If you had been at World last year to witness the "protest" measuring, you would understand just how difficult it can be on the horses. It takes a lot of time and they are touched and moved and touched and moved several times until like Neil said, they are set accordingly and everyone is happy. Then they are measured. Its not like regular show measuring where you just walk up set your horse and the person holding the stick finds what they think is the last mane hair and puts the stick on it. A quarter of an inch isn't hard to believe as a difference, almost 2 inches, yes thats a huge difference but not a 1/4 of an inch. Do you realize how small a 1/4 inch is? Take a tape measure and measure across the surface of a penny, the middle of a penny straight across measures 3/4 of an inch. And most of you think its a plot to let in oversize horses? I dont' think so. I think its an honest attempt to give leeway to a nervous, tight horse, standing under a magnifing glass with 10 people staring. That 1/4 is only for horses that are protested and the way I read it, if the horse goes over 34.25 in a protest measurement, it will not be allowed to show and if it has shown it will have all awards forfited.
Well said - and that is the way I read it as well,
minimom. We'll have to check on that. This does not seem to be the OMG!! OUTRAGE!! LOOK WHAT THEY ARE DOING NOW!!! LETTING BIGGER HORSES IN!!! OMG!!! catastrophe that some are painting it as... is it necessary to YELL in the thread title as well? The horse must still measure in - the 1/4" is only indicated for a protest when things are a helluva lot tenser. I defy anyone here who is so outraged about this to set their horses up and have strangers approach them and position them and measure them in a charged atmosphere - and not get measurements that vary all over the place. Or at least - within that 1/4". Don't like it? Then protest - but without the hints of conspiracies and YELLING and OUTRAGE... do it calmly and clearly.
Changing the standard... just another way to allow those over 34 inch horses to be shown legally..
None of this changed
the standard. The horse must measure in at 34" or under. End of story. And once agan - this was only indicated for protests.
Pay more to protest as well..
Now that ^^^ I can understand. That way foolish protests designed just to mess with people will be less likely to occur - and anyone filing a protest will do so with care and follow through with it. The old put your money where your mouth is thing...
And if you think AMHA is having it rough, you should see whats showing in the 34" & under classes in AMHR. I was amazed
I think that if some turned the same intense scrutiny on AMHR that they consistently favour AMHA with - they would find things to be outraged about there as well - but no - they
never do that. AMHA is not the only registry that needs "fixing" - despite what some insist. Can someone please explain to me how the same horse (permanent status) can be a winner in AMHR Under one year... and then be a winner in Over the next... I guess I must be the only one out here who goes... HUH???
How is that possible? I guess it must be that old 1/4" -
or more - right? It seems that the measuring must be all over the place - and needs to be tightened up. I have seen just as many horses in classes where they towered over the others in AMHR as AMHA -
but AMHR seems to get a free pass on this board from some. It is almost like a crusade at times... get AMHA - but everything AMHR does is peachy keen and hunky-dory and we will never look at it closely. Well, that is wrong - and very onesided.
They both need fixing. Period.
Just to make things clear - the horses here are all registered AMHA/AMHR - so I am not "favouring" one registry. I just see all the indignation and outrage only going one way - when other problems are ignored.
ETA:
Okay - I went back and read this again....
If the horse measures above AMHA height requirements at its respective age it then loses ALL awards, points, and placings for that show.
And to me it seems clear - a horse who measures over 34" at that protest - even if it measured in right on 34" at the initial measuring - will lose everything. So what AMHA was founded on - that so many of you are upset about and saying they are ignoring - still holds true. No horses taller than 34" allowed.
But feel free to drag that 34 1/2 - 36" horse into an AMHR Under class... it seems that no one will mind...