Towerlands Welsh Medal show-My worst experience ever!

[fatpiggy]

I heard about it going on in area level showing years ago. I think it may have started with the arab classes and then spread like some horrible disease. Unfortunately I suspect it is a combination of lowered standards in the horse world and dumbing down of so-called entertainment generally. Think X Factor and BGT and you can see something rather similar.

 

[spottybotty]

Have you never heard the term "Yobs with Cobs" ? thats exactly what a lot of the Welshy handlers are. I watched an 11yr old girl repeatedly hit a yearling Sec A around the head at a show 2yrs ago, she was copying her parents. I never attended that show again.

 

[cambrica]

This is heartbreaking. Never heard of 'gingering up' - who on earth could do that? X factor is spot on. I had to run round with The Who playing at full volume, it is pathetic. The worst thing for me is that I put my youngster through this, a horse that is so honest and trusts everything I do with him- makes me feel so guilty. Live and learn I guess but as for the rest of these poor animals I think it will take a power far mightier than just me to rid this black cloud over these magnificent welsh ponies. WPCS for gods sake wake up.

 

[Nevergrewup]

Suddenly all the inhand horses up on their back legs in the collecting ring at my first Big Show last year makes a lot more sense...

...the same handlers were also fairly bitchy when my friend had to lead me round mounted for 20 mins til my cob calmed down from all the sensory overload <sigh>

 

[pec]

I find it a little worying that eveybody seems to blame WPCS, they are indeed the governing body but do not run these shows. If you look at the showing rules most of these practices are banned. Surely it is the responsibiliy of the organisation that is hosting the show to ensure that the rules are adhered to. I have shown at many medal shows throughout West and South Wales and have never witnessed any horse being struck accross the face with a whip, and fail to see what the perpetrator would seem to achieve by doing so. The rules are there it is up to the judge and the stewards to ensure they are adhered to.
On the other hand I have witnessed spectators in the horse lines with prams, infants and dogs on leads while I am tring to lead a section D stallion or colt down to the ring. While I do appreciate a little bit of spark in the horses I am showing they often take exception to this, then I simply get filthy looks from these spectators like I am somehow in the wrong.

 

[cambrica]

I find it a little worying that eveybody seems to blame WPCS, they are indeed the governing body but do not run these shows. If you look at the showing rules most of these practices are banned. Surely it is the responsibiliy of the organisation that is hosting the show to ensure that the rules are adhered to. I have shown at many medal shows throughout West and South Wales and have never witnessed any horse being struck accross the face with a whip, and fail to see what the perpetrator would seem to achieve by doing so. The rules are there it is up to the judge and the stewards to ensure they are adhered to.
On the other hand I have witnessed spectators in the horse lines with prams, infants and dogs on leads while I am tring to lead a section D stallion or colt down to the ring. While I do appreciate a little bit of spark in the horses I am showing they often take exception to this, then I simply get filthy looks from these spectators like I am somehow in the wrong.

I am actually in agreement with you on most of what you are saying. There are areas of the country that do not have this element of yobbishness. Another poster has said that it simply is not like this in Scotland. I have been to the Royal Welsh and thoroughly enjoyed myself to a point that I was so looking forward to taking part in Welsh Medal shows. Having bought my youngster from a stud in Wales I can honestly say that I could not hold more respect and admiration for the way their horses are produced and the proof of that is in my boy's outstanding character and calm, kind nature.
However, the judges are appointed by the WPCS and any medal show is under their umbrella. I have not seen one single horse marked down for obesity, nobody eliminated for over the top crowd interaction so is that down to the judges or the WPCS as its their appointed judges that are turning a blind eye. The whole safety aspect is 6 of one & 1/2 dozen of the other. Kids running everwhere with no parent/guardian in site combined with colts/stallions/fillies terrified by whips, bags, rattles etc. You would only ever get an admiring look from me if your stallion was simply excited and lively, unfortunatley though this was not the case here.
All I know is that was one of my life ambitions and I feel totally gutted by it.

