AMHR Youth Qualifying Proposal

[Echo Acres]

I wasn't going to post on this topic, but changed my mind. I think this proposal is a good thing. Not only for the late night classes but for multiple siblings. I was at the show Bob's son had to show at 3 am and had kids the same age in youth classes. Thankfully mine were done showing. I know some people put them down for hauling their small child out crying at 3 am. But like they said it was easily forgotten by the child and he was happy he could show his horse at nationals.

Okay off of that and onto the multiple kids showing. It happened in our family with just 2 kids this year. My daughter is 4 and son is 9 so if classes are broken down they would be in 2 different age groups. My daughter shows a senior mare and my son showed a junior mare. At nationals not only are the kids classes broken down by age, but the horses are junior and senior. My son wanted to show both mares this year, but my daughter didn't want to give her up being she could only show in 1 halter class and we don't go to that many shows. So all said and done my son didn't qualify for nationals. Some may think how is that different if he never shows the horse at a show and wants to at nationals from the trainers handing off to a youth. Big difference. For one it is still in the family. But both of my kids help feed, exercise and groom all of the horses not just their own. So yes he does work with the other horse. I wish at the local shows they would have the youth age groups broken down and the junior and senior horses split that would make it easier for a family to qualify, but if they add these classes they say the show runs to long. Bob's proposal would be a happy medium?

 

[Minimor]

One family here with 3 kids (will be 4 showing this next year) has little problem qualifying all the kids with all the horses they show even with the existing rule, and they don't have to resort to youth obstacle classes to do it. One year they did have to use showmanship as the youth halter classes weren't broken down much. Now we have the youth classes all divided into the 3 age groups, plus mares and geldings are both divided junior and senior.

MN people who need more youth classes to qualify for Nationals just need to come to one or both Manitoba shows and you'll be all qualified!

 

[Lisa Strass]

I think one of the problems with this proposal is the tracking. Our registry does not track the handlers in the open classes, so there really isn't a way to "prove" a given child showed a given horse in an open class.

 

[Ashley]

Ashley, we all know a late-night class can happen, but nobody expects a youth class to be run at three in the morning. Nobody expects any class to be run at three in the morning.

As for having a healthy, happy kid, he would have been very unhappy if he didn't get to show his favorite horse at Nationals. We had that discussion with him long before midnight, telling him it was OK if he didn't show. He begged us to wake him up if he fell asleep so he could qualify with his favorite horse.

Perhaps you would have handled it differently with your kids. That's your right. That said, I'm going to assume it wasn't your intent to imply that having a "healthy, happy kid" is not paramount to Mary and me.

This proposal is an attempt to make it easier to qualify youth. It's not just to avoid classes at three in the morning. And when you were a youth, you didn't have to qualify in a youth class to show at AMHR Nationals. You could have taken your horse into any class, including the color class you dismiss as a real class.

No I was not saying it isnt a priority to you guys. Heck you should know me better than that, and I have been around your kids enough to know they enjoy what they do. I stated in my case, I would make the judgement call for the kid.

Also for others to think the classes should be broke down more at local shows, they used to be, however lack of entries forced them to be taken out to save on cost.

Lisa- Color class has its place and reasons. I dont however feel it should be a class used to qualify for nationals. Its not judged on anything other then the personal like of color, where as other classes are supposed to be judged on other aspects.

 

[Yaddax3]

I think one of the problems with this proposal is the tracking. Our registry does not track the handlers in the open classes, so there really isn't a way to "prove" a given child showed a given horse in an open class.

The issue of tracking is why this sentence is included in the proposal:

"Any Youth showing in an Open class must have a signed note or letter from the show manager confirming that they showed the mini in an Open class."

It would be up to the parent or adult owner of the horse to provide the note/letter to the show manager for their signature.

 

[sdmini]

Show mangers have their hands full and I don't think would be able to vouch for every handler in every class. I also think the relaxed qualifying standard for youth would allow more "catch" handling, that practice, IMO, has no place in the youth division.

I know this was brought forth with the best intentions but for me there are too many loop hole that could be exploited by the unscrupulous.

(This proposal would benefit me as I have kids in different age division but still would not support it.)

 

[ohmt]

I don't see any problem with the proposal so I support it. I don't think some people that are against it are reading it completely as I don't see the loopholes. Show managers may have their hands full, but it would be easy for a parent to ask the show manager to take a look at the class quickly as it's going on. Have a copy of the horse's registration papers and voila. All the show manager has to is take a quick look while the child is showing and sign the paper, really only taking a few minutes of his/her time.

I also don't see how there would be more children showing horses they've never seen before?? The child still has to show under 2 different judges to qualify for nationals, just like the current rule. All the rule does is open up more classes for the child to qualify under.

I like the rule and think it was well thought out.

 

[Slagle]

As a show manager I am too busy taking care of show manager duties. I can not honestly say or sign that a particular youth showed a certain horse in a open class. When you have 300 plus classes at a show with 2 or more judges the days get hectic. As it stands now we offer alot of youth classes so there should not be a problem for a youth to get a horse qualitied. A youth only has to show a horse in one youth class and under 2 judges to get qualified for Nationals.

Most of the shows that I manager, the youth classes are broken down to the extreme so that maybe one horse can get shown in every break down with each family member. That way then your youth is qualified and can do it earlier in the day.

Alot of the problem may be show schedules don't think about the youth as a primary concern for time of day of showing.

I am NOT in favor of this proposal as a show manager.

Tracey Slagle