tweed is a no-no, after buying my smart little navy jacket that fits me better than anything else, and matches my navy hat. Bah.
Mega rant - showing days may well be over
- Thread starter HiPo'sHuman
- Start date
And I learnt that navy tweed is a no-no, after buying my smart little navy jacket that fits me better than anything else, and matches my navy hat. Bah.
DabDab
Thinks the luddites had a point...
Maesto's Girl
Well-Known Member
In hand showing is basically a lottery....and based on a judges knowledge of standard type for breeds which is bad for me as I have an Arab x Quarter Horse so not all judges are familiar. In one show, I can come 2nd, then the next the following week, can come last (behind a horse that still had urine and muck in it's tail I might add!). I've decided to just use them for a day out rather than anything else so I don't go crazy
be positive
Well-Known Member
The judge will only be looking for breed standards and type in pure bred classes so there is no reason they need to know anything about an arab x quarter horse, they will be looking for it to be of type to fit into a standard class, a cross shown in a pb class needs to be of hunter, riding horse, hack or cob type if over 14.2, or the equivalent pony classes if under, they are not looking for attributes of the breed as such so a pba class will not be looking for the horse that looks most like an arab which is why sometimes opinions vary in pb classes and a horse may end up well down the line when it has done nothing wrong.
Elf On A Shelf
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It's not a lottery at all! 9/10 the judge isn't looking at the pony but at the handler! But when not doing that they are looking for what Be Positive said. The one that has the best confo and matches the class description best along with their personal preference thrown in too.
Pearlsasinger
Up in the clouds
If you want to wear navy tweed, you wear it. Colour is just about fashion. At the Great Yorkshire Show, this year, it was good to see a huge range of colours of tweed.
Elf On A Shelf
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It depends what style of tweed. Herringbone is pretty much not done in any colour. You can get away with brown and green more so than any other colour. I have seen some nice dark blue tweeds with red/yellow large overcheck.
Pearlsasinger
Up in the clouds
Just re-read that and realised it could have been taken, as 'available on the stalls' but I actually meant in the rings!
Bernster
Well-Known Member
Hee, I read it as intended! We don't do much showing but I wear the navy. Think it might even be herringbone hah. I like it and, in the few unaff shows we did, it didn't seem to matter and I had fun, so I'm fine with that.
rachk89
Well-Known Member
Yeah showing is just weird. I watched some last week, none were my horse. The only horse with anything decent actually about it got nothing in the championship class, although it thankfully won its class. The rest didn't move half as well, and they were turned out better. It's a shame but it's showing. Saw an in hand class too for mare and foal, the winner didn't even have it's foal beside it which I thought was pretty necessary, and it wouldn't stand still ever.
conniegirl
Well-Known Member
Broodmare classes do not have to have a foal at foot. Mares can be pregnant.
Elf On A Shelf
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Plus if they have had an early foal already weaned or have lost their foal they can choose to do broodmare or yeld mare classes. Defos no need to actually have a foal at foot.
There's alsonwhatbyou dont see outside the ring that the judge sees in it. Unless you went and inspected every horse yourself who is to say the rest didn't have splints, curbs, windgalls, capped hocked, turned in or turned out toes etc.
conniegirl
Well-Known Member
Also depends on what the judge was looking for. Some horses may not look like they are moving well to you but for their type/breed they may be moving very well. e.g. a heavy traditional will have a very different movement to a flicky toed show pony.
The judge may have decided that whatever got champion was a better example of type rather than the one you liked, or maybe the horse you liked had issues that in its class were no sufficient to dump it down the line but in a class of winners were enough to mean no rosette.
I've stood in the middle of the ring making those decisions myself and been harranged by more than a few mothers about why i didnt place thier darling daughters pony. trying to delicatly explain that a FR pony that has to be bitted up to the eyeballs and is still tanking off is not realy what we are looking for or worse explaining that thier pony is stiff behind (people dont seem to be able to spot hind limb lameness anymore) and could probably do with a vet visit or having to explain that thier pony would be better off in an hunter pony class as opposed to a show pony class or simply that the ponies further up the line went better, had better conformation and were more typey.
