WHY.......

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moses06

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Did moses do well in show classes when he was like this.......(I bought him in this condition,I didn't make him this fat!!!!)

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Yet doesn't get looked at when he's like this....

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not the best pic but you can see what he's lost

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Does he really look that bad?????? I have been told he's underweight - what a load of old bull****!!! Hence we have turned to dressage and I'm going to learn to jump again!!! sod the showring!!
 
Goodness he was fat! What you're losing in terms of winning, you've made up in terms of health at least :) Good luck with the dressage and jumping, he is adorable.
 
Its so wrong isn't it!! I was flicking through some old British Horse magazines someone left at the yard. There was an article on two show producers and how they prepare for a season...the pictures were lovely hacking through rolling hills and beautiful scenery etc... But the horses were horrifically obese!!

The one thing I will say is that when I went to a local show recently with Fi_Hunt it was lovely to see Genie taking first, she is an excellent example of a show horse in fab condition (not fat!)
 
You are so right sod the showing. Lucy who was in tip top condition, she was an endurance pony doing rides of upto and inclu 80km (not bad for a 20 year old 13.2hh welshie :p) Used to get beatern in the best condition class and veteran class by fat verging on lami ponies and the judge often used to comment she was a bit lean. :mad: She was not lean just fit, muscled and HEALTHY :D
Good luck with the dressage and jumping hope you have lots of fun :D
 
Good for you for getting all that weight off!!!

As you say, sod it. Its a funny old world, but you've done the best thing for your pony's health. Go you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I had a lovely Sec D stallion I used to do a bit of everything on, including low level endurance so he was pretty fit. I'm not a great lover of showing but would occaisionally show him and we always came last as compared to the rippling lardos who used to wobble when they trotted he looked like a TB!

Well done for getting the weight off, its not easy is it! I've managed to get about 30kg off my boy so far, the tape measure actually goes round him now!
 
I am not a showing expert - in fact I hate it - so dull, and so subjective.....but looking at your original photos compared to the much healthier thinner pony pics - I would suggest that the (verging on laminitic) crest he had, set his head much higher, that gave him a 'look at me posture' which he lost when that fatty top-line went down. What proper show producers, and those who get judged, by I would suspect better quality judges, provide is a muscular top-line, rather than a fat induced one.
As your dressage progresses and you change the ponies training methods - then he might yet again (if you feel that you want to go that route.....) aspire to better things in showing classes, cos the look at me profile will be achieved again (but from hard work - rather than too much grass / oats!)
 
do you know, i was at bath and west on the thursday and one of the judges said on the mic that there is a trend of overweight horses winning show classes and how detrimental it is to horses health and how a horse should look ect and that any judge that puts a very over weight horse first thats its wrong, the horses welfare should come first. i was so relieved to hear a top judge say that! shame not all of them agree!
 
dressedkez said:
I am not a showing expert - in fact I hate it - so dull, and so subjective.....but looking at your original photos compared to the much healthier thinner pony pics - I would suggest that the (verging on laminitic) crest he had, set his head much higher, that gave him a 'look at me posture' which he lost when that fatty top-line went down. What proper show producers, and those who get judged, by I would suspect better quality judges, provide is a muscular top-line, rather than a fat induced one.
As your dressage progresses and you change the ponies training methods - then he might yet again (if you feel that you want to go that route.....) aspire to better things in showing classes, cos the look at me profile will be achieved again (but from hard work - rather than too much grass / oats!)
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I suspect that is the case - but at that weight he couldn't trot without huffing!! I only went showing to give us something different to do,but as soon as the weight came off he didn't get looked at, yet he doesn't huff or puff and wobble round the ring, I am highly surprised he didn't get laminitis TBH, yet he won a best condition looking like that????? I may have a go at workers though...
 
Unfortunately, some judges STILL prefer to see horses 'looking well' (ie Fat!). I absolutely REFUSE to let Genie get fat as I am paranoid about laminitis, and fortunately the judges round here seem to prefer to see them looking fit, not 'well'. I was in a class recently and there was a VERY flashy mover in the M&M class that was absolutely stunning, but in the final line up it was right down the line. I heard from a friend who was next to it in the line up that the judge had said to her one of the reasons she was down there was because the horse was obese. Earlier that morning, with a different judge, the same horse had won best condition! Just shows how much it varies between judges!
 
It's ridiculous. Well done for getting him trim though, sod the showing - at the end of the day you're horse is far healthier for it! I got told a few times my chunky Welsh D needed more weight, but he was perfect IMO. Plus these showing people seem to forget some horses are used for more interesting things like jumping which they cant do if lardy :P
 
Hi moses06, when i first looked at your horsey i thought i was looking at mine. You've done a great job getting the weight of him, it takes along time and a lot of hard work doesn't it. It's taken a year to get the weight of mine and theres still a bit more to go, it's difficult when he only has to look at a blade of grass and the weight piles on. Keep up the good work Moses06 he's looking lovely.
 
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