# Open shows



## Sandee (Jan 2, 2010)

I see the discussion about breed shows versus Carriage shows and those saying they don't want to share a ring with big horses. I am wondering for those that may have done open shows what your experiences are?

I decided to try open shows this past summer to try to save some money (closer to home - no 2-3 day weekends). It was an interesting experience but I doubt that I would do it again. We often ended up in arenas that were marginally deep and in driving classes with big horses. The State (Wisconsin) Association tired to encourage classes where minis and ponies would compete against each other but often there were just not enough turn out and we ended up with everyone driving one class.

I remember the first show we attended. It took me back to my youth in that everyone was so layed back (no rush, rush like a breed show). Everyone was very friendly however, the small emineties were missing too, like indoor toilets and a nice packed covered arena. We were lucky enough that there was no rain but I do burn easily and there was also no shade! I spent much of the day hiding in my mini trailer ("oh, look; it looks just like a 'real' trailer"LOL).

The arena didn't look "good" before the show and after a few pleasure riding classes, it was only better (packed) in that tiny narrow track around the rail. The competetors were a Saddlebred type horse and a Fresian. Since there were only 2 others and I needed one 1st or two 2nds to qualify for the Championship show, I decided that I'd let my horse tell me if she could handle it or not. She entered the arena on a big uphill grade doing much better with the incline than the Saddlebred who nearly refused and ended up backing into the side of my trailer. My plan was to try to keep one wheel in the packed narrow track and the other on the slim grassy strip that hugged the fence. This was where I learned that my mare will give me 110%. My gal is only 34" but she threw herself into the harness and away we went. I remember at the extended trot hearing the cart slide sort of sideways around one end curve. The only thing that bothered her was the one time the Fresian passed us as his hooves thundered and his cart jingled - maybe that's why she was moving out so much. The judge was more than fair and let me get out of the cart to back her. We placed 2nd and I was so proud. The downside was that she pulled a neck muscle and it was about two weeks and a chiropracter call to get over it.

We did end up qualifying for the year end show. The classes at it were only mini against pony (however for those that don't know the definition of pony - it's anything under 14.2 hands---ha, pony!). She ended up Wisconsin State Champion mini/pony driving. It was nice but probably, we won't be repeating it.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Jan 2, 2010)

I see no problem competing in the same arena with big horses but that's probably because I come from a big horse background and my mini is trained to move out well and enjoys hanging out with his larger cousins.




Deep footing would be a real problem but luckily I haven't run into that yet except in warmup arenas. I'll admit you start feeling a lot like a potential speed bump when a pair of Friesians comes jingling up behind you but hey...it's sort of a thrill!





Kody always takes being passed by a big horse as a personal challenge and drops his butt to the ground to pursue them; I've found it's hard to drive seriously when you're dying of laughter because your horse has his nose shoved in the spares box of the Morgan in front of you at a full road trot!





Leia


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## MiLo Minis (Jan 2, 2010)

The only time I have run into trouble was in a reinsmanship class where a pair of Friesens almost ran me over because their driver didn't see me! Needless to say, they didn't fare well in the ribbons.


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## RhineStone (Jan 2, 2010)

We show one Open show a year now, the Three Gaits Therapeutic Center fundraiser show around the 4th of July. There are a bunch of Wisconsin drivers there, because they offer 4 obstacle classes besides the 2 judged arena classes. The arena can be deep for VSEs, but we stayed to the outside track and kept one wheel on the grass edge. Yes, you will almost always slide sideways a little in a deep surface. I was in the ring with three other VSEs, a couple of big ponies, a few big horses, and a draft horse. It is a good practice in getting deep in the corners, so that the other bigger horses can pass you safely. We placed 2nd in both classes this year, so I doubt there was any mini prejudice with that judge. That can be a concern with Open shows, and even ADS shows that don't have VSE classes. (I guess some people will argue with me on that, but I even had a judge admit to me that she didn't think that minis should be driven.



)

When we used to show more Open shows before we starting showing the ADS shows, we usually did quite well in the Open shows. Sometimes, we would end up in the middle of the placings, like the judge didn't know what to do with us. The mini would perform really well, but maybe didn't have as much leg as they wanted. Manners were always rewarded.

The problem that the Wis. State Horse Council had with driver numbers last year is that they scheduled the State Championship the same weekend as the Villa Louis Carriage Classic. Very few carriage drivers will give up Villa for an Open show.



Also, having obstacles will draw the drivers out. It is a lot of work to get a horse, harness, and cart ready for one or two classes.


