Halter Presentation

I've been watching the halter classes at nationals and the amount of horses in there. It makes me wish minis were presented like arabians (they didn't have to stand posed for so long, rather only as an individual for the judges then one more time when the judges make a quick lap around the arena for one final look).

What do you all think about this? Do you like the way minis are presented or do you wish it was changed?

One thing I have noticed during the halter classes is the amount of fussing ALL the horses are doing, as it seems a really long time for them to have to stand there. Sometimes they have to stand out there for several minutes and it seems almost 'overkill' on a horses patience. When the camera panned back to show the entire class one time, it looked like an ant hill of constant movement due to horses, and handlers, fussing so much.

I do like the way the Arabs are shown.... and agree that it puts a lot less stress on a horse's attention span!

That is up to the Handler if they sar showing their horse the entire class. Thay show to the Judges for their first look, then can relax till the last horse is judged and show them again one last time for the Judges final look. Most do over show as I watched at Nationals this year.

In my extremely new-to-halter, totally amateur, worth-what-you-pay-for-it opinion, many of the horses at Nationals were drastically overshown. If the horse is already pinning ears and miserable looking, baiting him more and trying harder isn't going to get him in a better mood! Now I have never in my life had any idea how to fix that (barring begging and pleading! ) but I was shown this summer how to stand off my horse and let him relax then ask him to show as the judge approaches and it's made an amazing difference. He's learned that if I step back to the end of the lead and face him all he has to do is watch me attentively and something good will happen. (If he looks away or moves he gets a brief pop and voice command to refocus him then praise for watching me.) This has made him increasingly relaxed and easy-going in the halter classes and he shows in a fresh and sparkly way when the judge does approach. I know there were a lot of things going on in that ring I simply don't have the experience to see but it did seem to me that many of those horses would have been better off if given a little downtime instead of, as you said, being constantly fussed at.

Leia

A lot of "newbies" show at Nationals, which is good!

However, I think a lot of amateurs do overshow their horses (heavens knows I did when I started out) and yes, the horses then get cranky. Even at local shows in a big class, you can learn to show your horse only when the judge is looking. It's definitely a skill that goes along with everything else!

Andrea

There is an art to showing in a large 60 plus halter class. It can take 45 minutes to an hour.

You have to be able to totally multi task and watch your horse as well as all the judges. Many make the mistake of thinking oh the judge is 2 rows over he is not looking at me. Truth be told often they are looking past the horse they are in front of down the line at other horses they have just looked at or have yet to look at but have marked down during the walk by.

It can be very tricky to be able to watch 3 judges as well as not overshow your horse I think that is one reason people prefer to go in last. It is a bit easier to keep an eye on the judges as opposed to being in the middle

Has it ever been suggested to the registry to show like the arabs?

I understand there's a trick to it but it still seems like so much, too much, for the horses. In a 60+ Arabian class the horses are half asleep but come their turn they're so alive, refreshed, and sparkly. I think it cuts time a bit too.

What was the reasoning behind presenting like this, if there was any reasoning?

I think that presenting the way that the Arabians do would be a wonderful change!

How are they presented?

Good Morning,

If you want to show your miniature like an Arab there's no reason why you can't. I know of a lot of people who use to show arab's that are members of the ASPC/AMHR and do show and present their horses that way. You have to keep in mind there are a lot of people who come from different show backgrounds. I wouldn't want to demand that they show in a particular fashion. I certainly wouldn't like it. If you are more comfortable showing that way then nothing is stopping you from it. Next someone might want a rule to tell everyone that they have to stop stomping feet, shaking their bodies, taking off their hats, leave treats in your pockets etc. How far to you think that will go? Like a lead balloon.

Karen

Maybe I have gotten the wrong take on this, but I think what the OP means by 'showing like Arabs' is that the horses are presented individually to the judges and then allowed to relax on the rail. At the beginning and end of the class, they look at all of them on the rail, but for presentation of the individual, it is done center ring with all judges judging that one entry at once.

To me it makes sense- all eyes, including the audience are on that horse for it's presentation to the judges. I think the classes go a bit faster and the handler and horses are not so stressed out trying to figure out where the judges are and where they might be looking.

I am absolutely certain that is what the OP meant!

Over here we are, of course, already doing it, and yes, I think it makes a lot of sense. This year I showed two ways. I showed the "straight European" way and a sort of mixture between American and European. Of the two I much preferred the latter, where we still had our individual shows, and time to relax, but entered the ring a la Americaine.

Oh and I showed a couple of "straight American" classes and hated it, you never knew where you were and where the Judge was, consequently everyone was on edge, horses included. So I think both countries could learn from this, and maybe both change....aah, I hear he ll freezing over, methinks

The problem you have with not having the horse in at least semi show position at all times the ring is that a lot of judges in a large class pick out a couple of top horses as they are going thru the line up and then you will see them sight across a horse they are currently looking at back to that several top horses for a comparison.

With that in mind, you sure do not want to use them up so to speak though also. So it is a very fine line between overshowing and not presenting your horse to the judge in a manner to make and continue a great impression. Tough to find that balance, but that is what you striving for.

