showing dispare!! cant be bothered any more.
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Sorry havnt read the rest of the replies but looking at the photo you put on the browband is incorrect for a show hunter and if I was showing im I would have put him in a flat noseband and abit chunkier width 
Thats if you did show him like in the photo Looks good though, and Im sure you would do well if you carried on
Thats if you did show him like in the photo Looks good though, and Im sure you would do well if you carried on I remember being in a local show (higher than riding club, lower than County) and the judge actually told those of us who had chestnuts that as he hated chestnuts he hadn't bothered to watch our individual shows!! One of the chestnuts in question had a very good WH record and had competed at HOYS. At a local RS I attended the judge put a horse first with the worst upside down neck I have ever seen in every class he judged. It certainly caused a few mutterings and raised eyebrows amongst the other competitors. Going by the way the judge and owner were chatting happily, I think it is safe to assume they already knew each other.
Overall though, I enjoyed the RS shows because it was a fun day out seeing people I didn't see anywhere else (we all got on pretty well which was nice) and catching up with each others' news etc, plus it was a challenge (in my case keeping my horse from exploding in the ring) and we usually came home with a ribbon or two. As far as I was concerned I had the loveliest horse on the field and if the judges couldn't see that, it was their problem. I have to say that most of our judges were of a good standard, some up to County level which was probably a bit unusual. Horsey and I had fun for the day and I'm pretty sure she entertained the judges with her antics too!
Overall though, I enjoyed the RS shows because it was a fun day out seeing people I didn't see anywhere else (we all got on pretty well which was nice) and catching up with each others' news etc, plus it was a challenge (in my case keeping my horse from exploding in the ring) and we usually came home with a ribbon or two. As far as I was concerned I had the loveliest horse on the field and if the judges couldn't see that, it was their problem. I have to say that most of our judges were of a good standard, some up to County level which was probably a bit unusual. Horsey and I had fun for the day and I'm pretty sure she entertained the judges with her antics too!
Lol, no matter what I put him in it wouldn't have made a difference! But he was turned out for riding horse not as a hunter, I had lost the will to live after waiting 4 hours on between my first class and my second and coulsnt be bothered to change my outfit and his bridle
I'm another that thinks your horse is lovely but not really what I would call a hunter
Judges even at riding club level should be skilled enough to be able to explain why they placed as they did, if it happens again maybe ask for some feedback.
I have been going to major shows every weekend this summer just to spectate and learn. One thing I am learning quite quickly is that if you look in any way amateur you nearly always suffer because of it - I dont mean that necessarily in a bad way but that bridle though not 'officially' important speaks volumes to a judge, it may mean you dont care, havent researched your class, are trying your luck at a rosette, happened to be at the show anyway so thought you'd have a go etc etc what it doesnt do is say 'I am a hunter'
Judges even at riding club level should be skilled enough to be able to explain why they placed as they did, if it happens again maybe ask for some feedback.
I have been going to major shows every weekend this summer just to spectate and learn. One thing I am learning quite quickly is that if you look in any way amateur you nearly always suffer because of it - I dont mean that necessarily in a bad way but that bridle though not 'officially' important speaks volumes to a judge, it may mean you dont care, havent researched your class, are trying your luck at a rosette, happened to be at the show anyway so thought you'd have a go etc etc what it doesnt do is say 'I am a hunter'
The skill in Showing I suppose is to try your best to MAKE the judge like your horse. But of course sometimes they won't and there's nothing you can do. I have gone Champion one week then literally the week after come last with the same horse doing the same performance. That's the thrill of it! If all judges liked the same thing you'd get the same place every week and what would be the point? Don't get me wrong I've come out of the ring thinking I should of had that.... but the fact is, some judges like or dislike certain conformation points and so you be moved up or down and you can't possibly see each horse as well as the judge can when you're riding. Don't dwell on it, and look towards the next time!
Echo the post above - every tiny little detail counts. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem
Echo the post above - every tiny little detail counts. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem
If you are going to show tbh you need to get the correct turnout as otherwise looks amateurish, it only takes couple of minutes to switch browband & outfit. I did a LOT of showing this year & tbh what one judge likes the next one doesnt - In one class I did the results were hilarious, first 3 placings to chestnuts, next 3 greys & all the coloureds at bottom of line. You need to take results like a pinch of salt & Ive had no issue asking for feedback from the judges at the end of a class, most are happy to advise ...
