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Post by Laura on Jan 1, 2010 1:26:46 GMT
To me presence is natural, you don't make it or produce it they either have it or they don't and you don't always necessarily know they have it till they set foot in that ring. A pony with presence should still have manners but knows how to naturally hold themselves and stand up and be able to produce that extra special movement when it counts, a natural show off! You can't put whats not there BUT as ever it's a very fine line, lack of presence for me would always be placed higher than an over fed, sharp or bad mannered pony especially when being produced for a childs pony so as ever each judge has his / her own opinion so i wouldn't take anything to heart so don't change a thing love your pony for who he is.
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Post by pennypoo on Jan 1, 2010 16:38:20 GMT
ignore the judge they not all right keep doing what ur doig and having fun!!!!!! xx
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Post by apple123 on Jan 5, 2010 16:31:00 GMT
When I got my little horse he had a little bit of cheekiness (if that's even a word), but was fairly quiet in terms of presence. Since April I have completely spoilt him with affection and spent a lot of time with him and he is now a complete showman, his confidence has come on and he gives the most amazing ride and has really come out of his shell. So yes, some are born with it but some take time to come out of themselves and these are the one's that sparkle the longest, not fizzle out after 1 or 2 seasons. As long as you're having fun - who cares!!!! xxx
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Post by bethanyy on Jan 5, 2010 19:10:58 GMT
Thank you!! He has a LOT more presence under saddle compared to inhand, so to be honest as long as he performs well under saddle this season I dont really mind if he doesnt shine in the inhand classes
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Post by sarah00000 on Jan 5, 2010 20:07:26 GMT
bethanyy - my 12hh pony doesnt get looked at in-hand or on the LR. If I am with her running, she puts her ears back (not nasty but sleepy donkey like) and goes all placid and quiet. Off the LR and in first ridden - her ears are pricked the entire time - even in the line up and she is VERY LOOK AT ME !
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Post by tafsmum on Jan 6, 2010 15:59:13 GMT
I asked this very question myself about my special coblet, he was just a really good boy, always did a perfect show and a perfect go around but was always 2nd 3rd or fourth in the class. In the novice classes he was rarely out of the reds? So unfortunately i have to say unless we kept him racing fit and boxed he lacked a bit of presence, but i would rather see him perfectly schooled than a little unruly, he is now destined for the dressage arena - his qualities seem to be swaying more to that side. Some horses have it and some don't, my new has an abundance of presence, lets see what he is like when we bring him out later this year, i'm betting he's not easy like Taf was.
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Post by bethanyy on Jan 7, 2010 13:56:19 GMT
bethanyy - my 12hh pony doesnt get looked at in-hand or on the LR. If I am with her running, she puts her ears back (not nasty but sleepy donkey like) and goes all placid and quiet. Off the LR and in first ridden - her ears are pricked the entire time - even in the line up and she is VERY LOOK AT ME ! That is exactly what mine does!! When I look through the inhand pictures he does what you have described! Thank you tafsmum, I hope I can say the same for my youngster!! Well his first ridden show will be at Prestige on 6th Feb so I'm really looking forwards to getting him out ;D
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Post by bethanyy on Jan 7, 2010 14:04:53 GMT
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Post by eatmyshorts on Jan 21, 2010 9:50:56 GMT
Pretty pony Bethanyy - i have to say that going by the pics he does look like he has presence! Maybe he just had an off day, or maybe the judge was just hard to please?
I agree with those that have said that true presence is something that a horse has naturally & can develop with age, & confidence. Like it's been said, it's a "Look at me" quailty. Horses that enjoy their work & are happy in their own skin do tend to sparkle & shine from the inside out (loved your story Lovepink about your grey mare & her eyelashes BTW - how amazing!). Perhaps when we try to manufacture presence, with feed & management, that's when we get over-exuberance instead.
Not in a showing respect, but still about presence, i remember meeting a horse for the first time who i'd heard a lot about & i knew his owner thought a lot of him - he'd been gifted to him as a severe "problem" - basically a very well bred dressage horse who'd been so overtrained it made him crazy. Anyway, this was years down the line & the horse had come on tremendously - he walked in quietly & stood relaxed with his head down while the owner chatted, & TBH i was a tad disappointed as i wasn't as impressed as i'd expected to be. Then the owner sent the horse to do some work & OMG! my jaw dropped - he was simply awesome! It was like someone had pressed the "perform" button!
