judges speak
Q.
In halter competition is there a common mistake
you see handlers consistently make when setting
their horses?
Judge Marti Lockwood
Everyone works really hard to prepare for
halter. They want to show their horse to the
best of their ability. However “over showing” makes it difficult to judge.
The time to “pose” your horse is before the
judge is in front of the entry. Exhibitors may
become anxious and rush to set up the horse.
This translates to the horse and the majority
of the time results in him spinning or moving
– which forces the judge to wait as a courtesy.
Not a great way to make a first impression!
I like to see a horse that is bright and interested, even if not “posed” exactly perfect. It
presents a much better picture than a horse
that had been jostled into position at the last
minute and is not happy. The total picture is
what is most important. Good conformation
and quality shine through regardless if that
perfect pose is achieved or not!
Judge Michelle Meacham
This is advice especially for the amateur and
youth showmen. It is very distracting when
the handler trots the horse up into the lineup
and immediately drops to the ground to start
setting their feet. Give the horse a chance
to balance itself and get comfortable before
racing around to set his feet, you are only
making him nervous.
Take time at home to trot your horse around
in hand, stop and stand square for a moment
and reward him. If you spend some time
in the stands watching the pros, I’m almost
positive you won’t see them rushing to hand
set a horse. And as for making minor adjustments, I can’t look at your horse if you spend
the whole class on the ground in front of me.
If he isn’t perfectly square don’t panic. I can
see what is there without those feet planted.
It’s much more important for me to see him
looking expressive and watching you, wanting to please. And above all, don’t forget to
breath, and have fun!
Judge Amelia Murray
My pet peeve in halter classes is when the exhibitors stretch their horses until they almost
lose their balance. If your horse has to take
a step or two to correct themselves before
they can walk out of the lineup, they are too
stretched!
I typically ask an exhibitor to square their
horse if I am presented with a horse that
is stretched and I will come back for another look. Some will correct it and some
won’t. An AMHA horse is not to be shown
stretched, so to me it appears that exhibitor
doesn’t know the rules.
And consider when they do this, the horses
top line takes a dip, which really spoils the
look they are after. They are in effect shooting themselves in the foot by trying to alter
the horse’s appearance.
Please take the time to square up your horse,
front and back. And don’t forget to set the
back end square as well as the front end of
your horse. Good luck to all in the show
ring!
24 Miniature Horse World
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