 

[icy]

I intitially wrote a long account of what i saw at the show in question good and bad points ! but sadly internet keeps going down , so i will hopefully just be able to add an unbiased opinion and my own feelings that i personnaly feel this thread is an over exagerated and not a true account of the show which had endless lovely owners, handlers and exhibitors which truly did not deserve this !

these are just 2 random photos out of over 600 picturs i took that day !! hardly look like un-loved, beaten, terrified horses

 

[ZAULTAG]

I intitially wrote a long account of what i saw at the show in question good and bad points ! but sadly internet keeps going down , so i will hopefully just be able to add an unbiased opinion and my own feelings that i personnaly feel this thread is an over exagerated and not a true account of the show which had endless lovely owners, handlers and exhibitors which truly did not deserve this !

these are just 2 random photos out of over 600 picturs i took that day !! hardly look like un-loved, beaten, terrified horses

Agreed with above. I also have a lot of pictures of the day and i certainly didnt see anyone hitting horses in the face with whips.

Out of interest are you the lady with the bay colt cambrica?

Also, did you stay for the whole day and watch all the classes from 9am?

 

[cambrica]

Icy & Zaultag.
I wasn't there all day but from 12.30 - 6ish so missed the A's B's and part-bred.
It is certainly the C & D element that I'm concerned with. I too could have taken 100's of photos of horses in the ring looking superb with kind handlers. I have to say that in many cases this was certainly the case. I am not tarring everybody with the same brush here as I know that there are many kind owners that adore their horses.
However, what went on outside of the ring and on the sidelines was a different story completely as there most certainly were a large number of handlers and accomplices who were doing exactly what I described in previous posts. That is in no way over-exaggerated to a point I would swear on my horses lives!
Never before have I posted anything nasty or inaccurate about anyone, thats not my character but as I've said I found the whole experience pretty awful.
I have also received personal messages from people who were there agreeing with me.
I had a bay gelding, not colt, yes the one who laughably got down to roll when we were leaving the ring and it was my mum who stood in the tunnel next to the man hurling unrepeatable abuse at his horse with his bag on a whip.

 

[HappyHorses:)]

Agreed with above. I also have a lot of pictures of the day and i certainly didnt see anyone hitting horses in the face with whips.

Out of interest are you the lady with the bay colt cambrica?

Also, did you stay for the whole day and watch all the classes from 9am?

Which bay colt? If it was the section D three year old then that was me. My fella went nuts at the crowd and all the noise but I tried to keep him calm in the ring as it is all experiance and have not said a word about the show publicly. Mine was a great example of how D's can have alot of spirit without the plastic bags and rattles.

I now know that Towerlands had an atmosphear unlike most shows and it didn't suit my horse. He is kept out 24-7 and only been shown a few times so all a bit much for him that time but being local I wanted to support a welsh show. I actually e-mailed the organizers to say thank you as I thought the show was well run so no, I am not the one who complained on this thread.

 

[Cop-Pop]

When I was competing my pony in hand I let my WPCS membership lapse as I couldnt stand the medal shows. The 'regulars' were awful - not just in handling but in the way they would try and buy the judges. More than one stud would regularly say it was their youngsters first show - how many first shows can a pony have? When I started showing my horse it was a refreshing change!

 

[Honey08]

I intitially wrote a long account of what i saw at the show in question good and bad points ! but sadly internet keeps going down , so i will hopefully just be able to add an unbiased opinion and my own feelings that i personnaly feel this thread is an over exagerated and not a true account of the show which had endless lovely owners, handlers and exhibitors which truly did not deserve this !

these are just 2 random photos out of over 600 picturs i took that day !! hardly look like un-loved, beaten, terrified horses

I actually think that that second picture doesn't look that nice - the bloke is holding his head up,not stroking him, his expressions is saying "you WILL do this, and there is a whip poking out from under his arm ready to tickle. I'm not saying it looks a bad picture, but if you're using it as a counter to the nasty scenes painted in this thread then its not all that!

