Most ludicrous comment by show judge

Maybe the pony was so fat the judge couldn't tell what breed it was meant to be :p

If you can't see a shadow of a rib, how on earth does one know how substantial its ribcage is? :D
 
Often at smaller local shows the high quality show ponies are not placed as there is a general feeling they shouldnt be there. At a local show i was at recently a mother of "HOYS winning pony" went mental at the judge for putting it 2nd to what she considered inferior competition. The judge did right in my view, the pony which won was very nice, fit and well turned out, no shame in the decision at what was a local gala where entry was £5 a class.

Many classes you get the show pony which has been scrubbed within an inch of its life by the mother and child plonked on it at the last minute to be paraded round. You cant compete with that with a pony who lives out all year, probably still has a reasonably woolly coat and was plaited and cleaned by the child who loves the pony dearly and has really tried. At a small local show i know who i would give first place too (it wouldnt be the show pony!).

Also OP the judge had stated that it was fat. If it was fat it deserved not to win or even be placed about anything that is in proper condition.
 
Judging at local shows can be a bit hit and miss. Having both competed and judged at local shows, I do know that no matter what you do, someone will hate the judge and there are times when I know the judge does not really know what a good clydesdale or gypsy cob is but you accept it.

Recently I had to judge everything from a mini to a 17 hand warmblood in a coloured class and caused an uproar because I put the mini top. It was a little cracker and deserved where he stood.

I also peed off the M&M people as those with the county level ones were down the line - I will not put a horse/pony that wobbles, puffs at a trot and is very overweight at the top no matter how good it is. Ditto a cob under 2 wearing shoes and looking more like a 5 year old.

Local judges often stand in the rain or blazing sun from 9 in the morning to gone 5. If you are lucky you get a drink and a sarnie but often it is a bottle of wine to say thanks. Without local judges, you would not get local shows.

I do know most breeds and types, good conformation etc but I am not a breed expert. If you want to go to a show with a panel expert judge for your breed, then go county or affiliated and don't bitch at local judges.

Yes there are some who really don't have a clue, put up friends etc, and you learn to live with it or go and do another past time.
 
Well, I agree with being able to take a good pony anywhere for schooling, or the outing. Sometimes you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. ( have heard "oh, local show not good enough for you!" in the past.)
Like others here, I was taught to never mind being beaten by better ponies,or riders, instead to look on it as a learning curve.
I would have kept my sense of humour , though, and smiled at the Connie/Highland confusion! Complaining at local judging is petty, imo.
Now, confusing Fells/Dales I can understand... :)
 
I got told off by a judge because my gypsy cob's massive white feathers were dirty which was hilarious given that it was his third class of the day, it had been absolutely pouring all day and the walk from the lorry park to the ring was across a cinder car park (think old railway tracks). It wasn't that she'd parted them and found them dirty underneath, just that they were mucky.
I obviously should have carried him from the lorry to the ring or demanded a hosepipe in the ring to wash them off...
However, it was his first big show and she did place him fifth out of 20 so I'm glad I accepted her comments with good grace!
 
I took my 5 yr old to a local show last year for the experience. Stood up in the Hunter class. I am not being biased when I say he has good conrformation & paces & behaved impeccably, even in his gallop. The other horses were nowhere near as as well behaved. We were pulled out 2nd,then the judge asked whether I was going to hunt him, to which I replied honestly 'NO' as I am not allowed to jump anymore. (skull fracture) We ended right down the line, now was this a coincidence or not, I happen to know that the first three were member of the local hunt. We were 4th by the way. Next time, if there is one, I am inclined to lie but it goes against the grain.
 
How pathetic! She should just be grateful her and her (award winning) horse had a nice day and actually got placed at all!!! there is plenty of amatures who got out to local shows and dont get placed you dont see them running away to complain and get their money back..... and so the judge got the breed wrong its not the end of the world is it;)
 
I always used to have that problem with my NF gelding, being in South Wales most of the judges thought he was a "gone wrong" Sec C! Very rarely got placed even though he was a great example of his breed.
 