Lol, no matter what I put him in it wouldn't have made a difference! But he was turned out for riding horse not as a hunter, I had lost the will to live after waiting 4 hours on between my first class and my second and coulsnt be bothered to change my outfit and his bridle
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Lol, no matter what I put him in it wouldn't have made a difference! But he was turned out for riding horse not as a hunter, I had lost the will to live after waiting 4 hours on between my first class and my second and coulsnt be bothered to change my outfit and his bridle
Wish our local shows liked Arabs I am always up against anything but as they have very limited classes for us, so I do the classes I can just about get away with and still get told I am in the wrong class. We have non native classes and I am often the only one in it so pointless, so I am just going to do riding horse now even though I get told I am in the wrong class but I just want him to have the experience before we try some county shows.
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Smile and put it down to experience OP. Look at the positives - he behaved nicely whilst you tarted him up, he loaded and travelled well, he behaved himself in the ring and got home safely. He had an excellent learning experience for his age. Type wise he looks small for a hunter class unless you are really tall !
Local and riding club shows are great fun for many and the generic type of classes that are often available will always attract vastly differing types of horses. Hunter youngstock will see lots of types entered. At County level the classes will be spit in 3 age groups and filly/colts.
I can give you an example of local level showing that happened to us in 2009. We took our middleweight to a countryside/riding club show for a schooling session. We knew the judge rode nicely and would suit our very well schooled horse. The horse had been slightly nappy with a previous ride judge at County level the weekend before which was not something he would normally do, we were just concerned he might be getting sour or was uncomfortable in some way so a low level outing was scheduled to see what his attitude was like.
The horse was foot perfect throughout and we were very pleased to see no sign of hanging towards the gate or backward thinking. He finished in 6th place and the horses above him were all connected to the local hunt. The judge was a joint master of said hunt. The judge said there was a lot to like about the horse and when he matures and is more balanced he could do well. We smiled, thanked her for her opinion and decided against telling her the horse was more than mature at 14, had over 200 BD points, had been 7th at HOYs 2008 and had already qualified for 2009 and had taken the weight championship at an earlier County show and until his 6th place under her, was unbeaten in open middleweights.
Have fun with your young horse, there will be many more outings in the future that will be successful.
Local and riding club shows are great fun for many and the generic type of classes that are often available will always attract vastly differing types of horses. Hunter youngstock will see lots of types entered. At County level the classes will be spit in 3 age groups and filly/colts.
I can give you an example of local level showing that happened to us in 2009. We took our middleweight to a countryside/riding club show for a schooling session. We knew the judge rode nicely and would suit our very well schooled horse. The horse had been slightly nappy with a previous ride judge at County level the weekend before which was not something he would normally do, we were just concerned he might be getting sour or was uncomfortable in some way so a low level outing was scheduled to see what his attitude was like.
The horse was foot perfect throughout and we were very pleased to see no sign of hanging towards the gate or backward thinking. He finished in 6th place and the horses above him were all connected to the local hunt. The judge was a joint master of said hunt. The judge said there was a lot to like about the horse and when he matures and is more balanced he could do well. We smiled, thanked her for her opinion and decided against telling her the horse was more than mature at 14, had over 200 BD points, had been 7th at HOYs 2008 and had already qualified for 2009 and had taken the weight championship at an earlier County show and until his 6th place under her, was unbeaten in open middleweights.
Have fun with your young horse, there will be many more outings in the future that will be successful.
You could do open showing or best condition??
There's allot of Arabs in our open showing class
There's allot of Arabs in our open showing class
You just have to remember that sometimes the judging says a lot more about the judge than it does about the exhibits!
We never did we'll at local shows with our Appaloosa, but take him to the breed shows, or county shows and he very often would win. I think many judges, sadly still don't like spots! Sadly lost him last year, so no longer do spotty showing.
Showing is subjective, it is very much one persons opinion on a day. I do agree that county shows on the whole tend to have better, fairer judging but not always.
Did you ask the judge what you could do to improve? We have found most judges are more than happy to impart information and that will help you in the future, too.
Good luck.
Showing is subjective, it is very much one persons opinion on a day. I do agree that county shows on the whole tend to have better, fairer judging but not always.