Showing is not for me at all.

 

[HappyHorses:)]

For anyone who was at Towerlands and saw my naughty pony showing his airs above the ground (section d 3yo colts) this is how be behaved as shows last year

I just want to add that there were some lovely people at the show. There are always going to be people who behave like plums, happens at all shows not just the welsh shows.

 

[ponypilotmum]

For anyone who was at Towerlands and saw my naughty pony showing his airs above the ground (section d 3yo colts) this is how be behaved as shows last year

I just want to add that there were some lovely people at the show. There are always going to be people who behave like plums, happens at all shows not just the welsh shows.

All credit to you, he's a beauty.

I've not attended one wpcs show, but have seen this behaviour at county, PUK, and bsps shows. Usually in the lorry parks.
I used to regularly see a gentleman showing a stud's welshies - recogniseable for the garish trousers he wore - and witnessed those welshies being smacked round the croup with whips and jollied along with plastic bags. The guy, no matter which animal he entered, won every time.

He used to stand by the ring after (bsps shows) and have a good long chat with the judge about how family was.

That's showing for you I'm afraid.

 

[icy]

For anyone who was at Towerlands and saw my naughty pony showing his airs above the ground (section d 3yo colts) this is how be behaved as shows last year

I just want to add that there were some lovely people at the show. There are always going to be people who behave like plums, happens at all shows not just the welsh shows.

100% right all shows all disciplines ! not just welshies ! good luck to you

 

[icy]

I actually think that that second picture doesn't look that nice - the bloke is holding his head up,not stroking him, his expressions is saying "you WILL do this, and there is a whip poking out from under his arm ready to tickle. I'm not saying it looks a bad picture, but if you're using it as a counter to the nasty scenes painted in this thread then its not all that!

Showing is not for me at all.

Honey 08 your observation couldnt be furthur from the truth !!! this filly put her own head on her owners shoulder everyone was laughing hence i took the pictures !! you are welcome to look at the others i can asure you the handler was not holding her head up !! (why would you they are pretty heavy ???) he was kissing her back, and i personnaly know this handler and i dont care how much of a dedicated horse lover you are, you could never be more kind or patient than this man who i will add is a known farrier that can win the heart of many a nervy youngster or horse, and just to add if thats your meanest form of cruelty you can find with this picture then your very blinkered to life ! i suppose the other photo the lady is strangling her horse !!!!! as i put on other post ~ do you ride ??? if so i pity your horse having to carry your heavy halo !! im asuming you have also never ever carried a whip ??

 

[Yoda]

I went to towerlands on Saturday and I have to say some of the posts on here regarding us "cob yobs" are highly entertaining. This was the 1st year that the show was at this venue so there were bound to be teething problems but no where near the scale that has been posted on here. Children were running wild but twice to my knowledge did show organisers tell the children to calm down but the parents are to blame. Why take your kid to a show and then let them go crazy?? Regards carrier bags, I only saw 1 person with 1 and the steward saw what was happening and asked him to stop. What more can a show do? Going to towerlands as your 1st welsh show was a mistake on your part, it's a silver medal show with a high calibre of ponies/cobs. It's like entering your ridden pony in a hoys qualifier as its first show!

 

[ponypilotmum]

I went to towerlands on Saturday and I have to say some of the posts on here regarding us "cob yobs" are highly entertaining. This was the 1st year that the show was at this venue so there were bound to be teething problems but no where near the scale that has been posted on here. Children were running wild but twice to my knowledge did show organisers tell the children to calm down but the parents are to blame. Why take your kid to a show and then let them go crazy?? Regards carrier bags, I only saw 1 person with 1 and the steward saw what was happening and asked him to stop. What more can a show do? Going to towerlands as your 1st welsh show was a mistake on your part, it's a silver medal show with a high calibre of ponies/cobs. It's like entering your ridden pony in a hoys qualifier as its first show!

even at hoys you expect at certain standard of competitor, who know how to behave themselves.

