WHAT ARE THE DIRECTORS DOING TO AMHA??!!

shelia · Jul 31, 2008

rabbitsfizz said:
Lisa, the horses are not nor have they ever been, 34" and under.They have always been up to 36" and under, that is the whole reason for the measuring to the last hair of the mane thing that people go on about every now and again!! (

)

So this hoo-haa is really because, on top of the "base of the withers" (so now we have horse up to possibly 37") the quarter inch is the last straw!!

If we want a "B" division (up to 38") there is the AMHR (where you can get a 40" Shetland under 38", apparently!!)

The facts have been laid out, the BOD is in breach of the original contract...this is not legal...who is going to point this out to them (I have no problem doing it personally but am also happy to add my signature to a carefully thought out letter to the effect)

What??? Forgive me for not understanding what you are saying, but........What?

hhpminis · Jul 31, 2008

I have held off on this thread as I dont like to get involved in some of these heated threads, but I do have one comment to make about this decision.

I watched some of the protest measuring last year at Worlds. The air could have been cut with a knife in that room. Not only there but all around the grounds. It made me feel sick to my stomach and I wanted a pair of ruby slippers that I could click together and go home. Yes those horses as well as people were tense, horses feel the tension too.

Now saying that, yes I understand how a horse could add at least a 1/4 inch to its height in this situation, but is it right? Lets face it, if we would stop pushing the envelope this would not be such an issue.

I have to disagree in the respects that a 32 1/4 inch horse is OK but not a 34 1/4 inch. The principle is the same. A horse has been shown in a division it does not belong in. A horse that is actually over 32 inches shows in the 30-32 division. In that division are legal 30 inch horses that have stood square and had an honest measure, not squeeked in at 29 7/8. They now are competing against 32 1/4 inch horses and that is OK?

I too think this is a bandaid for a known problem that has gotten way out of hand. If you want to have oversize horses than we either need an over division and stop lying about the fact that we all have them, or take those horses to AMHR shows, and yes the measuring is a problem there as well no favoritism of registries in this matter.

My husband had an idea for measuring. A laser...if the beam is broken the horse is too tall, plain and simple. No pushing on the back with the level. We still have the placement and the stance to deal with but it would remove some of the favoritism and intimidation that happens at the measure.

maestoso · Jul 31, 2008

Rabbitsfizz, I'd like to see a horse that was 34" at the last mane hair but 37" at the top of the withers.... 3" is substantial..... That's one heck of a wither, and one very ugly horse.

Genie · Jul 31, 2008

hhpminis said:
If you want to have oversize horses then we either need an over division and stop lying about the fact that we all have them, or take those horses to AMHR shows, and yes the measuring is a problem there as well no favoritism of registries in this matter.My husband had an idea for measuring. A laser...if the beam is broken the horse is too tall, plain and simple. No pushing on the back with the level. We still have the placement and the stance to deal with but it would remove some of the favoritism and intimidation that happens at the measure.

I agree with these comments.

Someone mentioned the laser earlier and it sounds too simple

BlueStar · Jul 31, 2008

I have to agree with the 1/4" rule here. If it is legal to show a 34" horse and we all know that horses will measure differently so often, then why is showing a 34" horse pushing the envelope....it is a legal height. So basically unless we have a 33.5" or under horse we are pushing the envelope? I have seen and been involved in measuring horses that are close on height although never a protest measurement. Here is our scenario..we had a horse that was 32" as a yearling and 33" as a 2yr old and finished at 33.75". Now at each show when we measured him we were always on edge and nervous to measure (even though he was at legal height), and he could feel it and took on that nervousness (don't care if anyone does not believe me, I saw it with my own eyes). One particular measurement my mom had him stood up to measure and he was "1/4" over the legal measurement and a friend of ours that knew the horse and knew he was right on the legal height, took the lead from my mom and never moved the horse and the stick dropped visibly with one heavy sigh from the horse to under the legal measurement, because she was not a bit nervous about his height. So I am a firm believer that tension and stress do hinder measuring ALOT. If we allow 34" horses to show, then let them show, don't say they are pushing the envelope...they are legal horses. If a horse is a true 34.5" and by cheating, measures in at the original measurement, then it will likely not pass a protest measurement anyhow because if anything the height would INCREASE due to the tension of the situation. Therefore the rule seems fair enough to me, and our horses are double registered and the tallest is 33.75.

I guarantee all of you behave and perform differently in stressful situations and with nerves and tension...so do the horses and handlers!!

PS-Tagalong, spottedponygirl, conder, and Matt, (sorry if I missed anyone), I applaud you for the continued defense of us that do show and know what the pressure is like when horses are close but legal!!

tagalong · Jul 31, 2008

I too think this is a bandaid for a known problem that has gotten way out of hand. If you want to have oversize horses than we either need an over division and stop lying about the fact that we all have them, or take those horses to AMHR shows, and yes the measuring is a problem there as well no favoritism of registries in this matter.

The band-aid comparison is a good way to put it. I understand the reasoning behind that 1/4" leeway as those protest measurements are intense - to put it mildly. But is it a viable solution - especially when it comes to the 34" level? I was originally thinking that if the horse measured in at 34" to start with in order to show that the protest at 34 1/4" would be reasonable... now I am not so sure.

My husband had an idea for measuring. A laser...if the beam is broken the horse is too tall, plain and simple. No pushing on the back with the level. We still have the placement and the stance to deal with but it would remove some of the favoritism and intimidation that happens at the measure.

YES! As some of us have wished - some kind of a laser measuring device... that would eliminate the human element in that part of the process...

If we can use it to measure exact starts and passes at the line in flyball (dog sports), surely someone can adapt it to measuring minis... any geniuses/entrepreneurs out there?