Showing World Issue 168 July 2022 www.showingworldonline.co.uk
Issue 168 - July 2022
Ten minutes with Kimberly Bates and Rafeekah
Updates from our columnists Vicky Smith, Justine Armstrong Small and Sara Parrott
Show reports
from the Hickstead Derby Meeting, Royal Highland, Cheshire, Three Counties, Stoneleigh Horse Show and more!
TRUSTED, CONSISTENT STUD FEEDS FOR ALL BREEDS Our stud feeds are all formulated to support correct growth and help achieve genetic potential Backed by unique hands-on practical knowledge and nutritional support MADE BY BREEDERS FOR BREEDERS
à à à à à
Low calorie - Stud Balancer High calorie - Stud & Youngstock Mix Condition - Stud & Youngstock Cubes Muscle & shine - Prep Mix Calm condition - Yearling Cubes
BAILEYS STUD RANGE - FOR YOUR FREE GROWTH MONITORING CHART & IN-DEPTH BROCHURE Tel: 01371 850247 (option 3) info@baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/breeding 2 | Showing World | July Issue 2022 | info@showingworldonline.co.uk
MADE IN OUR OWN
UK MILL
A Note From Our Editor Dear Reader, What a packed few weeks it has been! Show after show after show! I hope that your season is going well. Please let us know if it is as we’ll try to slot you into the magazine somewhere, and if you spot me at a show, please do introduce yourselves as I’m always thrilled to meet more faces in the showing community, and especially our readers! Maggie (li’l sis) and I have done a fair few shows this year, with her competing and me reporting. Crucially, our ponies haven’t attended anywhere near as many as we have! Instead, we’re quite careful to make sure it’s only us getting worn out by hours on the road. I’m pleased to see that societies have started to speak out on the potential stress that travelling long distances frequently can have on horses, and it’s something that Vicky Smith has also spoken out about in her column this time. Afterall, sat in the front, we can rely on copious sugar – namely Percy Pigs – and caffeine to power us through, but that’s not the case for the horses on the back!
We take driving in turns, and long hours travelling in the passenger seat used to inevitably mean some time perusing social media. Not so much of late, and I’m sure you don’t need me to spell out why. Besides, I’ll elaborate in my Talking Point and say no more of it here. Let me know your thoughts, but please do so either kindly or after I’ve had a chance to grab my hard hat and body armour! This issue is pretty packed with show reports and more. I know that a few big shows have passed and have not yet been included – don’t worry, they’re waiting for the next issue! We ran out of space! And talking of running, I’m leaving it at that, because already we’re running headlong into another spell of intense showing and I have another issue to think about… In the meantime, the very best of luck to you all at some of our biggest shows of the year. I really hope you come away adorned in red or blue, but if not, I hope you have a lovely time anyway.
- Beth
MEET OUR COVER STAR ON PAGE 41
Sarah Field’s Murvey George (Real Time Imaging)
info@showingworldonline.co.uk | July Issue 2022 | Showing World | 3
Contents 26
Special Seven
34
Life after showing
41
Justine Armstrong Small on RIHS workers
42
Sarah Parrotts top tips for preparing ponies
45 Exclusive insights with the HOYS Judges 49 Royal Highland Show Report 58
Hickstead Derby Meeting
36
Front cover: Justine Armstrong Small and Time Down Under
Editorial: Beth Simons
beth.simons@showingworldonline.co.uk
Why not subscribe and sign up to our free monthly newsletter for yet more content from the Showing World team? www.showingworldonline.co.uk Follow us on Facebook @ShowingWorld
62 Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or Showing World Ltd and while every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained is correct and current at the date of publication, Showing World Ltd will not be help responsible for the appearance of photographic material supplied without the necessary consent, copyright and/or photographer’s details. In addition, Showing World Ltd offers no guarantee of publication and reserves the right to edit any reader’s letters, press releases, reports and articles submitted. Showing World Ltd 2022. All rights reserved. No part of Showing World may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, transmitted or shared in any form or by any means, including but not limited to: electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of Showing World Ltd.
4 | Showing World | July Issue 2022 | info@showingworldonline.co.uk
TALKING POINT:
JUDGES, BIAS AND MARKS
Anyone seriously involved in the industry cannot have missed the current wave of ill-feeling regarding results, marks, biased judging and apparent corruption. Much of the debate is being played out online with competitors turning to social media to air their complaints. This is worrying. It’s dangerous for the future of our sport, because let’s be honest, if you were new to showing and all you saw were complaints, why would you bother? It’s also divisive, causing an unproductive ‘us and them’ culture. If a competitor makes sweeping, negative statements about judges as a body, their point loses credibility; most judges are good people. When the heckles of those good judges are raised, attempts to ‘bite back’, deny or defend misconduct merely appears to be closing of ranks and even condonement. I’m absolutely not saying we ‘name and shame’, but rather that there needs to be a be a better system for society members to feel their voice is heard and their complaints taken seriously. They want to see change. When it comes to questionable judging, perhaps intervention could be escalated depending on the number and frequency of complaints. Perhaps repeat ‘offenders’ should be removed from a panel or at least reassessed after some vigorous training. It could, after all, be an honest case of insufficient training, for example in how to judge a jump phase. I did make a complaint last week, and in fairness, I feel heard. Without going into too much detail, it’s sufficient to say we competed in the same classes across three different shows. In two of the three, we were greeted with smiles from both judges, given plenty of time to show the pony properly and a personal throw-away comment on my sister’s “beautiful hair colour” from a judge made her day. She felt seen. We left those shows feeling disappointed with our placings, but nevertheless feeling like we had had a pleasant day’s showing. Trust me, when you live in Pembrokeshire with the current eyewatering fuel prices, this is essential for morale. A good food hall helps, too! At the third show, we were made to feel an inconvenience and the judge was nothing short of rude to several competitors. This is wrong. We had paid an expensive entry, driven four hours to be there, paid an extortionate amount for diesel and even more for tea. We deserved at least a smile. We came away feeling uncharacteristically disheartened. Competitors who thought less of our sport might not have returned to it. Please, judges, you have responsibility for more than the results of a class. Remember you can only truly satisfy one competitor - the winner - but your behaviour goes a long way to giving everyone else
a pleasant experience. Remember your conduct is not simply a reflection of you, but of the sport as a whole.
