What the hell do lead rein judges want!

[sometime]

Think the too chunky bit comes from ponies too wide for small hips and therefore can cause damage I was always advised that shetlands were unsuitable for children because of this. I am a shettie fan but can see where an orthopedic person may be coming from some are very wide for small children. I hope when I judge I judge the pony not the child it matters little to me whether the child can ride or not it is based on the suitability and manners of the pony I hate to see sharp strong ponies in lead rein classes with the leader clinging on for dear life
I like to see the pony on a very loose rein with the child steering, starting and stopping it the rein being there only for safety and security not an in hand class with a kid on top so I suppose that contradicts my earlier statement about the child's ability but most three year olds can bobble along and manage to turn and stop

[david]

I think that is fine for lead rein, stunning pony an the little girl seems to be enjoying herself,that's the main goal ditto above get the black book out

[flee]

Oct 27, 2012 20:17:58 GMT gobby said:

I think lead rein classes should all be about manners (of child,parent and pony) and thats what i tend to go on when im judging. As for ponies being too chunky in an m&m class,surely they are just true to type???

Oh god - nothing down for us then !
We have an ancient shetland , with the build of a small garden shed , the manners of an irate jack russell and the temperament of a neurotic psycopath, who introduced our then 2yo grand daughter to the genteel world of lead rein showing at our local RC , last season .
If you were to ask me what he was ridden in I would probably say ' A Half Nelson '.
Add to this the fact that grand daughter is prone shouting gleefully in the middle of the class 'Look ! Look! Corbie's bouncing more than me !' or ' Corbie 's shouting to his friends !', thus ensuring that all misdemeanors have the judges full attention , it's a wonder we ever get placed in anything .
And yet we keep going back for more !!!!

[shelliewilson]

Oct 27, 2012 20:12:46 GMT prettyreckless said:

Haha nai think you bob on there if only eh....

Shellies right though that's what they should look at.. And shorty is bootiful

I just don't care enough tbh we have fun that's all we go for

Thank you xxxxx

[victor98]

I too have no idea what the judges want! But in my own opinion, a good lead rein pony, is a beautifully balanced, nice moving pony, in a rhythmic pace, in a steady soft outline, with handler/ leader right at the end of the lead. And one happy child sitting on top! A show pony, should be elegant. A shp should look like a pony that wouldn't look out of place on the hunting field! A scaled down hunter! A mountain and moorland must be correct for it's breed type! Judges preference then, if judge like Shetland ponies, then a good Shetland will stand above a good Sec A! Tiny tots should be aloud the saddle strap, but the bigger longer legged jockeys, should be able to go without holding the pommel!
I was utterly shocked, when a child rode a pony in a lead rein class, holding the strap,/ pommel, and then the same child, and pony came back into first ridden! Not needing to hold on! Why! Pony went beautifully without the forced hand of the child in the lead rein class? Pony won champion, As a first ridden!!

[catkin]

On the subject of wide ponies, I believe babies born with hip problems used to have two nappies put on them to help rectify things. So a wide pony may not be such a bad thing! Food for thought...
When judging LR ponies, I look for suitability (manners, way of going), basic conformation, type - in fact all the usual requirements of any ridden class. Always remember, though judges should be looking at ponies, not riders.

[mcnaughty]

If you get a good LR judge they are amazing. I have had the pleasure to be judged by a couple of amazing ones. So helpful, pleasant, supportive, gave good constructive criticism and help on turnout and said exactly what she was looking for. Basically pony needs to be perfectly mannered so it stands in the lineup with no fidgeting, comes out and stands in front of the judge with no nipping, stomping, swishing, barging etc. trots round in a balanced and rhythmical manner and comes to a halt when told, square and no fidgeting. If all of the above points are perfect, quite frankly it shouldn't really matter what the pony looks like unless there is another pony who behaves the same way. As for type. Welsh As come in a lots of different shapes and sizes from slim types, wide types, hairy types, hardly any feather types, very dished faces and the ones I really don't like .... the ones that look like bug eyed frogs - sorry ;-) As for the kids! My daughter is 8 (9 in May) technically we have another year in LR but it is time we moved on to FR. The other day I was at the PUK championship spring show at Bury Farm and some woman lent over the barrier and asked me how old? I thought she meant the pony but I asked 'what the pony' and she said 'no the child' - cheeky cow - I said 8 and she said 'oh she is tall' so I said 'thank you' and walked on to catch up with the pony in front (first trot round). We were going to move on to FR anyway and I had promised my daughter that it was the last LR we were going to do and quite frankly I was not willing to do another hot summer in tweed! But, she did put the nail in the coffin our LR career! Anyway, we came nowhere that day but 2nd in the NPS champs a couple of weeks later so there you go - some judges are blind ;-)

[Deleted]

I believe a Lr judge is looking for a true to type pony, that is steady in its way of going & looks after its jockey.
I suppose it depends if your judge is a panel judge or just some local person who has done a bit! I have even had stewards who have tried to put their pennies worth in and I suppose a person who is judging who has not been trained may be influenced by a steward like that!