 

[Yoda]

The standard and behaviour of the competitors was fine, but local riding schools way of showing and breed shows way of showing ARE completely different.

 

[ponypilotmum]

The standard and behaviour of the competitors was fine, but local riding schools way of showing and breed shows way of showing ARE completely different.

I know. I used to work on a stud showing natives up to UK level

For what it's worth, we could have something unhandled the week before a qualifier, basic handling, have it on the lorry, at the show, in the ring, and qualified. At BSPS / PUK a month later in the ribbons. No plastic bags, no whips. I couldn't take credit for that myself, but my boss was (is) some horsewoman who knew how to show a colt / stallion and the inhand and ridden success of her stock speaks for itself.

Different breed shows too The breed shows are such fun, because it's so friendly and relaxed.

 

[trottingon]

Well I've been to plenty of welsh medal shows over the last 5 years and although I haven't seen an increase in face-hitting/nasty handling from any other type of show, I have seen plenty, and by that I mean lots, of outside assistance and deliberate winding up of in-hand animals, mainly section Ds! I show in the north west and midlands mainly. The organising committees where this goes on really need to open their eyes and stop it happening. Some is completely obvious, rattling coins in jars and bottles as their horse goes past in the ring, others are more subtle, one lady buzzed like a bee when her horse went past and moved around to different vantage points to do more of the same during the classes -not that you could do anything about her, and to be fair at least she wasn't winding up all the other horses so much.
I'm getting over an injury so will not be doing any WPCS shows this year because I know I'll struggle to hold into my monster when he's so wound up, so I'll be doing other shows where it's less likely to happen. By the way it's not just welsh shows, Cheshire county is horrendous for it as are some other county shows.

 

[HappyHorses:)]

Going to towerlands as your 1st welsh show was a mistake on your part, it's a silver medal show with a high calibre of ponies/cobs. It's like entering your ridden pony in a hoys qualifier as its first show!

Who said it had been their first welsh show? I can't speak for the poster who started this thread but I've been to the HCWPCA shows before and belive me the noise was nothing like it was at the show on Saturday. Refering to others as showing like 'local riding school' is uncalled for and kinda bitchy. Speak to the organizers about people getting qulified if it offends you that much. If your trying to change the minds of people on this thread of how welsh showing people are your failing. Manners cost nothing.

Lucky-lady, thank you for the comment on my horse, he was never placed lower than 3rd at his shows last year and they weren't even riding school shows!

Honey08- I can second that the guy in that picture is a gentleman as he bred my youngest horse and really is a lovely kind man. You really were wrong in your comment about that picture.

Last word from me as this thread has kinda got to me. We are all there because we love our welshies, so what if some are never going to be royal welsh winners! Everyone can learn from competing with people who have been there and worn the t-shirt. I've learnt that my pony looks so much better all trimmed up (I bit the bullet and finally did it) as I was inspired seeing the others instead of having it natural as I had it last year. You can bet that the next time he's out showing the judge will tell me off for trimming

Anyhoo hasn't put me off showing so if my pony or myself offend anyone by being at a show I really couldn't give a flying figaroo!

 

[icy]

I feel for you trottingon and wish you a very speedy recovery, and i do agree that at many shows there is a lot of outside assistance in many different ways, but i feel we are missing the point of the thread here it was regarding Towerlands show and the apparent disgrace of it ! i felt the need to defend the exhibitors ,owners and handlers which were tarred with the same brush as perhaps a couple of individuals (that i never personaly witnessed if i had i would have acted if i had !) that every show sadly gets , the show was not as described as basically a hooligans day out ! and for silly posts saying a photo posted of a filly with her head happily on her handlers shoulder was being held and forced is just ridiculous it was posted to show the people that didnt attend the show a clearer view of how most realy adore their horses, surely anyone with the slightest insight can see this ! my post wasnt to slag people off but to purely give what i believe to be a true account x yes issues need addressing regarding children and rubbish in particular, but to sit back and apparently watch horses being whipped in the face or any part of the body makes the onlooker as bad for not bringing such disgusting behaviour to the attention of the organisers at the time. but like others i have said my thoughts and will let others make their own decisions x

 

[Yoda]

Happyhorses, my post was aimed at the person who started this thread. She stated she took her pony for experience but she will now stick to her local riding club shows so why so much aggression?

