Your thoughts on an open "club" for showing unregistered miniatures?

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Little Wolf Ranch

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This mostly stems off my my other post about my rescue mare who really won't have a place to show since she isn't registered and will never be.

I was thinking of getting together with a couple of miniature friends and creating a small, relaxed, family oriented, and educational club for that welcomes both unregistered and registered stock, however there would be no sanctioned shows.

A place for people who don't have papers on their horses to show and enjoy them and give those minis a job instead of being a pasture ornament.

I was thinking of it being a local club, as I have access to Camp Croft which has a show ring and several stalls available for rent if need be. There is already an open show for big horses, however minis are only allowed in halter and showmanship and nothing else.

Do you think this is a good idea, or just something that wouldn't gain much interest?
 
You could try, it sounds like a nice idea. I made a FB group for my local area for driving fun things and parades and such, lots of members and interest, but hardly anyone shows up and participates except for a few dedicated people.
 
You might ask a local club who show big horses to add a class or 2 for Minis -maybe 1 registered and 1 unregistered.It would make money for them and give you a place to show.Our Mini people did that in our area and now the Mini classes are some of the largest at these shows.They even added a Mini Obstacle class and Minis are permitted in the driving and showmanship classes.They have a circuit of 6 shows beginning in March or April and end in Sept.Our Mini people love it Will find out name of club so you can look at their web site.
 
Our club does these classes along with our registered mini classes. We named them VSE classes. (Very small Equine) This way those that don't have papers and have an interest in showing can. Those with registered minis have their classes also. It has gone over very well. Its not the minis fault someone didn't follow thru with the paperwork nor is it the new owners fault either. The whole idea is to have fun

Julie

Victory Pass Stable

Maine
 
Isn't there a "World Class" registration association, where people can register "unregistered" miniatures? I know many of us don't consider them a real registry, but I know that I've seen them advertise for shows and such.

Don't know much about them, but perhaps someone else here does.
 
Probably a silly question but what do you all mean by halter class? Leading them with a rope attached to their harness and walking them around?
 
I belong to a club ( not mini horse club) and we have mini/pony classes at our open fun shows. However, ponies can be as tall as 14.2 hds and still be considered a pony. Sometimes we have very interesting halter classes with a few true minis and then a 14 hd guy in the class! A good mini can beat the bigger ones too. If you know of any open shows , it wouldn't hurt to ask about pony classes. At our shows ponies or horses don't need to be registered and can be shown in a stable halter.
 
I believe the organization to which Castle Rock Miniatures refers is http://www.wcmhr.com/ I'm not too sure what that would do for you unless, they have shows in your area?

Some time ago, I researched this stuff when I was thinking of getting Nicky registered when AMHA or AMHR (forget which) was allowing it for around $1200 or $1800, plus find somebody to measure for height and pay some more fees for on-site visit. Not sure if that is still allowed. I was thinking of doing it for all 3 of ours, but wasn't too sure how to proceed to find a measurement judge. At the time, my impression was that WCMHR was not too well-regarded. (Not to slander anyone; I'm a little senile so maybe I jumbled my facts.) I do, however; recollect reading some complaints on-line where people complained of payment issues, lack of response, etc.

There's a club started up in our area (Pacific Northwest/centered around Seattle counties): http://www.wsmea.org/ that seems to especially cater to unregistered minis/donkeys/shetlands. I sent them an email, but then I was reading some of their show rules on-line that said you had to trim their whiskers. ...not happening with a pretty much blind horse(!!!) After reading your post, I went back and read their rules again, and maybe they removed that because I can't find it anymore. I'll have to check that out again, since it sounded interesting. Anyway, they have a lot of stuff on-line so it might give you some ideas.

The only other thought I have is that if you start something like this, do you need liability insurance?
 
I did ask around and a club in NC (i live in sc) does offer classes for unregistered minis, so I know I will show with them, now I would like to ask some more clubs and see if they have something similar as well.

I am very excited to show her with them, but I am thinking maybe instead of doing something huge I could start a small club where we can do trail drives, etc. I love meeting new people so I think this might be a fun idea!
 
I know the Aiken Driving Club does some trail driving on a regular basis. The Carolina Carriage Club also has fun events. The members of both these clubs are very nice and helpful. These clubs also hold ADS events and clinics the VSE horses are welcome( and often encouraged) to participate in.
 
My club does exactly as you are thinking. We hold 5 shows a year (May-July). It's open to registered and unregistered animals but all must be 38" or under. We do not have sanctioned shows but we are a recognized AMHR club. We use carded AMHA and AMHR judges.

I've had the best experiences while showing with this club. Lots of friendly, helpful people. Showing is a lot of work. Putting on a show is even more work! Even on a small level....but so worth it for those of us who love to do it. I'm getting more involved every year because I want to ensure the club continues to be able to do the things I enjoy.
 
Probably a silly question but what do you all mean by halter class? Leading them with a rope attached to their harness and walking them around?
Halter class is the "beauty pagent" part of a horse show
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You work with your horse to present the best possible image to the judge(s) in the ring. The judge choose the animal he believes exemplifies most closely the standards of what makes a miniature horse an outstanding example. Here's a link to a AMHR National show halter class (turn the volume down, the music is awful, LOL!).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Lf3rTEUU4
 
OT....LOL! Wingnut, I'm glad to hear I was not the only one who found many of the 'musical'(and I use the term loosely!) background choices abominable! Thank goodness for the volume control on the computer....!
 
Reminder folks: In the big horse world it is rare to have shows that require horses to be registered!!!!! You do not have to reinvent the wheel (create your own club): Find yourself a local "big horse" show and some friends with minis and ask the big horse club if they can add mini classes. They may need you to offer suggestions and rules for classes, and perhaps even jumps or obstacles. We have so many local shows in southern New England that offer mini divisions that I usually have more than one show to pick from on any weekend. NONE require registration, unless you want to show in a "color breed" or other registered class. Same with American Driving Society shows. In the next 3 weekends I have two local shows with mini divisions - no registration required - within an hours drive. And the New England Miniature Horse Society offers VSE classes at their shows for any minis up to 38". You will be so much better off piggy backing onto an existing show/Club.
 
Mary: thanks for you post! I love my club and will continue to show there, but it would be nice to attend something closer to home (it's nearly a ninety minute drive). I'm going to do just as you suggest for next year's show season.
 
We run a small series of horse shows here in Northern NH, we have open classes for biggies and minis, no registration papers required for anybody!!! many people like to show but don"t want to travel for the rated shows...
 
We took two minis to one of those local shows today and were HOME by noon, with a High Point for Princess. She is registered but the Reserve Champion is a rescue with no papers. Yearling Jake went for experience and was super well-behaved all day, nailing the trail pattern and coming in second. This was the last show of the season for this club and everyone in the running for points seemed to be there, despite the muddiest ring I have ever seen! We left before the riding classes started.
 
Mary: I've never shown in a riding show. What do I look for when looking for such a show with open halter classes? I know there are many shows that happen in our area but not being in any riding "circle" it's hard to figure out where to start looking.
 

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