30" and under horses

[pinck43]

Those of you that have 30"and under horses. Do you show them at shows where the heights are not divided? I would have to show him against 32" horses and don't know who well the smaller horses do against the larger ones. Thanks, dionne

 

[midnight star stables]

Why not? A good horse is a good horse is a good horse

Good luck showing

 

[Cavallini Farms]

Absolutely, show them!

 

[ClickMini]

I will definitely be showing my 29.5" boy. I do think there is a bit of a bias, but what the heck? I love my little boyo, I am so proud of him, and love to show him off. Who could resist him?

I have shown him quite a bit, sometimes he wins, sometimes not. He will probably never win a grand in halter, but he is very competitive in his own height range. As for driving, yeah, he'll be in with the 32" and unders.

 

[Royal Crescent]

I would definitely show my smaller colt. Food for thought. the AMHA rules say that all other things being equal, the smaller horse should be awarded the placing. So why do we all try to have the taller horse in the height class? Thoughts?

Barb

 

[Littleum]

The smaller ones can hold their own with the bigger ones... assuming you have a nice smaller one. Nice smalls can very much stand in the best company.

Remember that many judges aren't going to look at the small size as an "excuse" for conformation/movement/type issues. So I guess it depends... do you look at your horse and say "Wow, he's a nice horse!" or do you say "Wow, he's really nice for one so tiny!"?

 

[Littleum]

I would definitely show my smaller colt. Food for thought. the AMHA rules say that all other things being equal, the smaller horse should be awarded the placing. So why do we all try to have the taller horse in the height class? Thoughts?Barb

Because usually there's a difference between a 28 1/4" and a 29 3/4". That 1 1/2" height difference in the Sr 28"-30" class can be serious business.

 

[Royal Crescent]

Because usually there's a difference between a 28 1/4" and a 29 3/4". That 1 1/2" height difference in the Sr 28"-30" class can be serious business.

I was talking about a small horse that has conformation, etc, judged to be equal to the taller contender. The rules say it should then go to the smaller horse, yet in reality, it more often goes to the taller horse. I am just wondering why.

Barb

 

[Littleum]

Because usually there's a difference between a 28 1/4" and a 29 3/4". That 1 1/2" height difference in the Sr 28"-30" class can be serious business.

I was talking about a small horse that has conformation, etc, judged to be equal to the taller contender. The rules say it should then go to the smaller horse, yet in reality, it more often goes to the taller horse. I am just wondering why.

Barb

Assuming we're talking about Sr horses, I don't see a lot of under 30" that are clearly equal to the 34" in the championship lines.

Again, just goes back to would you say a horse is gorgeous, or is gorgeous for being so small? Key difference. If a 29" horse suddenly inflated to 34", would the perception of his merits & quality stay the same or decrease? That's basically what I'm getting at.

 

[JWC sr.]

You know we were just having this conversation with Jose ( Farm Manager) about a little guy that is 25 1/2" tall as a two year old.

The classes at the shows we are going to only break them at 30" and under. Giving that much height is a real handicap to the little guy. He is super nice though with a great head, neck, topline and extremely straight legs, so we decided to show him.

We dearly love our little horses, but also love the B sized horses. So we breed for all the different sized horses. But we also realize that giving away a lot of size makes it really difficult to be competitive in most cases. So while I agree with you that it is a handicap, as someone said a good horse is a good horse, personally I would go and see what happens. LOL

Good Luck with him,

 

[shane]

I think they should always split the class,

i show a 29 inch to the withers gelding

he is currently the 2008 driving champion all Ireland

Gelding Champion 2008 northern ireland

unbeaten in Liberty

and hes grey lol

but i also believe that they can be at a disadvantage because of there height,

as no one here seems to know that the smaller horse should be favoured over their larger counterparts in a split decision

after all it is a miniature horse we are striving for

 

[JWC sr.]

