Oh great, Handy Pony here I come...

[henryhorn]

Our local show has asked me to judge a few times, but because we have won the Working Hunter Champ two years running I always said no.
This year daughter was away and husband's horse too young to enter so I said OK.
They rang last night to tell me I am judging all the novelty classes, ie HP, best conditioned etc..
Knowing how much effort goes into veteran etc I will do my best, but I was actually looking forward to building a course and doing WH..
I just hope there are a few meatier classes like best Rider etc, is this the time to admit I've never judged a HP in my life?

Dressage/Best Rider/WH/Equitation classes galore, but what the hell do I do for HP?
I know the format but it must be 30 years since I watched a class! Do they still do stuff like opening gates/carrying stuff from one place to another?
Come on, don't laugh, HELP ME!!!!

 

[Tangaroo]

Walking over plastic sheets, taking clothes off washing line and putting in a basket, loading into a trailer, getting on and off from wrong side, walking under a high washing line with clothes on.
Sorry cant think of any others and i expect health and safety will put a stop to most ideas anyway!

 

[dieseldog]

All the Handy Pony's I have ever done were a timed course and ran all day like the clear round. Didn't know that you could do it like a showing class.

 

[TGM]

[ QUOTE ]
All the Handy Pony's I have ever done were a timed course and ran all day like the clear round.

[/ QUOTE ] Ditto! The judge's job was just to make sure they performed all the tasks and to operate the stop watch!

 

[brighteyes]

You need a 'dead body' to walk over, a full length sheet or blanket on a washing line and something involving buckets, water and carrying stuff from A to B.

Don't envy you picking the pony with the prettiest face though

 

[henryhorn]

Update, apparently the other judge felt the classes I'm doing were too inferior for them.. Honestly! Some people have an inflated idea of their own importance.
I would have said as I bred the two previous year's winners under two different judges I would be pretty good at those classes, but never mind..
I may have got it wrong too (well husband relayed the message) it might be Best Thelwell Pony not HP...
I'm going to enjoy it and try and say something positive to them all....

 

[CrazyMare]

You know what HH - you will probably make their day by giving them a smile, a rosette and telling them how much you like thier pony. So so much more refreshing than giving a 2nd to a brat who thinks that is rubbish and they should have been 1st.

I know where I'd rather be....

 

[_April_]

Just arm yourself with heaps of specials and have a fun day!!

HP was always an all day thing at shows I have been at... balloons, hanging washing, posting letters, even leading through a trailer at some of them!

 

[MissSBird]

My sister did one recently, ran for a few hours and was timed. Each obstacle was marked by the judge out of 10 and in the event of a draw in points the time was used as a tie breaker.

She had to weave up through some cones, collect a teddy from ontop of a ladder, weave back down the cones with teddy, weave back again with teddy and return teddy to ladder. Then she had to take a litter picker off a tree branch, use it from the saddle to move litter from one bin to another then return it to a branch. Next she had to cross a sheet of blue tarpaulin which was suposed to simulate water.

Next there were two jump poles side by side which she had to walk inbetween then rein back through. Then it was a small jump with balloons attached to the wings.

Next there was a small pen where she had to leave the pony unattended for 10 seconds. Then she had to remount from the wrong side, go between two side by side jump poles as fast as she could to return to the ladder. Jump off pony and collect sack from bottom of ladder, get in sack and jump to the finish line leading pony.

Was the most hilarious thing I've seen in years!

 

[Zebedee]

These are the hardest classes to judge, so maybe they just weren't capable? I usually award marks out of 10 for each obstacle in handy pony, & time the round, using the time as a decider of they tie on faults. Make the organisers provide some spare 4th, 5th, & 6th rosettes in case of ties as well !!!

 

[853149]

I know a feww people that have done HP she had a cob that was unflappable in the classes i have seen and that she did. She sat on hi sloins and slid down his back then waved a carrier bag in front of his face then poped the fence they had in the middle i think its really just to see how safe the horse is and what it will do!

 

[TGM]

[ QUOTE ]
I know a feww people that have done HP she had a cob that was unflappable in the classes i have seen and that she did. She sat on hi sloins and slid down his back then waved a carrier bag in front of his face then poped the fence they had in the middle i think its really just to see how safe the horse is and what it will do!

[/ QUOTE ] That sounds more like a family pony class to me!

 

[853149]

haha yep sorry bit of blonde moment there got them confused!!!