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## Sandee (Jan 3, 2010)

I have to ad that I thought the judges, although I doubt some had ever judged minis before, were very fair in their decision. In fact, they seemed to like my mare more than most mini judges do. When she placed several times at halter over those 13 -14 hand "ponies", you could have knocked me over. Maybe it was just the fact that they hadn't seen that many little ones and she was all slicked up and shiny and she poses more like a Shetland or Arab than a mini.

I had fun at the open shows but I would have felt better if I'd had more mini-type people to talk with. When most everyone looks at you and says "aaah, how cute", it's not the same level of conversation as you'd have with another mini person.


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## hobbyhorse23 (Jan 3, 2010)

Sandee said:


> When most everyone looks at you and says "aaah, how cute", it's not the same level of conversation as you'd have with another mini person.


*LOL!!!* Agreed! I think sometimes the minis actually do better than they deserve at the open shows just due to the cute factor. The first one I did with my guy a week after I bought him (totally clueless, wearing bad western apparel and showing an undermuscled stallion in an oversized borrowed easy entry cart and a poorly adjusted harness) I competed against a nice stock horse in a Jerald type cart and an Arab in a Meadowbrook and beat them both. At the time I was just excited but looking back I'm not at all sure we deserved it.





Leia


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## RhineStone (Jan 3, 2010)

We had a mare that won her pony halter class at the county fair, too. Then she went into Grand & Reserve Halter. The judge looked really hard at my mare, who is put together really nice, but I could tell that he decided that if he placed a mini in Grand or Reserve against big QH that show really big QH shows, he would never get invited back to judge!



I was just surprized that he was even considering her! The year before, he placed my sister Reserve Champ. English Showmanship with her mini, but that is on the performance of the horse/handler.

I can't stand the word, "cute". When people say that, I tell them that my mini is a warmblood in his own mind! Just ask him! He doesn't know that he is small! That usually gets people thinking in a different way about the small ones. They are athletes as much as the big horses. Actually, more so in my opinion.


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## maranatha minis (Jan 3, 2010)

We show open shows all summer. The people are friendly for the most part. i show in halter agianst the big guys, they only divide the classes by ages. The 1st open show I went to a took a weanling NSPR filly that was actually more mini than pony looking. i just knew we would bw laughed out of the arena. We won our class and got Reserve Supreme Champion in the show in halter. i couldn't believe it!! the jugde later explained to the crowd that my filly was the most correct for her breed standard than the other horses out there. We were up agianst fancy rabs, quarters, walking horses, paso finos. I was so proud of my little filly that day. we have also blown arabs away in liberty and was the hit of the show in driving classes. I like the open shows until the minis scare the big horses to death!


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## Sandee (Jan 4, 2010)

maranatha minis said:


> ........................................ I like the open shows until the minis scare the big horses to death!


Oh, so true. I had to try to find a spot "away from everyone" to warm up so we wouldn't "freak out" the big horses!


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## RhineStone (Jan 4, 2010)

At open shows, not only do you have to be concerned about freaking out the big horses with your little one, but then when you put your little one to a CART, the whole world comes crashing down! If another horse is flipping out over your driving horse, just stop your horse. Lots of times, the other horse can't fathom the wheels turning, and when those wheels stop, then everything is fine. Let the other horse pass, and then continue on your way.


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## Sandee (Jan 4, 2010)

RhineStone said:


> At open shows, not only do you have to be concerned about freaking out the big horses with your little one, but then when you put your little one to a CART, the whole world comes crashing down! If another horse is flipping out over your driving horse, just stop your horse. Lots of times, the other horse can't fathom the wheels turning, and when those wheels stop, then everything is fine. Let the other horse pass, and then continue on your way.


Thanks, I never quite thought of it that way, Rhinestone. I used to have a QH that was way cool with everything - flags, baloons, trucks on the highway, even bands with the loud drums. Then we tried a big parade with lots of other horses pulling wagons and she freaked!


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## Ourhobbyfarm (Feb 3, 2010)

We have shown at open shows and it has been disappointing. The arenas are not groomed well, with many deep spots and the judges usually don't know how to judge the class. At one show the class was judged, the cards turned into the announcer and they asked us to back after. The winner couldn't get his horse to back. Another show there was a huge draft and it was impressive looking but they didn't move out for the road gait at all (typically they ask for park and road, or jog and extended trot), the horse would not stand still in lineup and backed terrible and it won the class.


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## RhineStone (Feb 3, 2010)

That would be another problem with Open shows, the gaits called are so randem. Sometimes, you don't even know WHAT they are calling! (Sometimes, I'm not even sure the JUDGE knows what gaits they are calling...)


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## Dontworrybeappy (Feb 3, 2010)

We're lucky enough to have a local club called the "Saddle & Harness Association" - open shows with covered arena, all breeds from minis to shires! Halter classes in the morning, then about 6 or 8 saddle classes and the rest of the day is harness - from green, to backyard pleasure, open pleasure, "type" classes and even obstacle and timed cones! The arena is packed down instead of dragged/disked.