You live in a beautiful country by the way. We were over there a few years ago. Too bad we didn't know any of the mini people ther, it would have been fun to see how they do things there.

 

[backwoodsnanny]

Funny this thread came up just now as my husband asked the same question at a recent clinic. We also have a nice LITTLE horse that we are considering showing this year We also decided to just go for it and see how he does knowing that though we dont think it should be, his lack of height will be a disadvantage.

Interestingly enough we were at a local show a couple years ago that had and AMHR judge and in judging the weanling class he pinned them smallest to tallest right down the line with the tallest winning. Im quite sure that that horse was not the best horse in the class and I can say that because I didnt have a horse in the class but that is the way they pinned.

I think the statement that things being equal the smallest horse should win should be removed from the rule book as it sways people when they are looking for a show prospect. I have seen some people very disappointed when their tiny horse often the smallest in a class leave the ring with no ribbon at all. Particularly those new to the mini horse world. However, that being said you should definitely go and show your horse and have a great time ane who knows you may find a judge that just loves the little ones.

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

I also have a 29" mare that often gets overlooked in the ring. Its almost like they can't see her in "The Land of the Giants" LOL. So, I try to make sure that I am loudly dressed and try to position her close to a horse that I feel is top in the class. I feel this helps her get noticed.

 

[Maple Hollow Farm]

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I think the statement that things being equal the smallest horse should win should be removed from the rule book as it sways people when they are looking for a show prospect. I have seen some people very disappointed when their tiny horse often the smallest in a class leave the ring with no ribbon at all. Particularly those new to the mini horse world. However, that being said you should definitely go and show your horse and have a great time ane who knows you may find a judge that just loves the little ones.

Removing that statement would be a step in the wrong direction. We are breeding miniatures, not shetlands therefore we just need to find judges that will judge fairly and look at the little horses. There are tons of great under 30" horses, and yes there are lots of bad ones too, but if there is a 30" or under that is as nice as the taller one it should place over the other horse because we are trying for the smallest perfect horse.

Sorry just had to say it but as for this topic I say if your horse is good quality then show it. I show both under 30" horses and the taller ones and my smaller horses do well under certain judges and not so well under others. I think it has a lot to do with if the judge is primarily a shetland judge or a miniature judge.

 

[Littleum]

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I think the statement that things being equal the smallest horse should win should be removed from the rule book as it sways people when they are looking for a show prospect. I have seen some people very disappointed when their tiny horse often the smallest in a class leave the ring with no ribbon at all. Particularly those new to the mini horse world. However, that being said you should definitely go and show your horse and have a great time ane who knows you may find a judge that just loves the little ones.

Removing that statement would be a step in the wrong direction. We are breeding miniatures, not shetlands therefore we just need to find judges that will judge fairly and look at the little horses. There are tons of great under 30" horses, and yes there are lots of bad ones too, but if there is a 30" or under that is as nice as the taller one it should place over the other horse because we are trying for the smallest perfect horse.

I question how relevant this statement is in 2009 with the rise of driving. 20 years ago, I would have agreed because that was the way things seemed to be going.

You can't really drive the littles in competition. Some, yes, obvious (Tiny Tymes For Sure Man) but most, no, and I really don't see that changing simply because they're little and physics are physics. I think they will always be disadvantaged against the big guys based purely on their size, with rare exceptions.

I think driving has the potential to do more for our breed then anything else, so is promoting the "smallest, most perfect horse" really the best thing to do? I just don't know if it's relevant anymore. It might be better to reword it "The most perfect horse under such-and-such height"

 

[~Lisa~]

I think the reality is when comparing any two living things nothing is ever exactly equal -

I think it depends on what you would like to show and your reasons for showing. We have a 29.50 inch gelding he can hold his own in Halter however truth be told he is not a top halter horse he may have been closer to that ideal 10 years ago (he is I think 13 off the top of my head) but he simply is not anymore. That said he is usually in the top half of the class and almost always in the ribbons- he also does hunter and jumper and obstacle and is almost always in the top ribbons in those classes. He rarely places under 3rd place in Liberty and that is against much taller horses but he just loves that class

He just started driving this year so I can not talk about that but I suspect he will be in the ribbons but not at the top of the class.

