>>> So (semantics aside) I think we have animals who are ponies by genetics and animals who are ponies by the rule book. In the pony hunter classes, the divisions were definitely height based and it wouldn't matter if I had a DNA report in my right hand, if my "pony" went over 14.2, he couldn't have competed.
Yes, but I'm sure there's at least a modicum of reasoning behind the show rules in the hunter classes, and it's not to discriminate against the ponies, "just because." GENERALLY, they group the kid's pony classes by the horse's height, and sometimes also isolated by the kids's ages. (I remember 12 years being a cut off for some classes Emily did.) Generally, how high a horse can jump - in good form - is at least slightly affected by his height. The intent of the pony classes is to give the smaller kids a venue in which they can compete without undue competition from adults and the tallest horses. Thunder officially measured 14.2 1/2H and thus Emily could never ride him in a pony class. It didn't matter though - there were other non-adult classes where the kids competed on equines ranging from 12H to 17H, with Thunder being about the average height. Also, she sometimes competed in some of the adult amateur classes at the smaller shows. The hunter circuit than Emily competed in had "divisions", so that the kids can compete for year-end awards. I know Emily started out in the "Short Stirrup" division, which had no limit on the size of the horse, but the kids had to be less than 14 years, I think. Since there were flat classes in each division where maybe 12-15 horse/riders competed together, I can understand why some of the younger kids on smaller ponies would opt out of that division and go to the pony classes instead - it can be a little daunting to canter a 12H pony in a crowded ring with a bunch of big horses, although there were some who did it. The best of my knowledge, our local fun shows generally don't prevent adults from riding vertically-challenged horses. Let's face it, a number of the working cattle type horses are short and stocky - I see plenty of men riding 14-ish-H QH, and I'd be willing to bet that a few of them might even be a smidge under 14H. I've never thought about it before, but does the AQHA have a minimum height requirement for the horses that adults ride in reining, cutting and games classes? Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.11/1244 - Release Date: 1/25/2008 7:44 PM