Yes towerlands isn't for everyone but I personally love it and I get frustrated when we all get tarred with pony bashing, bag waving idiots! Yes there are a minority at ALL shows that go too far but the majority of us love our ponies and love taking them to shows to show them off.

 

[Honey08]

Honey 08 your observation couldnt be furthur from the truth !!! this filly put her own head on her owners shoulder everyone was laughing hence i took the pictures !! you are welcome to look at the others i can asure you the handler was not holding her head up !! (why would you they are pretty heavy ???) he was kissing her back, and i personnaly know this handler and i dont care how much of a dedicated horse lover you are, you could never be more kind or patient than this man who i will add is a known farrier that can win the heart of many a nervy youngster or horse, and just to add if thats your meanest form of cruelty you can find with this picture then your very blinkered to life ! i suppose the other photo the lady is strangling her horse !!!!! as i put on other post ~ do you ride ??? if so i pity your horse having to carry your heavy halo !! im asuming you have also never ever carried a whip ??

Oh for goodness sake! All I was trying to say is that that particular picture wasn't, IN MY OPINION, a picture of calm. I was saying that if that is the nicest picture you can find, it isn't that good - with the whip stuck in the chest... I never said it was a picture of the abuse described by many others in this thread.

If you had calmly explained that the horse had put its head on his shoulder etc it would have put your point across much more effectively than going on about halos and riding experience etc - that just makes it a bit childish!



Good - glad you all know him and that he is lovely with horses etc. Fair enough. I was just saying what that picture portrayed to me.. It just shows that a photo can show two different viewpoints to different people...

 

[HappyHorses:)]

Yoda- no aggression from me honest! I think I took your post as a bit rude and having had a pants day I jumped on it, I can't stand tension so truce please?

Like I said we all love our welshies and there is good n bad everywhere in the horse world. No one is perfect and everyone will have off days.

 

[cambrica]

I went to towerlands on Saturday and I have to say some of the posts on here regarding us "cob yobs" are highly entertaining. This was the 1st year that the show was at this venue so there were bound to be teething problems but no where near the scale that has been posted on here. Children were running wild but twice to my knowledge did show organisers tell the children to calm down but the parents are to blame. Why take your kid to a show and then let them go crazy?? Regards carrier bags, I only saw 1 person with 1 and the steward saw what was happening and asked him to stop. What more can a show do? Going to towerlands as your 1st welsh show was a mistake on your part, it's a silver medal show with a high calibre of ponies/cobs. It's like entering your ridden pony in a hoys qualifier as its first show!

Im sorry but that sounds patronisingly arrogant. I have 30+ years experience of breeding, schooling, breaking, show jumping, x/c, inhand and ridden showing. The medal shows are new to me but certainly not beyond my capabilities as a handler and my youngster is from one of the worlds top welsh stud farms. I entered the HCWPCA show at Bury farm and enjoyed the experience and the people I met I found most helpful. Many of which were probably also at the Towerlands show - I don't know. Except of course the one girl I did see there striking her horse whilst in the ring. I don't ever recall entering at a 'riding school show'!
When we first arrived at T/lands my mum, O/H and friend went off to get drinks. My mum came back clearly upset by an act of cruelty she witnessed, I tried to play it down saying perhaps it was just firm handling??
It was when I sat outside the restaurant watching in particular the sec c colts come past - well I refer to a previous post I made on this incident. This was not an isolated incident. Many (not all) cobs are deliberately wound up then punished for being wound up - fact !
In all my years of competing I have never witnessed such blatent acts and firmly stick to my guns on this. For me it was very much a case of 'eyes wide open'.
I found the organisers extremely helpful, the judge extremely polite and the steward extremely professional. How are 'some' of these people expected to look after their horses when they can't even look after their kids ?
I realise that the Medal shows are very much a who's who - everybody knows everybody else which is why I'm suprised that I have not had hundreds of posters wanting to shoot me down - being an 'outsider'.