I don't compete at local shows.. Far too much favouritism goes on.

My friend took her lovely cob in the coloured class and was placed 4th. I was shocked as i had expected she'd get second out of the line up..

The judge told her she would have placed her highers but he needs to be carrying himself correctly and pull his nose in.. He's a 3 year old [This was in hand obviously].

Yet two above her, One chestnut pony had spent the entire class bouncing around and throwing his head around, And the other was a late comer because the pony had scared her.

The pony in 1st place thoroughly deserved it, But i couldn't figure out for the life of me why the judge had said this about my friends pony and placed those two in 2nd and 3rd over him.
 
QQ -
What happens if the horse is experienced and the rider a novice? - Is that still called 'pot hunting?

Local shows are a bit hit and miss. I, among many here it seems, have had a fair few 'misses'. The most memorable being a working hunter class... I wasn't in it to win it, but a placing would have been nice. Nice CR, good show, got pulled in second originally (yippee!) then got dropped down to the last place (about 14th I think!) I was behind all sorts of combinations (varying from 13.2 arab types and cob hienz57's to 16hh TB's) who had done a mixed bag of jumping results and showing... The winner was picked, and even she told the judge she was surprised to be placed 1st as she didn't have any control over her horse who ''tanked off'' in canter, despite the 3 ring gag he had. Judge just laughed!

Anyway, I asked politely what I could improve on for next time, she claimed 'nothing, my horse was too slight of bone'... TBH, I took it with a pinch of salt. Locals for ya!! lol
 
I can see the Spanish v RID... there has been a bit of Spanish influence in time s gone by and some ID's even I have to squint to make sure.
 
I confused a dales for a highland the other day! Pleased to say I was not judging though the owner looked somewhat confused when I was saying what a lovely highland he was.

I know nout about either breed.... :P
 
Been there, got the t-shirt... Still always leave the ring with a smile on my face knowing that there wasn't another horse in the ring I'd rather have been sat on.
My favourite was probably in the county ring of a Ridden Heavy Horse class, "it's so lovely to see shires being ridden." The class consisted of 2 shires, 4 clydesdales (ok, it takes a well trained eye to spot the difference although I would have expected her to know) but a Suffolk Punch too!
 
I do a lot of judging! I can't be that bad as I get asked back to judge at the same shows as well as new ones. But I also compete so I see both sides.

I was once asked if I would like to stand my stallion at the back of the line, the steward asked why my horse wasn't plaited like the rest to hear the judge reply, oh he's a mountain and moorland stallion. I calmly replied that SHE was in fact a pure bred ARAB MARE!!!!!
 
i took my 4yo to her first ridden show on sunday and she won best turned out and novice showing. best turned out was the first class in the morning followed by, heavies and hairies, cob/cob type,veteran, coloured horse or pony then it was the morning championship, went in - this was the first time she'd ever been ridden in a group and she behaved impecably in the go round so i was chuffed regardless! any way she didnt get reserve or champ but i was pleased any way! just as im riding out steward comes running over could i go and see judge - she was very nice and said - 'i would just like to say what a lovely horse and she was almost my champion but the other horses had been in other classes apart from best turned out and had she qualified from another class she would have been up there but as it was she'd only won the best turned out and everyone should be turned out correctly any way - why didnt i do any more classes?' to which i explained that she was neither heavy or hairy, cobby, over 15 (shes 4) shes not a coloured and shes registered with WPCS - she then appologised and said she looked forward to seeing us in the afternoon!
 
In one whp class I was on my roan boy who admittedly had a stop and wasn't great, so understandably didn't place- but 'coincidentally' both roans in the class were at the bottom of the line up- we also got marked down for not plaiting our m+ms, and It didn't state they had to be in the sched. With my other boy I took him m+m inhand in a halter- he's five and I've seen that people doing the nf breed show use halters sometimes- got marked down because of this, though I had perfect control- and also placed 3 behind the fattest, most rude (as in kick handler/judge/other competitors and flybuck its way through his trot up...) Sigh- at least my boy behaved, if a little bored ;)
 
When my NF was a yearling I was told he didn't have tail carriage of an Arab! (youngstock class). I've also had it at country level too- my boy is grey which is reasonably rare for a NF and was told he didn't have a neat enough head for a connemara (shropshire county show) I was fuming. So now when the judge asks his age in a class I say he's a 4 year old New Forest to make it clear! Also I can't see the harm in a county horse at local shows. We have been placed at county level but compete in local shoes as county whoever can be 40 pounds a class which compared to the 8 pounds for local shows. We go for practice and for the fun as. I can't afford to enter county shows all the time!
 
