Why do shows ask us to questions that sometimes are just not NATURAL?

Question

going on from "tail Bloacking" i wrote about yesterday , why do shows ask us to get our horses not doing things that are natural to them

like the tail swishing, some horses just do it because thats their response to a shift with your heel. and judges dont want to see a horse swish its tail..... umm when have you ever seen a horse not swish his tail through the day.??

And people tell me what else you think is a stupid thing to ask of riders and horses in showing today.

Answer 1

The rules were not origionally written asking for stupid things people just try to take the easy way out. They judges dont want to see tail wringing which is a sign of holes in training. This was taken to the extreme because people noticed the horses whose tails were not moving were winning. But it probably wasnt just because the horses tail wasnt moving that it won. It was probably better trained. Then things go for awhile and judges are pinning the non-tail wringing better trained horses so people decide not to train their horses better but to make them not move their tale. Then you get judges that learned to like the very still tails and begin to pin the horses with still tails (but not great training) over well trained horses with tail movement. It just kinda explodes from there. Its the same thing that happened with the WP peanut rollers.

I have had inexperienced judges ask for incorrect things in classes but associations and judges dont start out asking for what it unnatural.

Answer 2

That is right up my alley!  I am glad you asked this question.

Why don't judges like to see your horse's tail swish when you give them a cue.

The answer is because swishing tails show us that your horse is not comfortable.  It is a sign of objection.  When you give your horse a cue, your horse should not object; he/she should quietly and smoothly go into the gait or whatever you had asked.  Hope this answered your question.

Answer 3

The rules of showing in curb bits after a horse reaches a certain age.  

I have 20 yr olds who are still in snaffle bits!  Why?  Because they are trained and they don't need bigger, harsher bits to make them be collected, stop, turn, etc.

Answer 4

I think the peanut roller  headset looks ridiculous and counter-productive... especially when it's in non-Western classes!

http://www.briarfieldfarm.com/pphctj.JPG

I also think that many halter horses (QHs specifically) look completely ridiculous with so many muscles on such tiny-looking feet.  He looks ridiculous and hardly useful.  (second pic down)

http://www.fossilgatefarms.com/imageofki...

And halter horses like these...

http://bp1.blogger.com/_uT-i4wrm9Ec/RnFb...

http://bp0.blogger.com/_uT-i4wrm9Ec/RtT4...

Again, both of these horses are halter winners (and breeding stock).  You tell me what the heck they'll be good (and sound) for.

I know...I know.  I'm picking on Western.  So, I'll add a pic of rollkur, which many "top riders" use and many judges condone:

http://special.equisearch.com/blog/horse...

I am SURE I don't know how on earth forcing a horse to do ANYTHING is conducive to good, correct dressage.  Not to mention the fact that it is painful and stressful to the horse.  Dressage is about relaxation, responsiveness, willingness and good communication.  It boggles my mind how people don't fail to see how completely opposite rollkur is to all of dressage's ideals.

Oh, and fake tails.  I don't get it - why?  Sure it "looks nice", but I thought we were judging the horse for what he is, not what he looks like with a bunch of foregin hair strapped to his bum.

Answer 5

first of all I personaly do not like horse shows, because the horse could care less, but to answer your question, when a horse swishes his tail constantly, he is telling you that he is frustrated, with the cues, or aids that you are giving him such as griping too hard on the reins or spurring too hard etc..

http://tonyonehorse.weebly.com