showing- fixed!!

[thatboythatgirl]

There are bent judges out there who judge the rider than the horse below; sometimes I think judges almost feel intimidated when a pro is in the ring and feel that said names should be placed no matter what they are on

The majority of judges I think do judge a class fairly. Amateurs can make a horse go just aswell and turn out to the same standard as a producer they are the one who dont cry foul judging in the ring and also put the most work in when at home. Those that cry foul tend to be those who think they should be top of the line without putting the work in. Yes you have to work harder for the simple fact it's not the day job and almost feels like a second job and you do it for the love of the sport no matter where you end up.

The people I know that complain about bent judging non stop tend to have a few mediocre ponies that can't take the step up to the top level; rather than buy one top pony they continue to campaign ponies that are not good enough then blame everyone else for the short fall in the ring.

Our ponies hold there own against the pro; judges think they are with a producer but they are not which I take as the biggest compliment. Search for a star ever judge said how well our pony was turged out my pones plaits used as an example of how to turn out a shp. To which I told the person watch; learn and practise.

[welshiegirl]

Showings showing, you win some you lose some, don't like it don't do it, you've got to be in it to win it.

I do think, no matter what anyone says, there has been and will be cases where a face does slightly better in the ring than an 'unrecognized' rider, but at the end of the day, producers aren't going to ride horses/ponies that don't stand a chance of qualifying or doing well- Football teams aren't going to have players that can't play the game well are they?? Plus producers spend a lot of time and effort getting horses and ponies ready for shows and put time and effort into schooling etc, in my experience i have never seen these 'catch/chance' rides where a producer's jumped on something and gone into the ring- all you can do is turn up on the day, ride your best and whatever happens happens :-)

[sarahp]

Producers higher up the food chain will inevitably get their pick of good ponies to show as owners know they do a good job and are worth paying for.

[tangerine]

I judged a HOYS M&M qualifier last year and from 8 classes only 2 were producers - I just checked the results because it hadn't been something I noted at the time. There will be the judge that feels safer with the producers up the line but not many of them. It is possible just keep a black book for the judges you don't want to waste money on

[catkin]

To a post above; actually, I think, to some degree you can 'ride good conformation into something'. Better schooling means muscles in the right places/shape enhanced and movement enhanced by better carriage etc. These are conformational aspects that are judged. Also, I was referring to overall presentation and that is, as we all know, a real skill. Not the sole domain of producers, but definitely something that makes a real difference. You cannot change scope, bone and quality, but I am absolutely convinced that you can improve any animal with good production, be it from home or professionally.

[sarahp]

Agreed for animals that are with the producer to bring out, so have the time to school correctly and muscle up, but it wouldn't apply to the catch rides that were talked about earlier although in some cases better riding and ring craft could increase their chances.