BTW HappyHorses I do love your boy.

 

[markettrader]

I have sat and read this thread numerous times over and over again today, to say I am astonished by all the jobsworths who have their opinion about how Welsh Section C's & D's should look and shouldn't look.... Jealousy comes to mind, I remember Cambrica's horse in the ring... Firstly it was quite clear that you couldn't control your horse maybe you need to enforce a bit of dicipline, Secondly a horse should be able to get it's head in the manger maybe try lowering it so your horse can actually eat! You expressed your views on "Yobs with Cobs". All because people with cobs express their appreciation of a GOOD COB in the ring (sorry if we didn't appreciate yours). You mentioned that you purchased from a good stud in Wales, let me let you into a little secret, when Studs sense that someone with little knowledge wants to come and buy from them, they scrape the bottom of the barrel to sell you the horses that they wouldn't even register if it weren't for the whole micro chipping situation. When you visited the Royal Welsh you mentioned that you never saw a carrier bag, or a bottle with stones in I find this to be very untrue as 99% of competitors use either one so next time you visit actually observe what is going on around you then maybe you might see the lovely stud you purchased from actually using one of the above to hype their horses up, then you might not be so dissapproving of Yobs With Cobs!! If you was to visit majority of Studs and visited their fields you would only have to show their horses a carrier bag then you will see that the horses are not frightened or treated cruelly, they stick their tail up and show off, does this sound like a frightened horse because maybe I am wrong (which i doubt) but does a horse flag, prick their ears and show off if they are frightened, ain't it the other way round they generally have their ears flat back and their tail clamped down. Please any of you's prim and proper horse owners correct me if I am wrong!!... Regarding the TROLLOP who was seen shaking a whip with a bag on round the children, firstly I think it is highly disrespectful to call someone that who you don't know (maybe you would of got a peice of her mind if you actually told her that on the day hence the reason why you had to air your views on here) Secondly you expressed your views on children running around near the horses, I have read my schedule from that show 3 times and for the life of me I cannot see where it states - Towerlands Welsh Medal Show & Children's Creche. It is a horse show not a childrens play area so if your children or any other peoples were running around near the horses that says more about the parenting than it actally does about the horse handlers. I was not competing at the show this year but had a wonderful time, so for you to state that the handlers beat their horses and treated them in a horrid manner i find this hilarious, I have never read such rubbish. Basically what you and other users on here are saying is that the horses were treated horribly, too fat, scared with bags and bottles etc - you should have opened your eyes and your ears when a horse came in the ring with it's tail up, giving a good show, looked immaculate and in top show condition where was it placed and how were the crowd buzzing , where was your horse standing? and did you get the crowds appreciation Eerm I don't beleive so NO. As for you commending the organisers and the Judges this was the most fictional part I think you wrote becasue I heard with my own ears the show organiser saying outside the ring when the Section D Stallions were in that there was a lovely atmosphere. Also the Section D Judge just before the Section D Stallions were about to come in when the music started he was dancing in the ring clapping getting the audience involved enhancing the atmosphere I personally found this amusing and involving as so did most of the crowd, I bet you were one of the spectators who was sitting in the stand not even smiling like you were at a funeral, this says more about you than it does everyone else. In future I advise all you jobsworths and jealous people to stick to your local shows and leave the WPCA medal shows to those who are more suited unless you can attend without starting World War 3. As for the person who complained about showing to The Who playing, Towerlands as always had music on during their classes ever since I can remember being little and going. Towerlands used to be the first show of the season and was always the one that you got hyped up for mainly becasue of the atmosphere it generated. Everybody had their concerns with Bury Farm because of the area it is situated, becasue it was going to attract people who have got plums stuck in their mouth giving their very little knowledge and opinions to people who to be quite frank couldn't care less about your opinions as they mean very little. Regarding the pictures that were posted these clearly show the affection between the horses and their owners so whoever said that the bottom one was cruel then you really need to keep your opinions to yourself because this man is a farrier and dotes on his animals just like the rest of us, just because some use whips and bags does not mean that they are treated badly. A question for all you's who had an opinion... From my assumptions most of you have ridden horses aswell yes? when you break them do you never use a whip when schooling or use spurs when your horse is not going forward, you can tell everyone on here that you don't but when push comes to shove and your horse ain't going forward bet the whips and spurs come out in full force to hell with what ever you broadcast on here, I bet your horse don't get a stroke and a polo then, so you's carry on lying to yourselves but beleive me behind closed doors I am not far from the truth am I. As for criticising someones appearence I know exactly who you are slagging off all becasue they take pride in their appearence does not mean they are a bad person, we all can't look like Riff-Raff, to be honest some people looked like they needed 24 hours soak in the bath i don't see you criticising them or is that becasue the girls who made an effort made you feel a little insecure with yourselves!!. With regards to the well known family using ginger, if you knew where to get it you would use it aswell, knowledge jealousy is the worst kind because you think you are very knowledgeable but in the end you's are just a riding school graduates. The above is not just aimed at Cambrica it is aimed at everyone who put their two pennies worth in where it wasn't wanted or needed. Cambrica you started this thread and to be honest you should have kept your opinions to yourself but no you came on here aired your views and got everyone on the band wagon so any attitude and dissapprovement you or any of the others get is completely expected, in future think before you start a thread slagging people and their horses off because you will get it back 10 times worse from all angles. I agree there is good and bad in all horsey people but this thread gives people who have welsh horses a bad name and is dissrespectful to the good. In my opinion people should keep their opinions to themself but becasue you all jumped on the band wagon about Welsh horse owners, you have got to have it i am afraid. Sometimes people are good at airing what they beleive to be the truth all over the internet but are they big enough to take some back without chucking their toys out their pram.