The minis have some harness classes of their own, but otherwise they have us stay to the inside of the arena while the big horses take the outside track on the rail.

Safety rules are a big thing with this club, and rightly so! We even got written up in a newsletter for having a "LOOSE STALLION" one time because Jenn and I had both accidentally turned away from Appy while he was harnessed/hitched. It was one of those "well, I thought YOU had him... no, I thought YOU had him" moments at the end of a long day. Appy himself never moved an inch, and we realized pretty quickly what we had done, and held him... but the next newsletter had a short article addressing safety issues, and commented on the fact that there had been a loose stallion at the last show! (No names mentioned, thank goodness!)


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## roxy's_mom (Feb 3, 2010)

The open show (4 times a year May, June, July, and August) that I have attended the last 4 years, had the driving class combined. Last year was the first time that they had actually had two driving classes, one for "little" pleasure driving (horses under 13.0 hands) and one for "big" pleasure driving(horses over 13.0 hands). In the years prior, if class size and horse size allotted, they would divide the class so that the bigger horses could used the ring first and then the smaller ones would go next so that the judge would have an easier time judging and so that no horses would be scared or hurt due to size intimidation. That was when we actually had more than 3 driving horses coming to that show.

The ring is a limestone dust top. When it's wet it really makes it harder for the little ones to work in. The horses don't actually stand on top of the dust, most of the time they sink down about an 1". They had a couple classes broke down for minis into halter and jumping but the in-hand obstacle/trail class was open to anyone.

I have a feeling though that this open show will not much longer carry miniature horse classes as there aren't as many people for the classes as there used to be. When I first started at this show 4 years ago the miniature horse halter class would have up to 15 horses. Now they are down to about 5 or less. The jumping class when from about 6-8 horses to about 3 if they are lucky. There is so much of an issue with height with our little ones. They can't decide if they want to use 4-h rules or a registry rules. We now have to be measured in at our first show and have a measurement card done so that they can know for sure that our horse measured under 38" Last year both of my horses almost didn't make it because of how they measured. The added over 2" to my horses because of using the 4-h rules and where they were to measure at.!! I was not a very happy camper.

They had someone else redo their schedule and one of the biggest classes was the in-hand trail class. At times there were up to 20 horses/minis. Now after they redid the schedule they had only a couple horses for that class. They moved the trail class from about 12th place to 32nd place and now hardly anyone comes to it. The reason being is because the show grounds don't have lights around the grounds or even near the ring. I had talked to some English/Western riders and they had said that there were times that they would have to finish the show with vehicle lights lighting the ring up!! You would think that after putting this show on for over 50 years in the same location that they would install lights on the grounds!!

Enough ranting from me. It's a close show and cheap class fees. It makes a good practice show to go to. Just becareful around the big horses. I had alot of big horses get scared of my little one and she would have rather made friends then scare them off!! She lives with a big horse so they all look the same to her!!

Becky M.


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## ropenride (Feb 4, 2010)

I love the open shows. In my first driving class there were 3 minis, a pony and a saddlebred. This particular show always has several truckloads of sand brought in for the arena (indoor), and it's dragged very regularly. They ask us to keep the minis on the inside and let the big horses have the rail. My girl was doing just great until the saddlebred came into view...then she bared her teeth and chased him down!! She would do great when she couldn't see him, but the race was on when he was in sight. She never got out of a trot, but boy would she extend! LOL Watching the video, I just have to laugh every time at the "rooster tails" of sand as we round the end of the arena!!


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## RhineStone (Feb 4, 2010)

roxy's_mom said:


> In the years prior, if class size and horse size allotted, they would divide the class so that the bigger horses could used the ring first and then the smaller ones would go next so that the judge would have an easier time judging and so that no horses would be *scared or hurt due to size intimidation*.
> This would be for the purpose of not scaring the big horses! I have yet to see a mini intimidated by a big horse! They are warmbloods in their minds!
> 
> 
> ...






ropenride said:


> They ask us to keep the minis on the inside and let the big horses have the rail.
> This is pretty common when you have to mix sizes of horses in the sand, especially in an arena that isn't very big. The ADS arenas around here tend to be around 100' x 300' on grass, so there is plenty of room to pass, and then the minis stay out on the rail.
> 
> My girl was doing just great until the saddlebred came into view...then she bared her teeth and chased him down!! She would do great when she couldn't see him, but the race was on when he was in sight. She never got out of a trot, but boy would she extend! LOL Watching the video, I just have to laugh every time at the "rooster tails" of sand as we round the end of the arena!!
> ...


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