Show hunter???

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Buttonslin

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Just looking for a bit of advice. I have a recently broken 5yr old (rising 6) 15.2/.3 gelding and I'd like to try show hunter with him and hopefully, eventually, working hunter, the only problem is I have never done this before and I'm not sure what type is needed, he is fairly light boned so is show hunter out?
He has really nice movement and is nice and steady but at the minute he doesn't have a whole lot of muscle so that needs to develop with work.
Here's some pics of him, he's au natural with a very long mane and tail but it gives an idea of what he looks like! Any advice appreciated!
sonny2.jpg



sonny1.jpg
 
He's a bit small for a hunter and a little large for a small hunter. And in the top photo he has a bit too Araby/ponyish head for a hunter, although the bottom shot looks different, so he could perhaps be made more hunter like with a show hunter bridle and flat noseband. I think he falls more in between a hunter and a riding horse, and would incline towards the latter. Nice conformation though, and he will probably fill out a bit in time and look a little more like a hunter. Have you measured his bone?
 
To me he looks more like a small riding horse if your looking at affiliated classes, would need to be measured in at 15.2hh max.

He is very nice with more muscle and filled out, stunning.

Hunters tend to be more workman like.
 
No, I would think he could do riding horse and hack at the moment, local shows etc. Once he has built up a bit more and jumping he'll probably make a nice worker. He's a little light for show hunter and I think you will be dwarfed - bone wise. However if you are only doing local rather than County you can pretty much enter anything - bar the coloured classes.

Lovely looking chap though. What is his breeding, age and height if you don't mind me asking?
 
Never measured his bone.
He is home bred, we own his dam and grand dam. His grand dam is a 14hh white, blue eyed mare with no record of breeding but she has bred some very successful 14.2 pony jumpers.
His dam grew too big for pony jumping and is about 15.1, I can't think off hand who she is by, I think it might have been a stallion called Moyasta King but his sire is a kwpn stallion called sunny boy.
He'll be 6 in June and he's still growing a bit he's now just 15.3.
 
I'd try Sports Horse classes. He's too small for hunters, too big for small riding horse, and not really qualty enough for hack classes, which you only get at larger affiliated shows. What about Riding Club horse?
 
I'd try riding horse or sports horse classes until you get some real muscle on him. He looks lovely, Measure his bone, just below the knee, approximate requirements are lightweight 8 1/2 inches; middleweight 8 1/2 to 9 inches; and heavyweight 9 inches and over.
 
Thanks, I will have to measure his bone to see if it's big enough. I'll also start working him next week so he should gain a bit of muscle from work. His mother was very much the same though as it took her until she was about six to fill out and fully develop, no amount of feed or supplements would bulk her out but once she hit 6 she just totally changed and gained a lot of muscle and bulk even though she wasn't being ridden at the time. He might change as well.
To begin with I'll only be doing local shows and I hope they'll have a good variety of classes so that I can enter him into something that he would be suited to.
 
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