Of course, proper manners SHOULD BE an integral part of the presentation of ANY driving horse be it SP or CP--truth is, though, that horses,especially in SP classes, often get well-placed while exhibiting a lack of same.
"It takes time and talent to develop" ANY driving horse--not just a SP horse....more time, and dare I say, more talent, than is frequently evident in much of the 'training' for Miniature horse breed driving, IMO. Dr. Pam, I strongly feel that one BIG reason that you see that odd way of going in AMHA-only(meaning, supposedly under 34" horses)is that they have been 'helped' in various ways(Geese is closer to what sometimes, if not often, is going on than perhaps he realizes....). A question--what do you think when you see a photo of a miniature driving horse whose foreleg is 'WAY up, and 'WAY out, yet there is almost no corresponding hock action in the diagonal hind? What about horses who appear to have a puppeteer pulling their strings, especially at the walk? I would be interested in knowing whether 'our' judges are being made aware of what these kinds of movement almost certainly mean-especially relative to the (AMHA, at least)Rulebook? Are they being taught, as they should be, how to recognize genuinely talented movement vs. enhanced(which the AMHA Rulebook, at least, states should NOT be happening.....)
I SALUTE Cindy for her post; she is SO right-on in her comments! Tight checks and running martingales do NOT truly finished, genuinely collected horses make...only time and patient, careful, genuinely proper training procedures may accomplish that worthy goal. For a judge to tell an exhibitor that it is those kinds of things that may increase their chance of winning speaks VERY POORLY of the training and knowledge of that judge. It must be remembered that our horses are NOT Hackneys,OR Saddlebreds, Modern Shetlands(whose arena driving standards have obviously been based on those of certain of the high action, 'enhancement is fine',larger breeds),or even QHs-and should not be judged by any of those breeds' standards for show ring driving, but instead, by well-accepted general standards of driving-a 'middle of the road' approach, if you will-because our breed is 'middle of the road' in acceptable type/way of going. If you breed, or find, a miniature with a lot of natural action-great! Develop it kindly, and try to breed it forward,if that is what appeals to you-as there is more and more interest in the performance aspect(and with miniatures, this is largely going to be driving), athleticism of the horse rightfully becomes more and more important--making those who can breed/produce genuinely athletic movers-whether they be those of long, reaching stride, or more elevated action, ever more desirable. But--BREED for that movement-develop it honestlyand kindly though training--and then both the driver AND the horse can ENJOY the drive!