Never been showing myself, but was very sad to see a badly behaved gelding and frankly messy handler win over a beautifully turned out and impeccably behaved little girl and her pony. I know ok, people may well be judging on other things, but really, how can you tell it's conformation if it's on its back legs all the time?!
 
pip6 said:
Entered a Heinz57 I was schooling at the time in a M&M class, thinking he must at least be a part-bred. We came 3rd, judge said he was a lovely example of his breed. Didn't have the heart to ask which breed that was.:rolleyes:
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Same happened to us with my daughters pony - a welsh B x TB x ?? - she won a huge m and m class at a local show full of gorgeous welsh cobs etc - desperately wanted to ask what the judge thought she was!
 
I'll never forget my son's first pony standing on it's hind legs and waving at the judge in a lead rein class. They won :D

Lots of judges, both local and county struggle with their M&M breeds.

Just why would you stomp over, brat style, and complain at a local show though? it's meant to be FUN. there is No guarantee of a red ribbon, and no refunds if you don't get one.
Least the judge was honest in her thoughts :D
 
When I used to show, I never ever took it seriously and always felt as long as horse behaved and I tried my best it was an acheivement. however was at a Agricultural show in a CHAPS class (CHAPS judge etc).

My boy was a ClydexTB brown and white (tobiano I think but I get confused I still do skewbald and piebald :o ) full feathers the works. We were the only brown and white horse in the class the rest were brown and white.

We completed our individual show (after being pulled in last) then were sent round, (there was 5 in the class) the first 4 black and whites got pulled in, but not me, so I just lined up in 5th place (after walking round twice without any instruction from the steward/judge).

She handed out the rosettes, handed out 4th place then walked back to centre, totally ignoring me. the rider in first place said something and she walked over to me and threw my 5th place rosette at me. I was totally confused, i didn't understand what I had done wrong. So me being me, asked for feedback (rather loudly) she replied "I don't like Brown and white horses, they should all be put down" and walked off.

I came out of the ring in shock. the girl (a very experienced rider in coloured classes) came over to me offered me her first place rosette and said I had done the best individual show etc, which was really nice of her, I politely declined but thanked her for her support. The girl got the other competators together and they lodged a complaint (they were all CHAPS members too, I wasn't). I never heard the result but never did see the judge for a few years.

then i went to another agricutural show, there was a last minute judge change and guess what it was her, I came last in that class too this time she never said anything.

Also, My son was in a leadrein class with his very old (over 40) and scraggy pony - local charity show - however, very experienced county level judge. some topclass pot hunters were there (as they found out who was judging). Again we were there for fun and to support the local charity. well they placed my son 2nd he was overjoyed (I had a tear in my eye) there were complaints lodged from the "pothunters" but the judge advised the schedule clearly stated pony best suited to leadrein work - it mentioned nothing about show quality.
 
When we started showing we went into a turnout class, to see if we were making any obvious mistakes. The only thing we were marked down for was 'handler not wearing a hairnet'. handler is my husband with a grade 2 very short haircut!
 
I did get a "Your down the line because your pony has a sore back". Well yes of course he was going to dip his back away from you when you dig your fingernails into him :rolleyes: I have never even bothered considering showing under than judge again. He knew exactly who I was and exactly what pony I had, who was 17 at the time and was trying to find a good enough reason to drop him. He didn't touch any of the other ponies in the ring, only mine. My lad also happened to be the only non-black pony in the ring, him being grey and all :D:D He could have just used his colour as an excuse (like everyone else!) rather than hurt the poor beastie!
 
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