Did you ask the judge what you could do to improve? We have found most judges are more than happy to impart information and that will help you in the future, too.
Good luck.
Lol, no matter what I put him in it wouldn't have made a difference! But he was turned out for riding horse not as a hunter, I had lost the will to live after waiting 4 hours on between my first class and my second and coulsnt be bothered to change my outfit and his bridle
Yes I understand, I'm not bothered about where we came, it was the way the judge placed light horses in every single class, mot just yhe ones I was in. A lot of people atthe show were wondering why most of the horses that came first dI'd so :-/ at the end of the day it was a training show for my horse and I wasn't worried about getting a rosette. But when clear quality and turnout of other horses were snubbed off because the horse was too chunky :-/
A good judge judgess the animal not the turn out. A plain nose band does not make a hunter although it can make a head look more workman like. Its hard to judge from the picture but in local shows the spots would though a judge.Its spotty so how can it be a hunter although coloured cob are flavour of the month. To me he looks more of a riding horse type and if he was mine I would do competition horse, riding horse but perhaps not hunter. I would also try agricultral shows as a they tend to have better judges and you get a nice day out. I tend to go for bigger shows as it just as much effort to do a small one as a big one.
I show in hand for education but I resent wasting my time. I have been first and last on the same day with the same youngster, you just have to mske sure the horse has had a good experience all they are there for is the haynet.
I show in hand for education but I resent wasting my time. I have been first and last on the same day with the same youngster, you just have to mske sure the horse has had a good experience all they are there for is the haynet.
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Hoping this works... lol
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I always seem to come last with my haflinger. I don't really care to be honest as long as I get a rosette in return for my entry fee! Like many breeds,there are varying 'types', I assume most judges like the heavier more traditional, but was surprised to find at equifest there were some very light boned ones like none I had seen before, placing highly. It's ok I still got my 9th place rosette (out of ten! Yay!).
I just do it for the experience, it is too subjective to take seriously!
I just do it for the experience, it is too subjective to take seriously!
Agree with the above . Even now coloured horses in hunter classes will often be down the line, even at local level. They dont appear at county level a t all, even though some coloureds have the quality now to appear beside the boring bays!
Still much colour prejudice - at all levels of showing. Friend of ours has stunning part bred Cleveland Bay - but the filly is coloured. Guess where she end s up in the part bred C B classes.....
I ve also found local level shows very odd in the judging - but then oftenthe judges are not on any panel, so its very hit and miss. Dont dispair - you ll need to go to a few shows to see how you fare.
Years ago I took my new coloured cob to the local riding club show - he was virtually unplaced in all classes I entered.I was doubting my belief that I had a good horse! Coloured classes with a mix of types didnt suit him either. We gave up coloured classes and he successfully campaigned county show cob classes, and went to HOYs 4x! The key is finding the right class. Your boy certainly looks well put together with straight limbs , but perhaps shows a quarter horse type rather than a hunter?
Still much colour prejudice - at all levels of showing. Friend of ours has stunning part bred Cleveland Bay - but the filly is coloured. Guess where she end s up in the part bred C B classes.....
I ve also found local level shows very odd in the judging - but then oftenthe judges are not on any panel, so its very hit and miss. Dont dispair - you ll need to go to a few shows to see how you fare.
Years ago I took my new coloured cob to the local riding club show - he was virtually unplaced in all classes I entered.I was doubting my belief that I had a good horse! Coloured classes with a mix of types didnt suit him either. We gave up coloured classes and he successfully campaigned county show cob classes, and went to HOYs 4x! The key is finding the right class. Your boy certainly looks well put together with straight limbs , but perhaps shows a quarter horse type rather than a hunter?
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There was a well known local hunting farmer who was sometimes invited to judge. He always liked a nice thoroughbred, so no matter what the class was, if it was a TB it would win, on the basis that an ounce of blood is worth an inch of bone.
