What do we want

[Time to Change]

After reading all the posts regarding the new rule change for Olympia Qualifiers I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread where people can state what they want to see change if anything.

I personally would like to see the following:

If a person is competing in either a HOYS or Olympia class either personally or through a producer then they should not judge a qualifying rouund........... I think this would do more to help then preventing producers from competing more then one horse, and hopefully it will prevent or at least cut down the number of favours being done.

I think the silver medal idea for the winner of each section in an olympia qualifer is a great idea, it would certainly make the Silver medal final very exciting.

For HOYS qualifers only I would like to see.........

Horses pulled in any order, the judges not huddled together discussing the ponies ( the judges at the Royal welsh did a great job)........

So do other people agree with some of the changes I would like to see? are they do able?

What else would you like to see?

[Agree]

i agree with the any order comment. ;D

Believe this is to become Mandatory in the coloured hoys next year

[In agreement too]

I totally agree with all your post and couldnt of put it better.

[discipline]

I agree with your comments & think that they would be a good start to potentially "cleaning up" our sport.

I think the vast majority of us just want to feel that we have been judged fairly & unfortunately i think that a minority are the culprits for being unfair or bent! The NPS need to bring in rules such as the ones mentioned here to give us all a bit more hope, and also the perception that they are trying to police the sport & some of the more unsavoury characters in it.

I also think that a complaints proceedure should be put into place by the NPS. Just a suggestion but the sort of thing i was thinking of was a printed proceedure of what happens to a complaint, for those of us who work a bit like a disciplinary proceedure. The complaint then being looked at by some one who is not on the NPS payroll & possibly not a council member as to whether there is a case to answer. Not very clear i know but i think it could be worked on.

I am sure we all know of people who have written complaints etc to the NPS & then been "sent Coventry" because there is no proper proceedure. This should not be allowed & i believe is a very important part of the "cleaning up" process.

What do you guys think???

[JadeCannon]

I would really like the highest of each breed to go through to the championship at Olympia qualifiers, rather than the top 2 in each section. I think this would make the championship a bit more spectator friendly, & would follow the judging as it is at the final

[elmere]

I think that there should be a points system for in-hand showing as well, then it might be more a case of the best horse winning rather than the flashiest, the most popular stud or the best runner

Also think that this bottle/bag shaking should be stopped just for the danger it causes

[How]

How do you mean Elemere? How would you score them? Based on what?

I agree with the any order comment definatly for the Olympia and I think its about time the Olympia qualifiers had two judges judging!

[dark age]

jadecannon said:

I would really like the highest of each breed to go through to the championship at Olympia qualifiers, rather than the top 2 in each section. I think this would make the championship a bit more spectator friendly, & would follow the judging as it is at the final

Sorry Jade i disagree as i do not think that this would be workable or competitor friendly. You could have your top placed highland in the Highland Fells & dales class last. Not only would this pony then be expected to stay for the duration of all sections, imagine if you have been the first section in & driven for several hours, but also have very little chance in the championship. Whilst not impossible to beat the pony that won that section it is very unlikely.

I thought that i heard a rumour that the NPS were looking at holding regional qualifiers where the winners of each of the sections would go forward to a regional final. The section winners at the regional final would then qualify for Olympia. I have to say that i am not sure whether i am in favour changing the way that the qualifiers work or not. Olympia is a prestigious event & the qualifiers have run in their current format for many, many years. I have to say that 15 years ago they things were very different, yes you had judges that liked or disliked your ponies but we didn't have the professionals in M&Ms or the corruption. Before anyone jumps on me i am not sayng that the professionals are corrupt & in my term professionals i am not just talking about producers but anybody that makes money from ponies. Human nature dictates that things change when people start to make money. You must remember that nobody really made money from M&Ms back then, they didn't have the popularity that they do now. A certain amount of change is a given & we must try to embrace it otherwise we will make our sport very sour. I just think that it needs policing in a modern way, our sport has changed hugely with the times but i think the NPS are still in the dark ages

[JadeCannon]

dark said:

jadecannon said:

I would really like the highest of each breed to go through to the championship at Olympia qualifiers, rather than the top 2 in each section. I think this would make the championship a bit more spectator friendly, & would follow the judging as it is at the final

Sorry Jade i disagree as i do not think that this would be workable or competitor friendly. You could have your top placed highland in the Highland Fells & dales class last. Not only would this pony then be expected to stay for the duration of all sections, imagine if you have been the first section in & driven for several hours, but also have very little chance in the championship. Whilst not impossible to beat the pony that won that section it is very unlikely.

Ok! Fair point, I do think it would be nice to see all breed types through to the 'championship' though!

[Bonkers]

"Time to change" you have presented some very valid points.
I too am a strong supporter of judges not being able to judge the same classes that they are competing in that season.
I agree with "dark age" too that more money has come into the m&m world but this has happened since the m&m's have gone to Hoys, which in turn has had the knock on effect of decreasing the numbers in the olympia classes.
The Olympia system is long established and the fairest most elite championship we have. PLEASE don't change it now.

[Guestless]

Dark age it is a shame you are not a registered member as I would love to give you a karma - very well put.

[Time to Change]

I started this thread as I do not agree with the new rule that is/isnot being implemented.

The as others have said Olympia is an elite championship where we should be able to see the best of the best at the final.

By limiting the number of ponies one can compete is not necessarily going to benefit this competition or the NPS for that matter, it just brings inmore politics and rules and limitations, and ulltimately I believe it will reduce the numbers even more so at qualifying rounds.

As I have said earlier I think the way to make this a more even playing field is to cut out judges competing and judging at these rounds. Its not too much to ask......I know Mathew Lawerence competed at HOYS, and Judged a qualifying round, I dont think it would have been a hardship for him not to have judged a HOYS qualifying round......he had plenty of other judging appointments, he did a fantastic job at the Royal Welsh!!

John James is another example, Qualifying for Olympia, Judging a qualifying round, Qualifying again at Northleach and then Judging at the Royal welsh......... The problem here is not that he has qualified two ponies, good luck to him and the ponies owner, it is how he appeard to have qualified.

I dont mean to have a personal attack on anyone but this just high lights the problem areas. It proves that the new rule wont stop ''fixed'' or ''bent'' judging or at least it do anything to show that favours wont be done.

I personaly dont want to see 2 judges in Olympia qualifying rounds.......it will become just like HOYS qualifer and that wont stop fixing or favours, or one judge having the deciding say over the final line up.......

Sorry to go on and on, but it seems to me that changes are being made that members of the society dont want, and changes that dont benefit the breeds we are trying to preserve.

[ferret]

in an ideal world it would be great to have no judges competeing and vice versa , but to make up and coming young judges choose whether they compete or judge so early in their careers would be unfair

[Time to Change]

in an ideal world it would be great to have no judges competeing and vice versa , but to make up and coming young judges choose whether they compete or judge so early in their careers would be unfair

FYI I am an upcomming judge, and I can either decide to compete at Olympia and Hoys OR Judge a qualifier.

I would rather be seen as being fair and not giving or receiving favours.

I dont think people mind judges competing and judging qualifiers for Pictons, Intermediates, Silver medal etc etc Its just he biggies like HOYS and Olympia. Also Im sure a judge could judge a HOYS WH qualifier and compete in a flat class........at least that way things would hopefully begin to be a bit fairer.

And I dont think this is something that could onlybe done in an ideal world, it is doable if the comittie make it so.

Judges judging at the Royal Welsh are not permitted to show the section they are judging......and this works perfectly well.