 

[SO1]

I don't show welshes but I do think the those who do have a terrible reputation especially the in hand ones for firing up their horses to the point where they look like they are coiled springs about to explode. I wonder why they do have this reputation where as other breeds apart from the arabs (again a breed where being fiery is encouraged by judges) if none of the things reports happen. I know not all those who shows welshes use the same techniques but is it really necessary to have to use plastic bags/stones in bottles/banging railing and encouraging people to show horses that are so fired up they are only just containable. There are always a lot rumours about how these horses are treated - including being kept in dark stables without turnout to make them more fiesty in the ring.

Additionally their attitude towards other competitors I was quite shocked at some of the comments from them in mixed classes, when my new forest was placed higher than a group of welshes from a local stud who were rearing and almost out of control.

I have a new forest and have been to the new forest bred show and I have never seen a more quiet group of people and ponies it was a very calm atmosphere. I wonder if the sort of people who like the highly strung welsh temperments are also a bit like that themselves so that is why we get this sort of behaviour.

MarketTrader I think you come across as a very agressive person and saying that using ginger is acceptable and bags/stones in bottles and saying the welsh breeders take advantage of people coming to them to buy a horse who they do not know etc is not helping your cause

 

[rockysmum]

You mentioned that you purchased from a good stud in Wales, let me let you into a little secret, when Studs sense that someone with little knowledge wants to come and buy from them, they scrape the bottom of the barrel to sell you the horses that they wouldn't even register if it weren't for the whole micro chipping situation.

Having no interest at all in the Welsh breeds I have been reading this thread for amusement only.

Dont think this comment will encourage any of us to buy from a Welsh stud in a hurry.

Posting on here that studs are flogging bin end horses, and I assume using their prefixes, just backs up the OP's views on the whole scene.