Gill Thompson, who has shown ponies and horses at the highest level and is a leading producer of ponies, shares her thoughts on clarity in shows and mixed height show pony classes
At this year’s Longines Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), the Hickstead team put on a super show with a great atmosphere, and they should be thanked and congratulated. That said, I would welcome one significant change in the way that the show hunter and show pony finals are judged.
Each year, stewards ask children in these classes for a “short show”, which I find can be unnerving for our younger riders who are desperate to give the best account of themselves possible at such an occasion.
The sand track and slope in ring two make it easier to give guidance to our riders in the show hunter pony classes and to plan a show to gallop up the hill. But it’s not so easy in the show pony finals.
As a producer, I want to give my riders confidence in their ability and show. But it’s difficult to assure them that what I would consider a “short show” will be enough when they see other young riders attempt serpentines, canter circles and so on.
For this reason, I would personally prefer to see set shows, so that riders know what they need to do. If the relevant ruling bodies would prefer not to set shows, then perhaps we could ask for more clarity instead?
For instance, stewards could ask for “a short show with one change of rein and an extension”. This way, riders can still plan a show to their strengths, but know that it’s within the parameters of what the judge wants to see.
Mixed height show pony classes
We are just over halfway through the season and it’s a strong one in pony ranks. The show hunter pony championship at the RIHS demonstrated this for me, as five of the eight ponies forward in the championship had not qualified for the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) at that point.
The show pony classes have also been strong – something I’ve been very pleased to see as a traditional section – and it’s more difficult than ever to qualify.
The 128cm classes in particular have been very strong numerically. For example, there were 22 forwards for judging at Royal Three Counties and there were 19 at Lincolnshire.
However, I worry this is partly because owners and producers are actively avoiding entering the new mixed height qualifiers, which have had mixed numbers. The first run at Royal Bath and West was encouraging with 19 forward, and Royal Norfolk also enjoyed entries in the double figures, but others haven’t been so strong.
At the time of writing, all of the mixed qualifiers have been won by a 148cm pony. In fact, the top three places have largely been dominated by the bigger ponies and older riders.
To me this makes sense; these riders are far more established in the ring – especially as the age cap on riders of 148cm ponies has risen to 18 – whereas many 128cm riders are newly out of first ridden classes. It would take an exceptional 10-year-old to beat the polished show of a 17-year-old. I’m not saying there aren’t these riders, but they are not the norm.
My 128cm rider isn’t ready for a split class but I would have attempted a mixed class with my 148cm, had we not opted initially to enter the split qualifiers and succeeded this way. Others must feel similarly. Especially as diesel is now so expensive, people might prefer to save it for days they feel they have a better chance.
I understand that some will argue it’s just like a championship, but for me this isn’t the case. In a championship, younger riders don’t have to negotiate a busy go-round or perform shows – and, crucially, they feel confident having just won their class.
I am surprised that not one 138cm pony has won a mixed class, though. It would be interesting to see a breakdown of entries per height in these mixed classes to see if the only reason they are dominating the placings is that they are dominating the entries, or if there is more to the story.
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