Myself, I am wondering what the rationale behind this proposal is. It seems from many of the posts that many think that by changing to measuring at the top of the withers we will either (a) magically gain more respect from the rest of the horse world; and/or (b) solve all of our current measuring problems. Well, actually, neither will occur.
First, in my experience, it is not the location at which we measure our horses that prompts a lack of respect from "big-horse" people, it is the huge perception that still exists that minis are useless little Thelwell ponies with horrible conformation, and oh yeah, what do you DO with them. I have had my minis many times at both the Calgary Stampede (there is no bigger congregation of Western horsepeople anywhere in North America with cutting, reining, cattle penning, rodeo and heavy horse exhibitors - and more - all there at once) and at Spruce Meadows (ditto for the show jumping side of things). The number one comment I get from the big-horse people when they see my horses is: "He looks like a HORSE". I cannot EVER remember someone making a comment about the place at which we measure our horses and using that as a basis to discredit the minis. Big horse people as a whole still tend not to realize that minis CAN have good conformation and also CAN do useful things like drive. Our organizations are making great strides in combating this perception, but there is still a long way to go.
If measuring is changed to the highest point at the wither (and yes, I am well aware that every other breed of horse measures here) and the height limits of 34 & 38 are not changed along with the measuring location, then what you are effectively doing is lowering the height limit of minis – and in turn making them less useful as driving and performance prospects. Big horse people LIKE performance prospects, which is why they have horses. They like to DO things with their horses. Changing to measuring at the wither without in turn increasing the height limit of minis is NOT going to make more big horse people magically respect minis more, in fact it will ultimately have the opposite effect as the quality of the breed as performance horses will decrease due to the breed becoming shorter.
If you change the measuring system to top of the wither, you are doing one or both of two things: (a) lowering the height limit of the registry – a HUGE move, and one that shouldn't be undertaken lightly, especially if the proposed date is only next year, and (b) encouraging the breeding of mutton withered horses. In my experience, Miniatures with actual withers like big horses have tend to be the best movers and most athletic. Why would we want to encourage people not to breed these horses anymore? To me that's taking a step back in time about 20 years!
Horse A that is 34 inches at the last hair of the mane and is, say, 35.25 inches at the wither is STILL the same size horse no matter where you measure or how tall you call him. If you lower the height limit to 34 or 38 inches at the wither you are definitely going to stop the breeding of a huge proportion of the most "useful" horses – i.e. those that have the best movement and the best conformation. Now before anyone jumps on me and says that thier 30 inch mini has great movement and wonderful conformation, I'm sure that is true, but realistically, it is hard to quarrel with the fact that most of the best movers and best conformed horses are near the top of the height limits, one has only to compare a 32 & under driving class with a 32-34 inch driving class to figure that out. Yes, of course there are 32 & under horses that can move just as well or in some cases even better than those approaching 34, but the depth of quality is just not there yet with the smaller ones. And it would also be interesting to look at whether these well moving horses that currently fit into the 32 & under division are high-withered and would end up measuring over 34 with this new system. Something tells me many would.
So the way I see it, if your goal is to gain respect from big horse people, making minis less useful by decreasing the size limit is NOT the way to go about doing it - encouraging geldings and promoting the performance potential of miniatures IS, and this just can't/won't happen if you get rid of so many of the best moving horses that are big enough and strong enough for a heavy adult to drive.
Finally, measuring at the top of the withers is NOT going to suddenly solve our measuring issues. Although I am not involved in hunter ponies so can't speak from personal experience, what I have heard is that the same sort of "tricks" designed to "shrink" horses happen when measuring at the top of the withers, and a quick google search informs me that sedation, changing head height, exercise, splaying front legs, etc. etc. etc. (all the same things that mini exhibitors do) are implemented by pony exhibitors to measure their horse in. I hope someone has considered this and thoroughly researched it.
I'm interested in WHY this change has been proposed, and if it's so that respect can be gained among big horse people, tell me why you think this is a better way than promoting minis as performance animals that you can actually DO something with? I just don't see the rationale behind a move to measuring at the top of the withers unless the allowable height limits are also increased because what it really means is lowering the height limit of the Miniature Horse, which decreases its performance capabilities.
Also, it's the prevailing attitude here of "oh, just get another horse" and "change your breeding program" that is bothering me. Lots of people already have their show horses that would measure out under this new system. They've invested time and money in these horses, and it's not so easy (nor would they want to) to just replace these borderline horses that may now measure out. It would be easy for the big breeder to adapt to such a change, but for the bread and butter of the registry, the so called "little people", the youth and amateurs that do not breed for 10 or 20+ foals per year but rather enjoy their minis by showing them and maybe having one or two foals per year, this change would be catastrophic. From my own perspective, I have 3 horses that would not measure in under the new system. Who is going to reimburse me for the time and money I have spent on them? Not to mention that I have a huge emotional attachment to my beloved friends. No, I am not a breeder, but if you alienate people like me (and trust me, there are many of us), what does that do for the future of the industry?
