AMHR Draft Type Halter Class

[roxy's_mom]

I would love to see another class added for those of us who have the older stockier type minis. I currently have two that I would love to put into a halter class but they don't look anything like what's winning today and I'm not going to waste my money or time for a class that I'm not even going to be looked at in. Both are built square and wide and could easily pull off the draft type look - clear down to the mane rolls/tail buns/rosette if that's what they were wanting. I prefer to have a horse with a little more substance to it that can be an all around performance horse and not do just one thing.

I would love to be able to have an even playing field for my horses to compete in. We need to have classes for those of us who have the horses that can't compete against the current trend of halter horses - most of our horses that can't compete in the halter division have to do performance in order to accomplish anything in the AMHR show ring - IMO only!!

Here's pictures of the two I'm talking about:

This is Roxy at our county fair last year (she also drives!)and yes she is a little on the tubby side.

This is Chyanne - taken summer 2009 - working on breaking her to drive

Both will probably be out showing next year in driving or trail for AMHR but not in any halter classes except local open shows or our county fair.

Becky

 

[Minimor]

I do have to laugh at some of the comments regarding "horse in miniature" and "Shetland type". In my view many of the most "horse like" of the small equine ARE the Shetlands. Sorry, but as I see it the ponies are more perfectly proportioned small horses than most Miniatures are. Todays Shetlands are NOT shaped like "ponies"--they are most certainly small horses.

It doesn't have to be under 34" to be a 'miniature' Arab, or warmblood, or Morgan. A perfect miniature Percheron might very well be a 12 hand pony of some sort, while the perfect miniature warmblood might be a 43" Shetland. My Timmie I refer to as a miniature Saddlebred; he is 44" tall. There are some very horse like Miniatures, it is true, but in a lot of cases it is simply a matter of the owner looking at the horse with a slightly biased eye! I've known people to point at their dwarf mini and proclaim that 'he is a miniature horse, he has horse proportions and horse papers & is therefore a horse and not a pony'.

It matters not at all to me if AMHR adds a Foundation class or even an entire division (as long as local shows aren't forced to include it) but I don't think that such a division is going to work out quite as some are imagining it will. Yes, the Shetlands do have several divisions, but there is still unhappiness when it comes to the type that is being shown in those divisions. There is absolutely nothing to stop someone from showing a Modern as a Classic, or a Classic as a Foundation. I've got a Modern Pleasure mare that is eligible for her Foundation seal--I could send in my $10 and get that seal & show her Foundation. I have no intention of doing that, but I could if I were so inclined, and it could happen that some judge(s) would use her even if she's the wrong type. Even though emphasis is supposed to be on type I know for a fact that there are judges who will refuse to place lesser conformation/better type over better conformation/less type. I've heard many complaints about off type ponies winning in Foundation. If it happens in the Shetland classes it will happen in the Mini classes too.

 

[Performancemini]

Minimor-I agree with your statements 100%! The Shetlands definitely have their "type" troubles, especially recently in the Foundation division. Don't get me wrong-I have owned and shown sheltlands and love them; love my minis too. It makes me see why my husband always preferred the performance classes over halter (though he is showing a gelding in halter these last couple of years that is a beautiful boy and proved it in the limited showing we are able to do).

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I would be interested in adding a Foundation Halter class. A foundation QH looks nothing like a foundation Arab, so I don't see why the fact that a foundation shetland is not a bulky, stocky animal should have anything to do with it.

Each one is supposed to hearken back to the original foundation stock of the relevant breed, something that could still do the job they were originally bred to do. Sort of like Andrea's show drafts versus farm drafts- why shouldn't the farm drafts have somewhere to show off their training and talents? Not everyone shows to show off a flashy horse. Some of us want to show off our training.

Anyway, love the idea. I would love it even more if we also used foundation GROOMING in that class. No razoring, no expectation that the horse must be close-clipped or have no mane, just well-groomed for its individual type, clean and neat. What fun that would be!

Leia

 

[kaykay]

I have always been for a Foundation miniature division. I think it will bring more people out to show and give those that prefer the more foundation type a place to showcase their minis.

I voted yes but I do not think it should be a NR class.

Just because a mini is foundation TYPE doesnt mean it has poor conformation. I adore my foundation Shetlands.

But as said a foundation division is not always the ultimate answer as we have had trouble with it in the Shetland divisions.

Exactly my thoughts! If we can have FOUR divisions for the ponies, why not two for the Minis? Some like Classics, others prefer the look of Moderns, but they are still Shetlands. Same with the Minis.

You can but you have to have someone write it up and ask for it.

A group of you should get together and present it just like a group did for the Shetlands. Not sure if this falls under a rule change proposal? Hmm.

To make it a success you would really have to get the word out and try to get some local shows to list the classes.