I show to have fun and he is a horse I love to be around and spend the day with so no matter what we have a good time

 

[RockRiverTiff]

You can't really drive the littles in competition. Some, yes, obvious (Tiny Tymes For Sure Man) but most, no, and I really don't see that changing simply because they're little and physics are physics. I think they will always be disadvantaged against the big guys based purely on their size, with rare exceptions.
I think driving has the potential to do more for our breed then anything else, so is promoting the "smallest, most perfect horse" really the best thing to do? I just don't know if it's relevant anymore. It might be better to reword it "The most perfect horse under such-and-such height"

I have a great amount of respect for your opinion Littleum, but in MY opinion this kind of reasoning talks the value right out of our little guys. If people want extreme action and power in their driving horses and it's true that they have to go bigger to get it, then it's only a matter of time before they leave minis altogether in favor of the bigger moving equines like the Modern Shetlands or the Hackneys. I don't think we can deny that the main appeal of our minis is and will always be size; I think it's existing mini owners looking for something new that are driving the performance division, and that most new buyers are still looking for something safe, fun, and unintimidating for the whole family.

Now having gone totally off-topic (sorry)...To address the original topic, I think you should get out there and show your little horse. We have to give our judges some credit. If your little guy is truly as nice as its competitors then I think a judge will recognize it. Just last year a forum member's TINY stallion took World Res. Grand Champion in the Amateur halter division and in 2007 an under 28" colt took World Res. Grand Champion in the open futurity and a 28-30" stallion took World Res. Grand Champion in the senior stallion division. It can be done!

 

[Littleum]

You can't really drive the littles in competition. Some, yes, obvious (Tiny Tymes For Sure Man) but most, no, and I really don't see that changing simply because they're little and physics are physics. I think they will always be disadvantaged against the big guys based purely on their size, with rare exceptions.
I think driving has the potential to do more for our breed then anything else, so is promoting the "smallest, most perfect horse" really the best thing to do? I just don't know if it's relevant anymore. It might be better to reword it "The most perfect horse under such-and-such height"

I have a great amount of respect for your opinion Littleum, but in MY opinion this kind of reasoning talks the value right out of our little guys. If people want extreme action and power in their driving horses and it's true that they have to go bigger to get it, then it's only a matter of time before they leave minis altogether in favor of the bigger moving equines like the Modern Shetlands or the Hackneys. I don't think we can deny that the main appeal of our minis is and will always be size; I think it's existing mini owners looking for something new that are driving the performance division, and that most new buyers are still looking for something safe, fun, and unintimidating for the whole family.

I think with Miniatures there just has to be acceptance that their size IS a limitation, and the smaller you go, the more limited their scope (as driving horses) tends to become. So if you like Miniatures, you accept that there are just inherent limitations. If you like driving (but aren't married to the breed itself) maybe yes, you'd step up to a larger model pursuing your driving ideal.

I disagree that it's established Mini people who are looking to drive because they're bored... a lot of the new folks I've met got into Miniatures specifically to drive (and do performance) and think halter is well.... kind of dumb.

Of course my husband finds halter mildly interesting but driving "goofy"

People seem so resistant to admitting that Miniatures DO have physical limitations directly related to their size, and the smaller you go, the bigger those physical limitations tend to become.

 

[RockRiverTiff]

That's actually very close to my own point Littleum. That their size comes with inherent limitations means that they will never offer the same driving experience as their larger counterparts. I think the performance division is great and does a wonderful job of displaying minis' versatility, but changing the standards away from what truly makes minis unique and toward something that other breeds already have us beat at seems counterintuitive.