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Post by apple123 on Jan 21, 2010 10:17:37 GMT
It was like someone had pressed the "perform" button! This is my horse exactly!!!! ;D
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Post by sageandonion on Jan 21, 2010 11:26:41 GMT
So beth, what is prescence exactly? For me it is a pony/horse saying to you "look at me, take me home, wouldn't you want me in your stable" Your pony ticks all those boxes.
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Post by princessstacie22 on Jan 22, 2010 8:32:23 GMT
i think he is lovely and has lots of presence!!! I wouldnt mind taking him home!! xx
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Post by bethanyy on Jan 22, 2010 13:17:49 GMT
Thank you everyone!! ;D ermm sageandonion it is all those boxes yes, but just wish he had a bit more spark if you understand what I mean. At home he is a right character (as you can see from the pics in the feild ) but as soon as I take him out to a show he seems so fall asleep!
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Post by sageandonion on Jan 22, 2010 16:38:23 GMT
That being the case, I think you should take on board OB's points. I don't show in hand, but I imagine you need to work just as hard on the ground as you do in the saddle in a ridden class. At least you know you have a super pony to start with, maybe you just need some technique pointers.
Presumably there are instructors who specialise in in hand just like dressage, show jumping etc. or maybe you could search out some in hand clinics this Spring, that would be fun for both of you.
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Post by armada on Jan 22, 2010 19:16:11 GMT
Your pony is lovely, particularly like the pics in the snow! The only thing I could ad, if I may, is that in hand showing is an art. From the moment your pony enters the ring, to the moment it leaves, it is being looked at and studied, by the judge, steward, spectators etc. Do not stop 'showing him/her off' for a second. Even if you have done your run out, and are back in the line up, don't let the pony rest, keep them alert, keep them stood up nicely, have them looking their best at all times. When the judge is watching another pony go round the back of the line up, they will see YOUR pony too! Catch the judges eye with your pony, if a pony is prone to nodding off in the sun, you won't catch their eye with Wee Willy Winky resting a back leg, ears a kimbo, eyes half shut while the handler chats to the person next door. A bit off topic, and not directed towards this pony, but whilst talking ring presence, a proportion of the overall impression is down to the skill of the handler, and showing the pony to their very best. Its a pet hate when I say we do in hand, to get the reply 'oh, you run around with ponies', errr, yeh, right! Mmmm, yep, we just plonk a bridle on, wheel em in the ring, run about a bit, and bingo, pony does exactly whats expected, and we're just an accessory dangling off the end of a lead. Don't think so. How very true all the above advice is. Having had a very successful ridden career in the ring, and always thinking inhand was the dotty old biddy brigade (there was not much inhand in my younger days, and it was dominated by older ladies), I joined the inhand scene five or six years ago, and boy have I learned xactly how much has to go into it to keep the judges eye on YOUR pony to the exclusion of all others. You can never afford to take your eye off the ball, allow them to stand in a sloppy manner - or yourself for that matter. I judge more inhand these days also, and I look at some people and think, 'What makes me want to look at your pony if you do nothing whatsoever'. I had some ladies in the ring this year, told them WHY they had to do their trot-up in a certain way because what I was looking for had to be shown to best advantage, their reply 'oh' made me realise they thought you just wandered into the ring and if I liked its big ears or kind eye, that was it - first prize. Also, when the class do their first trot-up before initial pull-in, everyone is lined up nose to tail, the pony in front trots to the back of the line, the judge then casts their eye over the whole of the line-up before their eyes reach the next pony to whom they give the nod to trot on, dont think they dont clock each and every animal and what its doing as their eyes pass. Watch some of the pro's, if you think your pony is a bit limp, talk to him whistle quietly, make funny noises, anything to get his ears up and an interested expression on his face, and WALK OUT. Dont traipse along, walk with a purpose, judges love a good businesslike walk, not hurried or jogging but purposeful and focused. A lot of it is down to spotting when to get a bit more out of your animal when the judge is looking, and never taking your eye off them either, and showmanship, dont ever under-estimate that.
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Post by bethanyy on Jan 27, 2010 21:10:41 GMT
Thank you OB, sageandonion & armada! Ive got these points drilled into my head for the next inhand class we do!! ;D
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