bugs
Junior Member
Posts: 121
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Post by bugs on Aug 21, 2017 18:38:40 GMT
Being the owner of a native pony and having had he experience of a another pony with laminitis and now EMS, I try to keep my pony fit and healthy. I thought in peak condition.
Went to a championships and got told several times that pony was lovely but needed more condition. Went to a well known feed stand who weighed her and condition scored, scoring 5 1/2, almost perfect maybe a little too much weight, but good.
So how she be lacking condition? Nutritionists were disappointed that I had been told this and said we should be supporting healthy, fit looking horses and ponies. I certainly don't want her carrying anymore weight but by the looks of my scores and then comments at presentation I can't do well showing if I keep her this way.
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Post by gillwales on Aug 21, 2017 19:11:17 GMT
Go to your breed society AGM and advise them of this. Having ponies overweight is abuse. You have done the right thing. I know that breed societies have advised their judges against putting up overweight animals but it is still happening, unless everyone shouts out about this nothing will change.
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Post by ilovenatives on Aug 22, 2017 7:10:37 GMT
It's annoying when judges say this sort of thing but I have seen a lot less fat ponies this season . You still get some judges that prefer fatter ponies though , our pony was fat when we got him and a few judges who loved him when we got him now don't seem to give him a look in now he's slimmer . I would just note this judge down as one to avoid in future and enjoy your healthy pony . If Equifest is the championship you are talking about we were there and there was the fattest pony I have ever seen . How it was still on its feet I do not know , it had huge fat pads and a crest that was several inches above the top of its head if you looked at it from the front . Poor pony was huffing and puffing on the go round and struggling to canter more than a few strides . The pony was right down the bottom of the line though .Very rare these days to see a pony that fat from what I've seen which is a good thing .
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Post by ponymum on Aug 22, 2017 9:08:14 GMT
I think in showing , the societies preach they want ponies to be fit not fat, BUT in reality , the very well covered ones are the ones thatare at the top of the line. I say this from experience as we have had a connemara gelding for 3 yrs , from 4yrs old , he always had the most fantastic movement and way of going but was as I liked to joke (part bred whippet!!) . He was only ever put up the top of the line in the equitation classes , and further down the line in the showing classes. He is nearly fully mature now (we havent forced him) and almost belongs in the class. But is by no means the biggest (height or weight) but although his way of going is very good , we still are down the line in the showing classes - which as you can imagine after being patient for 3 yrs is very frustrating. We will give it another go next season and if the same happens , a change of career is on the cards....Dressage perhaps!!
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bugs
Junior Member
Posts: 121
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Post by bugs on Aug 23, 2017 5:47:39 GMT
Yours sounds very similar to mine ponymum. A whippet compared to some is a great description. Don't get me wrong she does still need to mature a bit and develop a little more muscle but she doesn't need condition, one judge even said she could do with a bit more weight. Maybe I will speak to the breed society, never thought about but would be interesting to know their views. Feed stand said most ponies at the show has been overweight, with only a few being correct weight and condition.
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Post by gillwales on Aug 23, 2017 6:33:15 GMT
There is no doubt that if you want change in the society you are a member of, you need to get enough like minded people and go to the AGM. This is where you can change matters, get yourself elected, it will take time, BUT if there are enough of you things will change. You would be surprized at how few people ever bother to go. I have in the past , been to the AHS, BSPS, NPS and RWAS and I do not think I saw over a 100 people at any of the meetings.
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Post by waspblue on Aug 26, 2017 21:55:06 GMT
It's annoying when judges say this sort of thing but I have seen a lot less fat ponies this season . You still get some judges that prefer fatter ponies though , our pony was fat when we got him and a few judges who loved him when we got him now don't seem to give him a look in now he's slimmer . I would just note this judge down as one to avoid in future and enjoy your healthy pony . If Equifest is the championship you are talking about we were there and there was the fattest pony I have ever seen . How it was still on its feet I do not know , it had huge fat pads and a crest that was several inches above the top of its head if you looked at it from the front . Poor pony was huffing and puffing on the go round and struggling to canter more than a few strides . The pony was right down the bottom of the line though .Very rare these days to see a pony that fat from what I've seen which is a good thing . Sounds like a certain Highland pony I can think of and tbh this is one of the worst classes for grossly overweight and over height ponies still and yet the judges keep on rewarding these animals with top placings and golden tickets, consistently sending out the wrong message to not only exhibitors, riders etc but to the general public at the ringside watching these classes and who go away thinking that that is what a Highland pony is supposed to look like. I know this to be a fact as I had a member of the public actually ask me what was wrong with the slimmer ponies in the class...she thought they must have had something wrong with them as there were so many more that were hugely fat, the slimmer fitter ones looked somehow as if they were wrong!!
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Post by toomanyfatties on Aug 30, 2017 15:42:29 GMT
There's far too many judges still placing obese horses up the line sadly. Especially in the Welsh classes it seems. There's a mare locally that wins everywhere county level and when she puts her back leg down her shoulder fat jiggles. I recall one producer proudly commenting at a demo a couple of years ago how they would happily feed a full 10L bucket of concentrates to an inhand youngster twice a day. I was under a judge in an open M&M class this year who lined up the entire class in weight order instead of type/movement etc. Fattest at the top, fittest at the bottom
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