Show driving question?? Why the slack in the breast collor?

[REO]

Oh yes indeedy!

I don't know for sure, but I kind of thought that's what all those required judges clinics were for. To learn about each item in the rule books, the differences in driving etc and all of that.

 

[stormy]

There's a bit more to this then just flapping traces. Breast collars have gotten so thin to be pretty instead of usable they must cut when much pressure is put on them...plainly put show diving harness is certainly not made for the comfort of the horse or to improve performance, it is made to look esthetically nice! One very popular harness does not have any "tree" at all to allow relief on the spine of the horse and by design looks to be made to force the horse to hollow its back!

(But then I don't drive around the farm in evening dress either

) What we won't do for those little pieces of colored ribbon!

 

[Candi]

Yes, I know Myrna

But if they're going to be judges for THAT breed, (AMHA - AMHR) they should read and adhere to the rules of THAT breed, not other breeds or disiplines. Judge by the standards of the breed you are judging THAT DAY. Just my thoughts on the subject! LOL

*skips off into my little fantacy world*

100% agreement! As a judge that does a lot of Open Shows... I always "brush up" if a class/breed is added to the premium that I haven't judged in a while. As a judge I feel ignorance is unforgivable!

 

[targetsmom]

Sorry to be jumping in late on this great thread, but I so agree! I show mostly Pinto, which often has AMHA and/or AMHR-carded judges. I use breeching, a side check and no martingale (I also show a bit at ADS pleasure driving shows). At our last Pinto show, we happened to be speaking with the four AMHA carded judges after the show and they all RAVED about Princess. They thought she was the ideal "Classic Pleasure Driving" mini. This was quite a shock since we didn't place that well, but their comment was that I needed to let her "go" more. Sometimes a few minutes with the judges can really open your eyes.

This also reminds me of when I was showing my big pinto in showmanship. A trainer (who showed Ammy at the time) told me I HAD to shave the inside of my horse's ears - even though the rule book said it was optional. Well, guess what, I BEAT her in Showmanship under one judge at the show that very weekend! I probably spent more time than she did trimming the hair on Target's ears so that it looked neat, but still protected his ears.

Oh, yeah, and I will be the one wearing a helmet in all my driving classes.

 

[RhineStone]

It occurred to me a couple of days ago that we carriage drivers have also changed the harness to allow the horses more freedom in front end movement. It's called a Freedom or Empathy or V breastcollar.

They sure aren't "thin", but they do allow the shoulder to open up more than a straight breastcollar on some horses. And they are still considered "ergonomic" and comfortable for the horse....

Myrna

 

[Poodlepill]

I would love to see some pictures

 

[RhineStone]

I would love to see some pictures

Go to the AMHA website on this page http://www.amha.org/show/2010/WorldChampShowPhoto.htm and look at the Single Pleasure Driving horses in action. You will see the slack traces. Now some of the slack is because the photos are always taken when the outside leg is forward, and therefore the near trace has less tension on it, but the left photo shows a good example of extreme unnecessary slack.

Myrna

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Go to the AMHA website on this page http://www.amha.org/show/2010/WorldChampShowPhoto.htm and look at the Single Pleasure Driving horses in action. You will see the slack traces. Now some of the slack is because the photos are always taken when the outside leg is forward, and therefore the near trace has less tension on it, but the left photo shows a good example of extreme unnecessary slack.
Myrna

To be fair, the cart has also slipped forward in the tugs on the lefthand horse, leaving the traces even looser than they were intended to be.

Leia