What weight hunter class? Hopefully with pictures:)

islandspirit

islandspirit

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This will be my second year showing so I'm still quite new to it all. Last year we did middleweight classes but i wonder if I should have done lightweights. How do you know what weight class to put them in? Hopefully my picture will work, which is all bought and paid for with permission to use on the Internet :-) any advice welcome
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islandspirit said:
Thank you for the kind words. I love him to pieces:-) He's 17.2 with nine and a quarter inch of bone.
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I have to admit from the photo I would instantly say lightweight - however perhaps the camera does lie :o

With 9 1/4 inch bone he would be a middleweight

Have you got a side on picture?

Very nice sort in any event - I would also head for ladies

ETA - were you doing SHGB classes? As judges will move you if they think you are in the wrong weight
 
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Drooling in my bran flakes.

With the bone he is lightweight. At 17.2 he is tall and might struggle against a more butty smaller horse (Finn McCool) types.

Good luck and if you fancy something different alongside the weight class, he would be a lovely ladies horse, navy habit on a grey ?
 
cronkmooar said:
I have to admit from the photo I would instantly say lightweight - however perhaps the camera does lie :o

With 9 1/4 inch bone he would be a middleweight

Have you got a side on picture?

Very nice sort in any event - I would also head for ladies

ETA - were you doing SHGB classes? As judges will move you if they think you are in the wrong weight
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Thank, some days he looks middleweight, others lightweight:)

This was us at our first county show, I was petrified!
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I only have one SHGB show near us which I entered on a ticket.
I would love to try ladies but have never ridden side saddle.
 
cronkmooar said:
I have to admit from the photo I would instantly say lightweight - however perhaps the camera does lie :o

With 9 1/4 inch bone he would be a middleweight

Have you got a side on picture?

Very nice sort in any event - I would also head for ladies

ETA - were you doing SHGB classes? As judges will move you if they think you are in the wrong weight
Click to expand...

AdorableAlice said:
Drooling in my bran flakes.

With the bone he is lightweight. At 17.2 he is tall and might struggle against a more butty smaller horse (Finn McCool) types.

Good luck and if you fancy something different alongside the weight class, he would be a lovely ladies horse, navy habit on a grey ?
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Thank you, bran flakes on a Sunday morning is very healthy:-)
I know what you are saying, we held our own in the middleweights but were at the lighter end and I worry that we will look gangly in the lightweights:)
It has always been my dream to have a go at county level showing and I loved every minute, sadly my boy has a huge scar on his near hind quarter which means we never get the top places but we did come home with a rosette on every outing:-) don't think I could have asked for more:)
I would love to have a go at the ladies classes but have no idea where to start, plus my husband would spontaneously combust over the cost!:)
 
The thing with showing is that its all personal preference !

Have a look on Horse gossip in the forth coming events part - there are lots of clinics held before the season starts - might be worth going to one of these.

Are you eligible search for a star? This might be worth investigating

You can hire side saddles and habits :-) Again HG will have info and the side saddle association

Good luck with him this season
 
Will have a look on horse gossip, thanks.
I don't think he is eligible for search for a star as he was shown professionally as a 4 year old all be it for a very short time with only a few outings but I will have another look at the rules.
 
islandspirit said:
Will have a look on horse gossip, thanks.
I don't think he is eligible for search for a star as he was shown professionally as a 4 year old all be it for a very short time with only a few outings but I will have another look at the rules.
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That will not matter if he did not qualify for HOYS or RI - and you have not qualified for either yourself in the past

Have a look at that, it might be an option for you
 
Lovely horse. I don't know about hunters as have hacks/riding horses, but I was going to say Search for a Star as well as eligible. A I think you he looks the type to do really well and also you could get good feedback or if not look at going to a clinic as Croommooar suggests or perhaps find a producer near to you and go for a lesson and feedback. Devon can be a fairly electric county show, so well done on doing it as your first.
 
Rules for this year aren't on the website yet but when I looked last year I thought it said the horse cannot have been shown in the ring by a professional. Maybe I misread it:) we have a venue not too far away so it would be nice if we were eligible.
 
islandspirit said:
Googled producers in Devon and drew a blank, can't find any clinics anywhere near us either:( any ideas??
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Post on HG to see if anyone knows of any clinics coming up in your area. I think Katie Jerram might do some all over the UK.

She is on facebook so you can contact her via that

Had a quick look on SHGB ridden hunter list for judges in Devon (thought it might throw up a producer)

There is a Ms W Gibson in Exeter. This may be the lady that had a very nice heavyweight that is now retired, can't remember its name. If it is her I think she might ride for other people - might be worth a brass neck phone call ;) If nothing else she might point you in the direction of someone
 
Pretty sure Shelford Rupert with Emma Gibson. Have competed against Wendy Gibson in BSHA classes. Pretty sure she has hunters as well.
 
humblepie said:
Pretty sure Shelford Rupert with Emma Gibson. Have competed against Wendy Gibson in BSHA classes. Pretty sure she has hunters as well.
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Shelford Rupert was owned by Emma Gibson, Somerset based, purchased after he won search for a star, Wendy Gibson is based in Devon, not sure if they are related but Wendy does produce hunters and would certainly be a good person to advise.
 
be positive said:
Shelford Rupert was owned by Emma Gibson, Somerset based, purchased after he won search for a star, Wendy Gibson is based in Devon, not sure if they are related but Wendy does produce hunters and would certainly be a good person to advise.
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Shelford Rupert - that's the boy:o

He is down as being owned by Mrs W and Miss E Gibson. Emma Gibson rode him. Could Mrs W Gibson be her mother?