Oh I can comment here in a semi experienced way
I also have taken an appaloosa into a hunter class, to which the judge comment, that although he was lovely, he just wasn't the right type for it. Which he wasn't. He then went on to get a nice placing in the coloured class
I then took my 16.3 built like a brick poop house Irish draught into a hunter class, with the correct bridle etc, trying as hard as I could to look like we were truly hunters, and we won
So don't be disheartened that it was the wrong class for him, he is not really the hunter type, and you didn't have him turned out as a hunter so the result was to be expected. Chin up and find him a class that works for him, he is very nice
I also have taken an appaloosa into a hunter class, to which the judge comment, that although he was lovely, he just wasn't the right type for it. Which he wasn't. He then went on to get a nice placing in the coloured class
I then took my 16.3 built like a brick poop house Irish draught into a hunter class, with the correct bridle etc, trying as hard as I could to look like we were truly hunters, and we won
So don't be disheartened that it was the wrong class for him, he is not really the hunter type, and you didn't have him turned out as a hunter so the result was to be expected. Chin up and find him a class that works for him, he is very nice
Mine too humblepie. All your coloureds, appys have plenty of classes at good shows. Leave the hunter classes to people with quality hunters. I remember the late Bill Bryan showing quality horses at county shows in the middle weights, they were youngsters being educated. Those middle weights went on to be very good P-2-P ers.
I would think he is more riding horse than hunter, although as an appaloosa owner of many years, I would try to go to breed shows and breed classes at county shows. I took my mare to the northern show last year and it was one of the nicest friendliest shows I have ever been to.
He's a nice horse but I would think he was at the bottom of the line up because he isn't really a hunter. Maybe the others were hunter types albeit, lightweights?
I judged at local and agricultural level a few years ago and sometimes at the small local shows the same horse/ponies came in nearly every class. Sometimes none of them were true to type in a class. When that happened I just had to base my decision on conformation,movement and what I liked.
The judge can only judge what's in front of them on the day.
I judged at local and agricultural level a few years ago and sometimes at the small local shows the same horse/ponies came in nearly every class. Sometimes none of them were true to type in a class. When that happened I just had to base my decision on conformation,movement and what I liked.
The judge can only judge what's in front of them on the day.
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It's an opinion at the end of the day and also my good showing friend always says 'in the eyes of the beholder', we always think our horses & ponies are better than the ones that won! I'm the worst at that! Lol! It's natural
and also my good showing friend always says 'in the eyes of the beholder', we always think our horses & ponies are better than the ones that won! I'm the worst at that! Lol! It's natural 
Unusual show, most 'general' judges absolutely loathe arabs witha passion & will place everything above them to make the point!
On the few occasions I've shown (really not my thing, don't actually care what someone else thinks of my horse), mostly to give youngsters outings, I get hit on two counts. Firstly, because I have arabs, judges other than arab judges hate them (I've even suffered name calling & discrimination in dressage & hunter trials because I dare turn up with an arab). Secondly, I have Crabbet arabs, which are the origional desert war horses which have not been adultereated for in hand showing, so no spindly matchstick legs nor faces like bananas with eyes on stalks & screaming its head off. Funninly enough in ridden arab showing Crabbets are the top of the tree (including british national champ this year, hoys winner last year, I used to compete an ex hoys winner in endurance) where they need to be fit for purpose (ie be a good ridden animal). In hand arab judges hate Crabbets as they aren't 'exotic' enough or full of snort 'n' blow, but show manners (one class I was nearly double barreled in the head by the class winner). So all in all if I go somewhere it is in the certain knowledge we will be loathed by all judges. Don't bank on the dressage, that's also someones opinion!
On the few occasions I've shown (really not my thing, don't actually care what someone else thinks of my horse), mostly to give youngsters outings, I get hit on two counts. Firstly, because I have arabs, judges other than arab judges hate them (I've even suffered name calling & discrimination in dressage & hunter trials because I dare turn up with an arab). Secondly, I have Crabbet arabs, which are the origional desert war horses which have not been adultereated for in hand showing, so no spindly matchstick legs nor faces like bananas with eyes on stalks & screaming its head off. Funninly enough in ridden arab showing Crabbets are the top of the tree (including british national champ this year, hoys winner last year, I used to compete an ex hoys winner in endurance) where they need to be fit for purpose (ie be a good ridden animal). In hand arab judges hate Crabbets as they aren't 'exotic' enough or full of snort 'n' blow, but show manners (one class I was nearly double barreled in the head by the class winner). So all in all if I go somewhere it is in the certain knowledge we will be loathed by all judges. Don't bank on the dressage, that's also someones opinion!