Would she do well in a coloured class?

nelle48

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We want to show with our mare, she is officially skewbald (grey) on her passport, but could also pass as an ordinary grey. Would she stand a chance in a coloured class?
Here are some photos
dyr590.jpg

2qbgo76.jpg

1i1qib.jpg

2vsmayr.jpg

Thanks
 
Difficult to tell really. Showing is very much up to the judge's opinion on the day. I can't see much definition between her coloured bits, and the white background - she looks just like a dappled grey, but maybe it's the light or the pictures.

It's worth a try, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.
 
Depends on your judge and also the wording of the class. Some schedules state a split eg 60% colour 40% conformation. Some judges use this even if it's not stated on the schedule and would then say your horse has too much white as the coloured bits should be clearly defined and ideally 50% colour and 50% white. Other judges would look at each horse as if it was brown all over and judge based on conformation only.
 
I will say no. Firstly, although she is "ofificially" coloured, she is clearly grey now and has lost her markings over the years.Secondly, coloured judges tend to look for a good amount of dark solid colour, darker bottom, shoulder and head, and I think we can all agree your mare has neither.
 
She should do fine as they shouldn't actually judge the colour of the horse just the type and how true to its type it is and how it goes and so on. At Uk showing this year in the traditional coloured class the horse that got 1st was that colour (but hairy) it also got reserve ridden champion i believe? I would just make sure you have the passport with you (as you should when travelling anyways, but im sure everybody has forgotten once in there life.) Basically your horse has the coloured gene.. so yes you can go in coloured.

Im now preparing to be shot down :D but i stand by what i say anywho lol.
 
Blue and white counts as coloured, but I have to agree with the other posters that say her markings seem to have faded and she definitely looks grey. I used to keep my horse at a coloured stud and have seen a number of coloured showing classes. The best thing is to try to register her with CHAPS or the British Skewbald & Piebald Association and if they accept her, then she can show as coloured.
 
Thankyou. She is registered with the Irish skewbald and piebald society(she was imported from Ireland in march) and we are going to get her transferred over to the British one soon.
Ilovecobs that's really helpful, thank you. She has darker skin on her dappled parts but these pictures aren't amazing so you can't really see her neck dappling and around her front. Do you think it would be worth entering her in the coloured class at a small pony club show which is coming up to see how she does or should we not bother?
Thanks :)
 
There is nothing stopping you from having a go but from the little I know of showing, I doubt your horse would get high marks for colour. Even for a blue/white she doesnt have much colour.

I've had so many people say my new boy has the colour judges will love (see sig), dark bum, shoulder, head. More dark than white.

As everyone has said it all depends on the judge on the day. Try some other classes as well. :)
 
No I think you will look completely out of place against skewbalds and piebalds. She is lovely so put her in some other classes!
 
No one is challenging the fact that she would be ALLOWED to enter a coloured class, more suggesting that she wouldn't be placed in one. Iv'e done quite a lot of coloured showing and am told the same by almost every judge RE what they look for in a coloured class, which, to contradict ilovecobs, does clearly state they look for a certain covering of colour (my piebald always gets place down for a little too much white on his face in the bigger classes.)
The grey, Joseph, in my sig is also officially "coloured" but he is certainly dapple grey now and I wouldnt enter him in a coloured class.
 
No, she is definately not coloured; she may have been very dark grey when younger?

She needs to have splashes of white above her knee (i think its 30%?) to be classed as a coloured :)

You could try all the normal classes though, just not a coloured :)
 
If she wasn't coloured, why would she be registered then?!
We will be doing other classes with her, but we are asking because we've never been to a show before as she is our first horse and we don't want to look stupid etc. Thankyou for your help and we will be sure to enter other classes and expect a report when we hopefully go to our first show in september (:
Thanks
 
The pictures are a bit too big for my laptop to cope with properly so can't see her too well but perhaps try her in a ridden hunter class, like small hunters? she looks like she would do well in something like that.
 
That's a good idea, thanks. We need to look at the show schedule and work out what we can do and what you have to do in each one (: Sorry about the pics, sister cannot work tiny pic properly :p
(: thanks
 
Lovely as she is at first and second glance she doesnt look coloured just a lovely grey,so I wouldnt enter her in a coloured class, although I understand you say that technically she is. Photo's can be misleading maybe its more obvious in the flesh. Thats just my opinion based on what I can see.
 
