Some industry professionals have pointed to the young dressage horse classes as a possible model, where judges hand out marked sheets noting each horse’s strengths and weaknesses which is valuable information for the breeders.
The Gap Years Development differences and judging aside, a youngster showing on the line faces a proverbial rabbit hole in the years between showing in hand and those under saddle, no matter how many accolades received in those early years. With breeding classes focused on yearlings, two and three- year-olds, many horses fall into obscurity before making it to the performance division. As Ken aptly puts it, “It’s such a long shot for any horse to make it to the top echelon. It’s just a long, long road.” “I would love to see some type of conformation classes
Above, top and bottom: Yearling Arbor Day at Devon won Best Young Horse with handler Brandon Gibson in 2012.
hunter breeding judges need to be able to visualize how conformation will influence future performance. With young horses bred to be show hunters, future
performance can take precedence over a normal upbringing. Instead of presenting a horse that’s been in a virtual bubble wrap, Julie says, “Minor splints and other cosmetic blemishes shouldn’t be heavily penalized, as these are often things that happen in the pasture fooling around. Much like children on the playground, sheltering them from recess has both physical and emotional downsides,” she explains. The functional background of the sport is also important.
For a sport rooted in cavalry and working purposes, a horse that covered ground and jumped needed to be sound, athletic and willing on a balanced frame. For Julie, when judging she always focuses on three basic requirements for success: an athletic and balanced build that is conducive to becoming a good hunter, a correct structure that allows longevity in the sport, and a foundation for easy training (clean throatlatch, short strong back and intelligent eyes). Sound judging in the in-hand classes can help ensure a successful and productive career for a youngster.
40 September/October 2013
integrated into the baby greens and pre-greens,” Brandon remarks. During these ‘gap years,’ horses change hands, change names, are injured or show a preference for a different career, just to name a few reasons why they seem to drop out of sight. One factor that has drawn recent attention is the name changes and record inconsistencies that allow, for example, an imported horse showing at the top level in Europe to come and show pre-greens in North America. This unfair advantage is discouraging to both competitors and the most dedicated of breeders. Breeding and showing history can be easily lost as well when horses change hands and go by a different name. So when the question of “who is this horse out of” arises, the bloodlines are unknown. There may be a vague idea that the horse has shown on the line in the U.S., but the details have
This yearling, A New Millennium by Advocate *Ps*, out of Merrie Laughter xx by San Siro xx, was bred and owned by Cheryl and Melissa Fossesca, Chagrin Falls, Ohio. A New Millennium was shown by Melissa Fossesca at the IHF finals in Kentucky.
Allen MacMillen/MacMillen Photography
Photos courtesy of Brandon Gibson
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