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Post by barney17 on Nov 19, 2014 12:50:21 GMT
Opinions please can a pony do both mounted games and showing. Have had a few people say you should do one or the other and that you don't want to ruin a good show pony.
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Post by rumble on Nov 19, 2014 13:55:06 GMT
A games pony needs to have a soft snaffle mouth . I don't see what's wrong with doing both as long as child and pony are happy!
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Post by pipandflo on Nov 19, 2014 15:46:05 GMT
We did it with our successful pony and I drove her too
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Post by fanfarefan on Nov 19, 2014 20:39:24 GMT
go for it , theres no rule to say they cant do both , have fun , and live for the day
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Post by nici on Nov 20, 2014 0:10:14 GMT
Surely it's better for all ponies to take part in a variety of activities?
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Post by gillwales on Nov 20, 2014 5:10:57 GMT
my pony did everything, not got to HOYS however that was because we stayed local to where we lived, my parent's jobs would not have permitted charging around the country, so he turned his hoof to whatever was going, showing, jumping, hunting , cross-country, dressage you name it. I had a fabulous relationship with him and guess we had a lot more fun than most of the kids today with their ponies often chasing their parent's dreams . He then went on to teach my daughter to ride, a fantastic 19 years together before he broke his hind fetlock and is now buried in one of the fields.
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Post by catkin on Nov 20, 2014 9:58:01 GMT
Special ponies adapt well to anything. Partly though, it would be to do with the level at which you want to compete. If you are aiming for HOYS with both disciplines, for example, you might have an issue with regards to the condition/fitness of the pony differing in its requirement. give it a go. why not?
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Nov 20, 2014 11:42:46 GMT
Thinking about this, the pony would need to be correctly schooled to do what you asked of him, so for example if he was trained to bomb off as soon as you vaulted on it might not go down well in a showing class, or if he was schooled to go in a totally fixed outline for showing he wouldn't have the flexibility and instant reactions he'd need for games.
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Post by variety on Nov 20, 2014 18:17:41 GMT
In any discipline, a pony should be worked correctly anyway for their own long term benefit. So, the schooling for showing as long as done correctly will be beneficial. We've ponies who will go like a bat out of hell for a jump off, but are superbly well schooled for the ridden rings and excel at both. Games will teach obedience and responsiveness anyway and they have to be mannerly. Variety is important to any show animal imho. Stops them getting ring sick. Our show pony is off hunting boxing day.
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Post by maddiesmum on Nov 20, 2014 19:33:27 GMT
It depends on the level of both I think....when I was a kid my 13hh did everything, pony club camp, gymkhanas, showing up to BSPS champs.....but to do top level of both I think would be more difficult...although saying that this year my daughter & her pony did pony club camp followed by their first HOYS qualifier the next day as above I think correct schooling would be crucial xx
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Post by chloesmum on Nov 22, 2014 10:18:00 GMT
Agree with catkin and maddiesmum I think it depends on the level you are aiming for. We started showing because Chloe was asked to ride a friends pony, a Sec A mare in the pony club as she could be a bit naughty. We took her to a show and she qualified for the NPS FR Final and the owner was so thrilled she packed us all off to Malvern. We had no idea!! We looked a bit out of place in the class but it got us hooked on improving. We also met Jane Dujardin, Emma Jane and Charlotte were competing in the same clsses and she gave us lots of help! This pony was a 'mean' PC Cup pony but good enough for County showing. When we got our first 'proper' show pony she also did everything, she did all PC activities and also county level showing. I remember her being placed in a HOYS qualifier at a County show, in the days when there were 2 lines of ponies the day after winnning the PC Camp overall championship! However if I had a really top class HOYS Show Pony I don't think I would do top level PC Games with it as it can hot them up. But as they say variety is the spice of life - so I think enjoy your pony and do what you enjoy.
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sarahp
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Post by sarahp on Nov 22, 2014 12:01:55 GMT
We never did Mounted Games bar a bit of low level gymkhana, but from when daughter had her C at the age of 10yo our Cobs were expected to do anything we wanted them to. I hacked, showed and dressaged my rides, daughter jumped my first one, Kentchurch Whisper, who was in the PC SJ team, PC evented at 2'9 as well as going to Olympia and being RWAS ridden Ch, not with me though although she and I did win an Olympia Q before the showing got serious and she went to someone who had the time to do it properly as I didn't. Daughter always wanted to hunt her but I wouldn't let her, she was too precious to me. Her C went hunting though, fantastic jumping pony who would jump anything at any height and after we sold him went to the first HOYS M&M WHP Final. He also showed, dressage (although he found that VERY boring, as did daughter), did WHP and all PC activities. Showing was really the add-on to publicise the stud rather than a major passion.
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Post by catkin on Nov 22, 2014 12:14:50 GMT
sarahp, I think that without the variety Robin always had, he wouldn't have excelled with the WHP in the way he did. As we all know, he was laid back (to say the least) and doing different (often fast) activities kept him interested! For others, I am referring to the Section C sarahp describes above.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Nov 22, 2014 16:28:26 GMT
Agreed, I never said he was a go-ey pony, although when he did the display at RWAS he bolted from one end of the big ring to the other and I had to dash up and buy a stronger bit! He was always lead pony at PC for XC schooling, nothing fazed him - steps, water, ditches all grist to his mill.
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