30" and under horses

[Charlotte]

I was talking about a small horse that has conformation, etc, judged to be equal to the taller contender. The rules say it should then go to the smaller horse, yet in reality, it more often goes to the taller horse. I am just wondering why.Barb

Because we (the members) don't insist that our judges judge by OUR (in this case I'm meaning AMHA rules which are very explicitly written and the last time I looked the R rules are very similar) rules. In AMHA this falls directly under the control of the Licensed Officials Committee and those are the people who should be taken to task for permitting the incorrect judging practices.

Charlotte

 

[icspots]

I agree with Charlotte, the problem is the ability to police the judges. Judging is soooo subjective, that even if we developed a scorecard for every class on all the points they were to judge on, they would be able to justify their decisions somehow through some type of logic. Bottom line if you can't stand losing, get to know the judges and follow the ones that like your horses, OR just go to the shows that you want to, and have a good time realizing that your "type" may not be the judges' type this time around! Me, I'm taking out 3 under 30" horses this year and am looking forward to it

 

[Littleum]

I was talking about a small horse that has conformation, etc, judged to be equal to the taller contender. The rules say it should then go to the smaller horse, yet in reality, it more often goes to the taller horse. I am just wondering why.Barb

Because we (the members) don't insist that our judges judge by OUR (in this case I'm meaning AMHA rules which are very explicitly written and the last time I looked the R rules are very similar) rules. In AMHA this falls directly under the control of the Licensed Officials Committee and those are the people who should be taken to task for permitting the incorrect judging practices.

Charlotte

So you're saying the judges of both associations have a size bias and are not picking small horses simply because they're small?

 

[loveminis]

I hope more people start showing their under 30" minis ! They need to be noticed

 

[Taylor Jo]

I "purpose" bought a horse hoping he would stay 30" or under. Right now he's 28" and he's a yearling. I had a 33.25" er so I didn't want to compete with that, so I decided to go smaller. I'm so glad I did, I just love him to death. He might be little but he's a tiger. I would show with the big one's to me it's all about your horses conformation. I have another yearling that's 33" going to probably hit 35" and they're so different. So take your horse and go enjoy them at the show and kick butt!!!! TJ

 

[~Lisa~]

I guess I simply do not understand the rule. How could anybody but the judge know that the larger horse and smaller horses were 100 percent exactly equal?

The odds of that are pretty slim and the reality of that is it is plainly subjective as to what even tiny fault a judge feels is better/worse then another even tiny fault.

If it was truly equal why would it benift the judge to then pick only the larger horses?

and unless identical twins I just simply do not see how to living things can be totally equal

 

[JWC sr.]

While the little horses are really neat in their own right, it is very difficult to match the long lean refined look of a taller horse with a small one in our experience. They may have several really good attributes as far as halter conformation, but the overall look of a taller horse is really hard to compete with. They just seem to flow a little better.

This is the reason so many people try to push their horses down in class size in order to gain that advantage. Unfortunate in a lot of cases, but none the less a fact of life in the show ring now days.

We are showing three under 30" horses this year, but realize going in that we are going to have to be better by a long shot to compete under most judges. Particularly when the smaller shows do not break down the classes as much as possible to prevent this. :love

But with that said we will get them qualified and then go on the the national and world shows where the heights are broken down much better.

 

[targetsmom]

To address this from a slightly different perspective - I show mostly at Pinto Shows and in our area (New England) the classes for A and B minis are combined. The classes are pretty big (11 in driving to 16 in halter) and the heights range from under 28" to, I am guessing, 37-38". Many of our judges are also AMHA and/or AMHR judges too. An under 28" mini not only was the halter high point winner last year, she was reserve high point Amateur halter horse, showing against pintos of ALL sizes!!! She was also high point in mini hunter and obstacle driving, very competitive in the other events, and an inspiration to all!!! I loved watching her clear jumps higher than her back and never once attempting to go under them!!

 

[disneyhorse]

I personally (I only have shown AMHR) don't feel that judges ALWAYS pick the taller horse, nor do I feel that judges are biased or need reprimanding for "only" picking taller horses.

I have many, many times seen smaller horses chosen and I feel that judges generally JUST pick horses according to conformation and ability, and size is secondary. If I were a judge, I personally would choose conformation and ability, and size would not be a defining factor.

Andrea

 

[wildoak]

Part of the issue with judging halter classes is the perspective from which the judge sees the horse. The taller the horse, the better look you get from a standing position. Now drop down to a sitting position, squat down and look at the 28" horse. His proportion suddenly looks better. Kind of like the photos we've all seen taken from above.....even a nice horse can be made to look short legged & squatty with the wrong perspective. Hard to get judges to get down and look that way, I know my knees wouldn't take a lot of it lol. Maybe we need to walk them up a ramp to be viewed at eye level!

Jan

 

[pinck43]

Thanks for all your input. I took a look at him today and made the decision to give him a shot. So Waterloo, here we come. thanks again, dionne

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

Thanks for all your input. I took a look at him today and made the decision to give him a shot. So Waterloo, here we come. thanks again, dionne

I will probably see you there

!!! Good luck!

 

[JWC sr.]

Good Luck and let us know how it goes. Even if you do not win the show it will be a lot of fun and a learning experience for you.

 

[Humhill]

I do agree that there is a prejudice against the smaller horses. But some judges can look beyond that.

But, I don't agree that a smaller horse can't be as nice, or nicer than a larger horse. My "little" gelding has won numerous championships, grand championships, many at Nationals.

Just cause they're small doesn't mean they can't do it!!