Bias When it comes to bias, the water is murky. If a judge keeps Shetlands, chances are the excellent Fell in the supreme line-up will appeal more than even a prolific hunter such as View Point. The fact that the Fell pony’s breeder bought a Shetland from the judge in 1984 that went on to be Olympia champion is not relevant in this case. Don’t pretend it is. The problem is when extremely close and public relationships are defined by rosettes exchanged in the eyes of spectators and other competitors. It’s such a small pool of people that it’s impossible to show only under people you do not know, and nearly impossible to avoid friends completely. But it is possible to avoid showing under the closest of friends, if only for the greater good of the sport. For example, when my good friend Gemma judged the ride at the Royal Welsh, we knew at once that we wouldn’t be entering, even though winning on that hallowed turf for us Welsh breeders gives such a buzz. Had we been tempted, we would have known exactly who to enter, and exactly how to prepare it for just how Gemma likes her rides. Had we had the highest ride mark, however, it would always have been tainted with scepticism, and the integrity of each of us questioned. If you choose to do it, please refrain from a joyous ringside picnic afterwards. Again, there’s a greater good to consider. I appreciate that avoiding potentially contentious situations it is more difficult for professionals who are under pressure from clients to show, show, show. So, owners, I beseech you, think about whether playing your hand will be detrimental to the judge’s or your own reputation. There is always another day. It also strikes me that some competitors don’t help themselves. One young lady recently told countless people she was winning a class way before the show even kicked off. She did. The thing is, I know the judge involved and know that they absolutely love the pony. Had it gone badly, it wouldn’t have won. Still, the young lady riding would have done just as well to keep quiet – such behaviour did nothing for her reputation and less for the judge’s. So, if you know a judge loves your pony and you intend to show, keep quiet.
‘Dodgy’ Marks Before we accuse the judge of an unfair mark, we must shine a light on our own performance. Often that’s enough. Ask someone to critique your show; get Mum to film it; scrutinise the
photos. The same goes for a conformation mark. One week, your pony might score 43, whereas another, it might score an average mark of say, 30. If we really think about it, it probably wasn’t because they ‘lost a leg’ but because it’s nothing like the type the judge preferred. Type is open to interpretation. Ask yourself, “is my pony anything like the top marked pony?” We must accept our unicorn is not everyone’s unicorn. Take a deep breath; I’m about to ‘go rogue’. I hope that in a HOYS class, a judge can find a good animal that looks well, goes well and makes no mistakes. But apparently that’s not always the case, and it’s recently resulted in ‘wrong legs’ winning. For me, this is not a cardinal sin. If a pony completes a sterling go-round, stands like a rock, performs a balanced show, without being overbent or curled sideways like a banana, I don’t believe it should be severely punished for one stride on the wrong leg. Especially as, let’s be honest, most wrong legs in an otherwise spot-on show are rider error – my own included! Perhaps if judges were asked to justify and explain decisions more often - not as a means to police but as a means of education for competitors - those few guilty of bias might be less tempted. We would better know what each judge likes and maybe what went wrong for us. But I appreciate that articulating this publicly might be a daunting task and potentially off-putting for prospective judges. Features, forums, conferences and clinics are excellent sources of information on preferences, as are other professionals who have been ‘in the game’ for a long time. If you must, it’s possible some judges won’t mind giving feedback, but please, be respectful. Ask in an appropriate tone in an appropriate place. Angrily accosting judges in car parks or in the queue for tea is fundamentally wrong. And remember, you asked for it, so be prepared to smile through uncomfortable feedback. Afterall, there’s always another day and another rosette. Personally, I’m disappointed that HOYS feels the need to film classes and even more disappointed that it’s deemed necessary by the masses. What a sad state of affairs when we cannot trust in each others’ integrity. It’s certainly not sustainable – HOYS cannot become the showing police; they shouldn’t have to be. I hear far too much of “going back to the good old days” when folk attended shows for a pleasant day and weren’t worried about HOYS or Hickstead. It’s unrealistic. We cannot move backwards; forwards is the only way, and we all – each and every one of us - has a collective responsibility to make sure that there’s a sport left to move forwards with.
info@showingworldonline.co.uk | July Issue 2022 | Showing World | 5