Working hunter pony - help/advice

SpottedCat

SpottedCat

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Ok, so I have a few questions for people who do showing please.

1. If I were to advertise something as a 15h WHP, would you expect to see it come with an annual JMB height certificate? Would it make a difference to how easily it would sell? I cannot get a LHC as pony is only 6. Getting an annual certificate is easy in terms of logistics as I am based basically on a measuring centre, but will cost £££ - is it worth it?

2. Can you recommend me anyone within an hour of Bristol who I could take said pony to for an assessment of potential in this sphere please?

3. Is there anything else I should know about marketing a pony in this way? I can't ride it in show classes myself (too old), but it has been produced nicely, is very safe and easy to ride, jumps anything without looking and has hunted decent country as a 5yo. It is a safe hack, totally unspooky and first time XC schooling did water, ditches, steps, trakheners etc without a second look. Does all of this in a snaffle with no martingale.

Just pondering as the dun pony will be for sale at some point and several people have commented he'd make a great worker - but I know basically nothing about showing and had intended to take him eventing!
 
1. I think it depends what level the buyer is wanting to compete at. If it is local showing the probably not, my horse has an annual and competed ponies UK,BSPS last year but I dont show so it didnt matter to me! She just turned 7 and is probably over height now.

cant really answer 2!

3.At viewings is there a younger ride that can ride the horse? Sometimes it is reassuring to see a rider that is eligible for the class get on. Apart from that, it sounds like a lovely pony and shouldn't have too much trouble selling I wouldn't have thought, lots of people looking for nice little workers ponies these days, there very big classes! Also the snaffle would give a good advantage over other ponies I would have thought because if judges are stuck between 2 ponies they would usually pick the one with the simplest tack.

Hope that helped?!
 
I am sure I can find a child to bully into riding it for me ;) He really is very straight forward, I just think he'll struggle with the fitness (rather than scope) for anything more than PN eventing as it is noticable how fast his fitness drops after a few days off - especially in comparision with my other horse. I think the wear and tear on him to get him fit enough to do more than the lower levels would be unfair when he's such a nice, willing chap. He's a dead easy ride though, and so sensible for a young horse. He is also incredibly easy to jump - you basically can't miss on him as he is really rhythmical, doesn't pull, and naturally sorts his own stride out. Shamefully, he nannies my 11yo experienced eventer out hacking! Ignores all traffic and other spooky things. Also (and helpfully I think when selling to a market which includes children), he is a complete dream to ride and lead, so easy for a mother to keep fit by leading him out hacking in the week if needed.
 
Can you borrow somebody who could do a whp class or two? It would give you a better idea and if he did well would definitely more attractive to buyers :)
 
Obviously I can do that - but rather than spend a lot of time and money on doing that first up, I'd quite like to take him to a showing producer for an assessment. I am assuming I can't just randomly enter an aff show without him being aff and having a height certificate, but as I know nothing about this I may be wrong! I can't see the point in taking him to do WHP at a local show as you get all sorts in the class, random judges, and that won't actually be a good assessment of his potential in the sphere IMO. I may well enter him for search for a star if he's still about in July.
 
Ah yes, I see your point there! It's a long time since I did any whp but there must be people local to you, will have a think! I guess Guy Landau wasn't a workers person - he's the only one I can think of round here atm.

ets would he be an M&M worker?
 
No, not really a M&M worker. His passport proclaims him to be a Czechoslovakian Warmblood, however I suspect given his short stature, ability to live off fresh air, dun (sorry buckskin :rolleyes:) colouring and table like back with a distinct lack of wither, that he does, in fact, also have some connemarra in there too!
 
The only showing people I know of are the people at Stretcholt, but I haven't the faintest idea whether they do workers or not!!
 
they have one or two on their website but obviously not what they specialise in, could be worth giving them and/or Guy a ring and asking who they'd recommend :)
 
True, I will do that. Their website is so flipping out of date it is impossible to see what they specialise in - no results after 2007 FGS! I've been there a few times recently for other things and they are obviously still producing show ponies from there, but I would like to know someone's 2010 results before paying for their professional opinion, especially in a sphere I know very little about!
 
I can't remember her user name on here, but Claire Boumphrey used to do alot of WHP showing as a child, she might be able to help you.
 
I would consult the Jameses (Amy and family) out and out worker producers. Ok, further West but always up and down the M4, why not bring him along to Mount Ballan for them to have a look at?

Having just sold a pony as a worker and having done some with Rolly too, here are a few pointers:

1. The most important thing for the high level workers is the jump as the tracks are quite demanding and therre aren't that many onies who will jump round clear. So they mustn't have any obvious conformational howlers, but perfection isn't important. What matters is that they have a really smart, bold, athletic, careful jump. This really needs to be proven either eventing or SJ if not in workers if you want to make any decent money.

2. Worker prices aren't that great, unless they have a track record you may well get more selling as an eventer.

3. For affiliated workers you can go to shows and compete without joining the BSPS, if you qualify for a Champs you have to join within a certain period after the qualifiying show (7 daysish?) if you want to go to the Champs. We never joined and have done a number of shows over the years.

4. If you want to borrow a jockey I might have one available - she did it for the Jameses a couple of times when they had a pony they didn't have the right age jockey for, andquite enjoyed it :) Got best rider prize at Hartpury on Rolly too which was a giggle as she hadn't a clue what she was doing :D Hope tht helps...
 
Excellent, thanks TD. I know we've discussed this before and mini-TD was the child I had in mind! I'm really not expecting to get megabucks for this pony, was thinking about the 5K mark really. His jump is really careful - I've never had a pole on him - but also economical - he's never going to jump you out of the saddle, but every time you put the pole up or add in a filler, he does just that bit more. The bigger the fence, the better quality the jump, but at the moment the biggest track I've jumped him round is 90cm, purely because I want to develop the quality of the canter first (it's weaker than I'd like on the left rein). When I tried him he jumped 1.05 oxers with ease - but how big is WHP showing?! I really have no clue about these things!
 
Give Stretcholt a ring as they produce a wide variety and easy for you to get to. I think they qualified 11 for HOYs last year. I am not sure how many workers they produce but def do SHP, hacks, Riding Pony etc so will have a good idea.
 
Open 153cm is 1.10cm but Novice is only 1m if that. Byn all means give Stretcholt a go but my (limited) showing experience is that it is quite "ghetto-ised"" so they will either be worker people or not, the people who do straight SP classes or M&Ms or whatever are a completely differrent crowd. Amy won at least one of the worker classes at HOYS last year - do you know her? Andrew's sister from Pembrokeshire, lovely people :)
 
TableDancer said:
Open 153cm is 1.10cm but Novice is only 1m if that. Byn all means give Stretcholt a go but my (limited) showing experience is that it is quite "ghetto-ised"" so they will either be worker people or not, the people who do straight SP classes or M&Ms or whatever are a completely differrent crowd. Amy won at least one of the worker classes at HOYS last year - do you know her? Andrew's sister from Pembrokeshire, lovely people :)
Click to expand...

Don't know her but will shamelessly drop your name ;)

Have now got visions of showing people refusing to cross invisible 'territory' lines at shows, and occasional gang warfare breaking out!!
 
One of the people I work for produces WHP for HOYS every year and sold a pony to the NOBLE team of horses ( Noble Springbok etc ) so give me a buzz if you can't find anyone to advise down your end.

Agree with TD about having a pony with exceptional jumping ability- they really do have to be very special, brave athletic jumpers and jump round calmly so that they can go on to do a good ridden show afterwards. Huge amount of emphasis on good jumping.

But do think that good WHP fetch very good money tho! The good ones are hard to find.
 
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