showing shetlands

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asif

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right. Howdo again lol...

iv been showing dogs for the past 5 yrs.. and befor that was in the army for 7 and befor that i was a kid and showed at the odd local shows with my fell x welsh..

Now i have a Mini shetty.. and i want to show him.. hes Black and a colt and hopfully keep him as a stallion...
so a few Questions..

1- do the judges preferr Spilt manes or just on the one side..
2- should ladys have a top hat thing? iv my eye on a spiffing tweed coat and id have some cream/white jods, Short or tall boots>??
3- as hes only 9 months... up till two, leather headcollar brown or what.. and then a brown in hand with stallion bit??
4- do they like em with Muscle as i hope to be having him out wth me n the fell, so he will be fit..
5- Stood square or stretched out at the back

OK thats all i think so far lol...
 
Here you go, this may be of help: http://www.shetlandponystudbooksociety.co.uk/shows/showing-etiquette

and I did a quick dredge on the search function on this forum for you - take a look here: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=286758

and to answer your q's (in my opinion)

1. Either - whatever helps the neck look better,tho over to the off side is best if possible
2. Smart jacket or waistcoat over shirt, trousers the opposite colour to legs, so light for you (never jodhs or breeches for in-hand) & sensible boots - jodh boots are fine as long as you don't slip in them.
3. Bitless till 2, then Stallion bit in simple in hand bridle.
4. You will have to learn what each judge prefers - some prefer a good top line, others will go for movement over anything & some will go on overall confrimation.
5. Should be square, only welsh & hackneys 'spread'. You can leave a leg at the rear to improve the line if its needed tho ;)

Good luck & have fun :)
 
Personally I always bit colts from yearlings onwards regardless.

As previously said - never wear jods for inhand it just looks naff on adults.

Mane all on one side. Have him well trained to trot next to you as there is nothing worse than seeing a mini being dragged.

As to keeping him entire - unless you are a someone in shetland showing you can pretty much forget being placed at county level from 4yo up. If you geld you stand more of a chance of a place for being recognised as a non-breeder and fun shower so you will more often than not come 4th-6th. Shetland showing is a fickle business. The other thing you need to consider is are you going to use him as a stallion? If not then is it fair to keep him hormonal for no reason?
 
I showed my standard colt then gelded him from 1-3 years with some success. I agree with previous poster when they say the shetland show ring is a fickle place at higher level. I used a leather show slip as a yearling then bitted him for 2 and 3 year olds show bridle with brass fittings and leather lead.
I wore tweed jacket, brown fine cord trousers, shirt and tie and a toggi country hat, with jod boots.
He needs to trot out nicely and stand up square, be prepared some judges touch, which my boy hated. Our best result at county level was a 3rd in a big class of colt stallion, gelding class as a 2 year old he was only behind 2 mature stallions.l was over the moon. I am nobody in the shetland world. We were mostly in the ribbons at all other shows with a few 1st's champs and reserves. The most important thing though, no matter where we were placed we had fun and i enjoyed showing him off and comments from the general public were always great. Good luck!
 
i was all over the shetty site yesterday.. read it all front to back LOl..

aH thats good to no about the no jods... :) ill have to find somthing then...

as for keeping him entire.. so long as he isnt used, and not by any girls he will be fine, he will just be with my gelding.. i want to keep him entire as long as i can.. might geld him in a few years.. but not yet..

his dad has done well in the ring. - Lignite chickadee.
and as for Showing im not THAT botherd about the huge shows.. just the locals for now.. as i still will be doing the dogs.. hey the dog world is JUST the same.. im a nobody but iv done well with my Dane.. so it CAN be done... lol..

the mane ok ill get working on it.. its the top half is split, i will plait it over..

:)
 
If you aren't going to using him on mares, then why are you keeping him entire?

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you when you say he will be fine if he is not used for stud. This is totally incorrect. Stallions can smell mares that are in season from miles away, and it will drive him totally bokers. Not to mention when you go to shows, you can guarantee their will be mares in season.

If there are no plans to stud him, it really would be in your best intrest to geld him.

Shetlands are gits at the best of times, so a sexually frustrated stallion will be a nightmare! ;)
 
Bourbons said:
If you aren't going to using him on mares, then why are you keeping him entire?

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with you when you say he will be fine if he is not used for stud. This is totally incorrect. Stallions can smell mares that are in season from miles away, and it will drive him totally bokers. Not to mention when you go to shows, you can guarantee their will be mares in season.

If there are no plans to stud him, it really would be in your best intrest to geld him.

Shetlands are gits at the best of times, so a sexually frustrated stallion will be a nightmare! ;)
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ATM there is No plans to geld him, not to say in a few years i wont but for now im not.. after all hes only 9- 10mnths lol..
 
asif said:
ATM there is No plans to geld him, not to say in a few years i wont but for now im not.. after all hes only 9- 10mnths lol..
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I appreciate that, however if you do not plan to use him for stud, then tbh it's not fair on him to be left entire.

I have worked with stallions that were not used for stud, but kept entire so they "bulked up" for showing, and let me tell you they really suffered when the mares were in season.
 
Bourbons said:
I appreciate that, however if you do not plan to use him for stud, then tbh it's not fair on him to be left entire.

I have worked with stallions that were not used for stud, but kept entire so they "bulked up" for showing, and let me tell you they really suffered when the mares were in season.
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i was Raised on a Sec D yard.. with about 5 stallions 3 used 2 not... and they didnt Suffer.. also rode the army horses, the stallions didnt Suffer...

its the same with dogs.. I own entiers and they are fine.. its just personnel choice.. as for where we live, its not a horsey area.. there is One other horse and hes a 28 yr ld gelding lives on the next farm, and my 17 yr old gelding. Nothing else...

Like i said Maybe when hes older.. will see how it goes..
 
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