I watched a few of the World Amateur halter classes online and although I have shown halter at local breed shows, I haven't spent a lot of time watching mini shows. My first impression was that the handlers spent a lot of time fussing! It went something like this: set up your horse's feet, hold your hand out to the horse's nose, reposition yourself and raise your elbow in the air and hold out the back of your hand to the horse's nose, wiggle again and hold out your hand to the horse's nose, back away from the horse and hold out your hand to the horse's nose! When the camera did a full-arena shot, it looked absolutely rediculous, all these people "bouncing around" in front of their horses the entire class! I can see where the horses get irritated with this! If I were trying to judge, I think I would get irritated, too! Stand still for crying out loud!

I watched a Regional Arab show a number of years ago. The horse that won the gelding halter class set up, the handler stood in front, the horse and the handler stood absolutely still in "presentation frame" and it was a thing of beauty! The judge could see the horse wonderfully without the distraction of the handler bouncing around in front of the horse jerking on the chain like the rest of the exhibitors!

How can a handler expect a horse to stand still and be presentable when they themselves won't do it? What is with all that overshowing?

Rhinestone while it is easy to say when watching.. try taking your horse in a unfamliar arena.. setting him up- getting neck and ears and see exactly how long he will give you neck and ears while you stand perfectly still and do nothing- so while yes it looks a bit silly- to find a horse that will set up- present and give neck and ears for 15-45 minutes straight(sometimes even longer) is about as likely as finding a toddler that will stand perfectly still and quiet for that length of time

That is exactly the point -- why ask a horse to "show' off an on for the entire length of the class at all - sometimes as long as 45 minutes! Perhaps a rule change could be introduced to allow us to show our horses more like the Arabs (and several other breeds as well)! Bring your horse in the way we do now, except perhaps only have the horses come in and go to the rail and have the judges walk the rail for bite and then ONE by ONE bring the horse to the judges -- set it up ONCE for all to see - ask for the best out of that horse for 30 seconds and then trot off to get back in line. After the judges have seen each horse for then they can look over the line-up and place the class -- seems like to me that would give all the horses equal time to really shine! And we wouldn't look like morons out there doing the "halter dance" that we do now - horses would be a lot happier as well!

I hear you Stacy but personally I do not mind it as it is now. If your horse is not exactly on when Judge number one is there you still have a chance with Judge 2 and 3.. if you wait an hour in the ring to go for your 30-45 second presentation in front of all 3 judges that is all you get after waiting that hour.. 30-45 seconds.

I understand both sides but at a National show prefer essentially 3 quick chances for a judge to look at my horse- which yes I understand can work against you as well

RhineStone said:

I watched a few of the World Amateur halter classes online and although I have shown halter at local breed shows, I haven't spent a lot of time watching mini shows. My first impression was that the handlers spent a lot of time fussing! It went something like this: set up your horse's feet, hold your hand out to the horse's nose, reposition yourself and raise your elbow in the air and hold out the back of your hand to the horse's nose, wiggle again and hold out your hand to the horse's nose, back away from the horse and hold out your hand to the horse's nose!

When the camera did a full-arena shot, it looked absolutely rediculous, all these people "bouncing around" in front of their horses the entire class! I can see where the horses get irritated with this! If I were trying to judge, I think I would get irritated, too! Stand still for crying out loud!

I

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ROFL thats what we have been calling the chicken dance lol ....I'm new to showing and haven't figured this chicken dance out yet...would be much nicer to just have the horse show for 30 to 45 seconds and then relax to the rail one at a time. Much easier on the horse and the handler.

It is foolish to expect a horse to stand and give ears/neck for 15-45 minutes straight. That is why the Arabian way of showing would be a huge improvement.

That way, as Stacy said, the horses show to the judge(s) individually--and show their best (hopefully!) for that brief bit of time, then go stand on the rail "at ease" until all horses have been judged individually. If the exhibitors know the judge won't be looking at/judging them during this time on the rail--and done this way the judges won't be looking at/judging the horses on the rail--then they don't have to be going through all those gyrations and won't have to use up their horses several times over just on the off chance that the judge will sneak a peak here & there during the judging of the rest of the entries. BIG improvement IMO, and it would keep the horses fresher longer, not just for that class or show but for the whole season--horses won't be bored or sour by the third big show of the summer. I've thought this from the first time I showed Minis, and I thought it even more the first time I saw a Nationals class on video, several years ago.

The halter class chicken dance can be quite funny to watch in some cases. People often have a set sequence of moves that they go through--stand in front & wiggle the fingers, then wind up the arm in an overhand sort of motion, bringing the fingers down in front of the horse from above, then step back & assume a lunge/defensive/ready sort of stance & bring the fingers toward the horse's face from shoulder level...this move looks king of like the person is trying to put a spell on the horse!! then straighten up & start the sequence all over again! One time when we were lined up head to tail in a class the person behind me was going through this series of moves/gyrations and by about the 3rd repetition I was ready to shout STAND STILL ALREADY. The thing is, some handlers go through all these gyrations and their horse still shows little or no interest. After all, he's seen the whole sequence before, rerun after rerun.