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Info from chaps UK handbook, incorporating the guidelines and rules for judges and stewards. (hope it will be of some help)

CHAPS (UK) Ridden including Ridden Qualifier classes.
The individual show should not exceed 1½ minutes and
should include walk, trot and canter on both reins, change of rein, halt and stand, and if required by the judge, a gallop.
50% ride, manners and way of going; 50% type and conformation.

WHAT is a “COLOURED” HORSE or PONY?
The definition of a “coloured” horse or pony is one whose coat colour is either (piebald) or white and any other colour (skewbald), e.g. bay, roan, chestnut; with a patch of naturally occurring white coat. This white patch must be on the body above the level of the stifle or elbow, excluding any face markings. Any white marking below this does not qualify. Manes and tails may also be white or have white in them. Appaloosa animals with belly markings do not qualify. If there is any doubt as to whether an animal is classified as coloured, photographs showing all markings should be submitted to CHAPS (UK) Administration for referral to Council at the next available meeting. If further clarification is required a representative of CHAPS Council will be required to inspect the animal at a mutually agreed location. Should further verification prove necessary, DNA testing will be required for the presence of the “colour” gene. Animals with the fading colour gene, common with grey (blue) and whites, when colour definition is not apparent will be known as “historical” coloureds.

No colour pattern shall take preference over any other colour pattern, and colour and markings
shall not be considered whilst judging.
 
Last edited:
Info from chaps UK handbook, incorporating the guidelines and rules for judges and stewards. (hope it will be of some help)

CHAPS (UK) Ridden including Ridden Qualifier classes.
The individual show should not exceed 1½ minutes and
should include walk, trot and canter on both reins, change of rein, halt and stand, and if required by the judge, a gallop.
50% ride, manners and way of going; 50% type and conformation.

WHAT is a “COLOURED” HORSE or PONY?
The definition of a “coloured” horse or pony is one whose coat colour is either (piebald) or white and any other colour (skewbald), e.g. bay, roan, chestnut; with a patch of naturally occurring white coat. This white patch must be on the body above the level of the stifle or elbow, excluding any face markings. Any white marking below this does not qualify. Manes and tails may also be white or have white in them. Appaloosa animals with belly markings do not qualify. If there is any doubt as to whether an animal is classified as coloured, photographs showing all markings should be submitted to CHAPS (UK) Administration for referral to Council at the next available meeting. If further clarification is required a representative of CHAPS Council will be required to inspect the animal at a mutually agreed location. Should further verification prove necessary, DNA testing will be required for the presence of the “colour” gene. Animals with the fading colour gene, common with grey (blue) and whites, when colour definition is not apparent will be known as “historical” coloureds.

No colour pattern shall take preference over any other colour pattern, and colour and markings
shall not be considered whilst judging.

That might be so but at local level showing in a line up with other coloureds who do have obvious coloured markings, i'm sure the judge would be drawn to them more. My guess is that the OP probably wouldnt be placed in a coloured class but i'm sure she would be in a condition and turnout, hunter class etc.
 
So according to that she's a 'historical coloured' or am I being dim?

Nope your not being dim, she is :) Shes very nice and your lucky too because the coloureds that keep the colour tend to get a little overlooked in hunter classes, you have the best of both worlds.

Local type shows are famous for inconsistency in judgeing, sometimes you will get judges who are being considered for judgeing at HOYS and at the same show in the next ring or the next show you will have somebody judgeing who doesnt know the 1st thing. its best to take it all with a pinch of salt lol, If you do coloureds at local shows and dont do too well you can always do hunter classes and some coloured classes as practise and then do the affiliated classes like chaps ect the next year or whenever you want to, it would be a shame not to have a go shes lovely :)
 
Thank you (: yeah will have a go and hopefully things will be easier once she has transferred to the British society. I took those photos the other day, and I thought she looked like a proper little showy hunter horse when I looked at them, it's the best she's looked since she arrived in may (:
Will let you know how we get on showing her hopefully in middleish September (:
*shuffles off to find show schedule* :D
 
technically she would be eligible however if I am being totally honest she may look a bit out of place as she looks grey. Conformation. type & way of going is taken into consideration but the colour & markings also make an impression with the judge. I say this as at our local show a girl with a blue & white that had greyd out went in the coloured class. The judge asked if she had entered the wrong class. She was allowed to compete but was placed last as the judge said her horse wasnt coloured. If you want to aim for a placing I would say dont enter but if your just going for experience why not.
 
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