SEAHGS, Ardingly.

[heidi]

Is anyone going to the South East Arab Horse Group Show at Ardingly on Saturday?

[specialsparkle3]

How did it go Heidi? Who won Ridden Anglo and PB and who won in hand do you know?

[heidi]

Hello SS3!

I will post the results later on and will put a link on here, so you can have a look! The largest Anglo and PBA in-hand class (AA and PBA mares 4 years +) had..........4 forward out of 5 entries. With similar numbers in the ridden

[gemma]

That's such a shame Heidi. Perhaps I might take fatty next year. Who knows - we might be in with a chance!!

[amelia]

oooh another 4 yrs and i can take Sparks!!! :-)

[specialsparkle3]

You can take Sparks next year Amelia , in the yearling class. Heidi and I will come and cheer you on.

What disappointing classes Heidi-------rather glad I didn't come. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

[chrissiew]

As a non Arab person , I was at the show on Saturday, as a friend of my sister's took her 3 year old to her first show and my niece took her in the young handler class. Both horse, owner and young handler did really well and got 3rd in both their classes (although small classes too) and my friend's little unbroken 3 year old performed impeccably at her first show.

However, I was disconcerted to say the least and down right disgusted at times, by some of the practices that went on in and around the in hand arenas. The horses were kept in constant flight mode by various methods, including rattling metal fences right next to them, geering and clapping from "supporters" and lots of whips up noses, flicking and generally rather bizarre behaviour!!! Then when they went into flight mode and got too far ahead of their handlers, they were yanked back next to their handlers!!!

In the young handler class, the young man who won it (and who clearly knew the steward and judge ) wound his horse up so much that I don't think it produced one single stride of trot in the trot up, but instead was leaping and cantering and spinning around him!!! The horse that came 2nd was clearly unsound.

Now this isn't sour grapes, as we were so pleased for our friend and her little mare and my 12 year old niece handled the filly brilliantly in her class, seeing as it was both their first time in a ring!!

I just didn't get the whole thing and it left me feeling that the Arabian breed get a bad reputation in some quarters for being flighty because of this type of handling and not actually because they are flighty, as when left alone, the horses were calmer than many other breeds I have seen at other shows and dressage etc!

Don't they deserve more than being treated like demented show pieces?

All that being said, I only had a chance to see the in hand stuff and none of the ridden, which from the little glimpses I could see and hear was much more normal and I did see some stunning Part Breds around the horse boxes.

This isn't meant to offend anyone, I just genuinely don't quite get all the over the top "showmanship" that goes with it, as surely the horses are beautiful and elegant enough, to show themselves without all that over the top stuff. My friend's little filly floated in the trot up, was impeccably behaved, stayed with her handler without breaking her stride, but compared to the professionals she certainly wasn't showy enough - but then she will be broken to ride this year, so we don't want her living off her nerves in constant flight mode!!! Some of the winning in hand horses were stretched out in their bodies and heads so high in the line up, that frankly they looked freakish, plus one girl was cracking!!! her whip to get her horse to look the part with complete disregard to the poor man who was trying to get his little filly to stand up with less aggressive means - each time the girl cracked the whip, his filly got scared!

Think if I had been in there with a youngster, I would have been chucked out for causing a scene if that was happening to me!!

[specialsparkle3]

That's why I didn't go Chrissiew, the subject of Pure Bred Arab showing was dicussed extensively on here not long ago if you look back a bit.

[chrissiew]

Thanks Specialsparkle, have now found that thread and am relieved that it seems there are some sane sensible Arab owners out there!!! I was beginning to think they were all barking!!!

Although I am not an Arab enthusiast, I do think they are a very special breed and deserve so much more than I saw on Saturday. I know its mainly the professional breeders who do it to show off their stock, but if I was looking for a stallion to breed from or foal to buy, I would be most put off, as you couldn't really tell how these animals truly moved because they were so hyped up and legs all over the shop!

My sister's friend and the filly's owner, who is quite elderly and had her last Arab for 20+ years, has been out of the showing circuit for many years. She used to show her previous horse when it was young at County level and she left the show on Saturday speechless and with the conclusion that she no longer wanted to be part of the in hand side of things and will wait till the mare is broken to show her under saddle. I find that quite sad, as she was so excited to get back into the showing world that she remembered, but is obviously now so very different.

[heidi]

Phew! I've finally got the results posted! Click here:-groups.msn.com/TheArabianClub/general.msnw?action=get_message&ID_Message=6931&ShowDelete=0&CDir=-2&all_topics=0 I hope that works!

If you're not familiar with the MSN set up, when you get to the last post, you will see it says "First Previous 2-16 of 27 Next etc. Click on Next to read the next few posts/photo's.

Chrissiew, I know just what you mean. It is so hard to get nice photo's of some of the horses, as they are either going along like bananas or doing this...


I was very reluctant to show my homebred girl, as a youngster, as I was so worried about some mad person twirling their horse into her, or something! She did have a couple of outings for educational purposes (SERAHS and Kent County) and we were very lucky not to have any "crazys" in our classes!

Did your friend see the Crabbet class? Much more sensible! There was a lovely stallion in the class, who was misbehaving and consequently was down the line. His handler made some comment about his bad behaviour and shook hands with the judge, so there were obviously no hard feelings! I expect your friends horse would be elegible (sp?!) with her breeding. I love the Harwood horses, they are reallly versatile "doing" horses. I hope your friend has lots of fun with her. I'm sure she will.

[amelia]

i would have loved to see the crabbet class - have a big soft spot for them.

Yep SS3 - if Sparks will learn some manners by then i'll have a go in the youngstock class :-)

[chrissiew]

Yes I did see the Crabbet Class as it was before the Young Handler and what a difference, but not sure there were many pros in there? Looked like they were mostly in the other ring twirling and rattling! As for the stallion that was misbehaving - no small wonder there considering what the handler was doing to it in the collecting ring prior!! Having said that I know nothing about handling stallions so it may have been necessary, but she looked like she was a little harsh with it.

Yes my friend's little filly was eligible, but she didn't want to overface her on her first show and she was already in the 3 year old filly class and young handler. Mind you, think she wished she had been in that class as it was much more sedate, poor lady nearly got wiped out just entering the ring in the 3 year old class, as the person in front was a pro and her supporters were rattling the fence in the narrow bit where you enter the ring!!!!!

[specialsparkle3]

Heidi, did you see the winner of the yearling Anglo class---Kelmstone Sea Otter It's the last colt ever from Ottergayle, and I've heard it's beautiful but naughty. Was told it should be kept entire, wish I'd been there now lol

[heidi]

I guess I did see him, as I popped back to the ring to take a photo of my girls niece, who was 2nd! He must have been being fairly good at the time, as I don't recall any dramatics!