Anyway as someone has confirmed that she does produce hunters this would be a good start for you.

Good luck
 
Here is a middleweight, he has 9 1/2" bone and stands 17.2hh. In 2006 he went to Stafford and Leics County as a lightweight and was 6th ish. We were parked between Robert Walker and David Tatlow. We are complete amateurs and the horse had been bought to do dressage after I gave up the search to buy another heavyweight following colic claiming my treasured show horse.

Both men spoke to us and gave us the most fabulous advice and help. Well, Mr Tatlow tried to buy him off us, but Robert suggested we went up a weight. The judges had not suggested we were in the wrong class. We didn't do much more in 2006 because the horse was tied up with regionals and nationals, but we took him to Morton in the Marsh and he was 2nd in the open and took the amateur and championship.

2007,8 and 9 we did not look back and I will treasure the memories for the rest of my life. We did not try to qualify for HOY's thinking that amateurs would never do it. Mr Tatlow asked us if we had qualified and suggested we went to Monmouth as the show is late in the season and most horses were qualified by then so we might have a chance. Off we went and who was in the class on a stunner but Mr Tatlow. Our boy galloped like he had been set on fire and we won, we celebrated a little !!

OP, I hope you have lots of fun and don't listen too hard to negative comments. I had my horse looked at before showing him and various people told me he was too common, between weights, too foreign and was too schooled. Some of the judge comments included stunning, most balanced horse ever ridden, manners to burn and floats along. If you are not in it you cannot win it.


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AdorableAlice said:
Here is a middleweight, he has 9 1/2" bone and stands 17.2hh. In 2006 he went to Stafford and Leics County as a lightweight and was 6th ish. We were parked between Robert Walker and David Tatlow. We are complete amateurs and the horse had been bought to do dressage after I gave up the search to buy another heavyweight following colic claiming my treasured show horse.

Both men spoke to us and gave us the most fabulous advice and help. Well, Mr Tatlow tried to buy him off us, but Robert suggested we went up a weight. The judges had not suggested we were in the wrong class. We didn't do much more in 2006 because the horse was tied up with regionals and nationals, but we took him to Morton in the Marsh and he was 2nd in the open and took the amateur and championship.

2007,8 and 9 we did not look back and I will treasure the memories for the rest of my life. We did not try to qualify for HOY's thinking that amateurs would never do it. Mr Tatlow asked us if we had qualified and suggested we went to Monmouth as the show is late in the season and most horses were qualified by then so we might have a chance. Off we went and who was in the class on a stunner but Mr Tatlow. Our boy galloped like he had been set on fire and we won, we celebrated a little !!

OP, I hope you have lots of fun and don't listen too hard to negative comments. I had my horse looked at before showing him and various people told me he was too common, between weights, too foreign and was too schooled. Some of the judge comments included stunning, most balanced horse ever ridden, manners to burn and floats along. If you are not in it you cannot win it.


083.jpg
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He is stunning, a real eye catcher:) As a matter of interest, what bit were you using? Did you go the double route or a Pelham?
It is difficult not to listen to negative comments, as yet I haven't been brave enough to chat to any of the professionals and bumbled along last year hoping not to make fools of ourselves. My only comment was from a ride judge who said he would forgive my boys exuberance after he bucked the judge due to the barrier along the whole side of the show ground blowing over in a huge gust of wind just after he got on board! Oops:) do you ask judges what they think or do you just hope they give you some feedback?
The thing is, my boy just loves showing, he makes you smile, the minute you enter the ring he struts his stuff:) I think I let him down:( he's definitely more confident than I am.
I was too afraid to be in it to win it at first:) it was more a case of please don't let me be last! At least this year I will be a bit more savvy:)
 
Double bridle is correct for hunter showing, although you could get away with a Rugby Pelham. Use hunter bits not those flashy dressage weymouth sets. You are ahead of the game with a horse that shows itself, I know this will be hard but forget the confidence issues and try to ride into the ring first. Show off his presence and ground covering walk, first impressions are remembered by the judges, so don't tuck yourself away with the also rans.

School him well and let other people climb on and off him, he needs to accept the good and the bad, he cannot be precious. Most judges ride well but just occasionally you will come across one that does not get on with your horse.

Teach him to gallop not scrabble. Ride him into the corner of the ring, balance half halt the canter and then go, he needs to lower himself and stretch. Balance the pull up, nothing worse than skidding round the corner, hanging on for grim death and hoping you don't do a splat at the judges feet.

Teach him endless patience, he must stand still no matter what.
 
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