Or having to explain to people like the one above with the arab x QH, that i'm not judging it by breed in those classes (what is the breed standard for a QH x arab anyway?), i'm judgeing by does it fit into one of showings normal types e.g. hunter, riding horse, sport horse, hack etc. In a local level show you can also add nice riding club show horse types into the mix but all need to have good conformation, move well for thier type, and perticularly in ridden classes have manners giving a good show.
humblepie
Well-Known Member
As others have said, it is go with the flow. I used to show my retired show jumper both ridden and in hand. One show he won the in hand large riding horse, went riding horse champion out of the all the young stock and riding horse classes. The next week we went to a show and he was 8th in the riding horse class. He hadn't changed shape or way of going in that time. It was simply a judge the second show who went for all the lighter riding horses, ones that were more hack like whereas mine was more borderline light weight hunter. Smile and take the days when the judge likes your horse. That said I have gone off showing recently but for an entirely different, non judge related but competitor behaviour matter which I won't go into!
Carrots&Mints
Well-Known Member
Showings showing, if you cant beat them, join them as I say 
Theres probably nothing wrong with your horse and/or jockey. I always find we get better results at county shows than we do at riding club. I had one judge the other day tell me my pony had 'lumpy back legs', hes never ever seen a splint or any other 'lumps'. I made sure when we took him out of the ring that I checked my horses legs in full view of the judge and was shaking my head, needless to say that 'judge' soon had a very red face!
Anyhow as I say if you cant beat them join them, if you want to show you have to accept that it is a 'corrupt' and as soon as you accept that I've found I actually enjoy it more.
Theres probably nothing wrong with your horse and/or jockey. I always find we get better results at county shows than we do at riding club. I had one judge the other day tell me my pony had 'lumpy back legs', hes never ever seen a splint or any other 'lumps'. I made sure when we took him out of the ring that I checked my horses legs in full view of the judge and was shaking my head, needless to say that 'judge' soon had a very red face! Anyhow as I say if you cant beat them join them, if you want to show you have to accept that it is a 'corrupt' and as soon as you accept that I've found I actually enjoy it more.
GirlFriday
Well-Known Member
As far as I can tell the issue is neither rider nor pony but the combination of an adult sat on something about the right size for a 7-8yr old child. That is (fortunately) going out of fashion slightly at the moment.
Pearlsasinger
Up in the clouds
If the pony is narrow and suitable for lead rein or FR, I'm not surprised that the judge thought that a 5'2" adult rider was too big.
Elf On A Shelf
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No it's not! It's more rife than ever! I was absolutely disgusted by the riders of the some of the shetlands at Blair yesterday! Some too tall, some too heavy, and one poor pony had a rider that was too tall and too large ride him around for over 45 mins! T|he pony then went into the Lead Rein class! That's not on!
ester
Not slacking multitasking
I was quite suprised at 3 counties HOYS classes that out of a class of about 40 section As I think I could have counted the number of child riders on one hand (and they all ended up at the bottom of the line, so you can see how people get into the habit of sticking adults on then) and I don't think I saw what I would consider a 'child' in the section B class. That was my first real exposure to the situation as I usually only watch the cobs!
OldNag
Wasting my time successfully....
I have to never understood why section As and the like are shown by adults.
be positive
Well-Known Member
Simple answer is that an adult will get more out of most ponies and if they are your showcase you want the best possible result, they often get started by adults then are sold on to younger riders, maybe not ideal but it helps set them off on the right track if they are ridden correctly from day 1, most children don't have the skill or ring craft to get the best out of a young pony, it does not always make for such an attractive picture but nor does a pony misbehaving with a young child on board.
Pearlsasinger
Up in the clouds
That's a bit different from showing a ridden Section A with an adult rider, though. You are right it is common practice to have a heavier, stronger rider 'ride in' FR and LR ponies, I sometimes wonder if the connections don't realise that judges can often see outside the ring.
There isn't anything to stop an adult showing a ridden Section A but the adult needs to 'fit' the pony to contribute to the overall good impression. Of course on different occasions the same adult maybe the best fit in the class, or the worst fit, or somewhere in the middle. It is very rare to be competing against exactly the same ponies/riders in every class you enter, that is the beauty of showing, no-one has a right to be placed in every class they enter.
Elf On A Shelf
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Plenty of adults riding Shetlands too, and Dartmoors and exmoors. It's not confined to the section A's!
Elf On A Shelf
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It's also because everyone has to have a stallion thelse days. And you have to be at least 13yo before Jan 1st to ride a stallion I'm the ring. Many of these ponies are not good enough quality to be kept entire and most won't ever cover a mare but it is the latest must have for the show ring.