I just started with showing and I find that I am not very good at it. I may get better someday, but at this point I am not sure if I really like it. I do go to the shows and carefully look over the horses to compare to what I have and that is fun. I find it is more important to visit the farms and see these champions in the field without conditioning or makeup. I like to see how they really look. That way I can know if I am going in the right direction.
At the shows sometimes a horse may not be chosen because it didn't put it's ears up at the right time or didn't stand still when it should have. The person handling the horse makes a big difference in if it will place or not. When the competition is tough there is still only one winner. If you look up the winners you will see that not all of them have Well known parents. They seem to come from many different farms.
Most of you believe a good horse has to excel at halter, driving etc. I don't believe that. In big horses we find different breeds for different jobs. I think that is the way it should be with miniatures. (I may be the only person who feels this way) I think if someone wants to breed for driving horses they should concentrate on what make a good one. The same with hunter or halter. I think the different style is not a bad thing.
I would love to see the day when people can proudly say, "I breed driving horses, or I breed halter horses, etc". In the big horse world people know that one type of horse is just not suited for every discipline. Maybe I say this because I like the ultra refined minis and I don't care if they can't pull a cart. Just like I like my corvette, but it can't pull a horse trailer.
