Classes are won by handlers and owners, not horses.
Races are won by winners. Mostly, ahem.
I was surprised to see the last line of this advertisement, that the colt was not bred by Orionn Farms, Ellensburg Washington. Because all the articles I've read blame Orionn's lack of ethics in producing him. Orionn Farms won Cavallo magazine's "manure fork award" of the month, where they pick a crime or scandal in the horse world and point it out to us. Oh well.
If you think he's photoshopped, take a look at his video. What do you think?
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Anyway I found this image today (below) and it made me smile. I'm not fond of babies, but this guy either loves water or doesn't know where his face ends yet. Cute!
Photo credit: Nadege Poinsard
8 comments:
That is a shame. This type of breeding only ends when the judges stop rewarding it.
That is so rediculous. What is wrong with people?!
Somebody who knows please explain all this to me. Is there a rubric for judges? Do they give (say), 10 points for straight knees and 100 points for a teeny snout, so people who want to win will concentrate on the snout?
Or do they just pick their favorite (handler/owner)?
I don't think he's photoshopped, I sadly think he is deformed. Should NOT be for breeding, or showing off, but made a useful gelding (if he can breathe correctly).
The baby photo is adorable though. And Major usually drinks like that too, never just dainty with lips, all the way in! I always liked it, I thought it bold (or weird, I guess!)
Sara, agreed.
Teresa, money? *sigh*
Aarene, Good question. I recently found a "how to" for Arabian halter judging on You Tube, but I need more. The scoring system is specific: up to 20 points for head, type, back, legs, movement. Sadly you never see good scores for legs anymore. No one earns a 20 on legs. I wonder if they actually exist. My horsey magazine said, "Shockingly, 60 percent of horses have crooked legs in some way." From my experience, it's way more than that, like, 90. (But I've learned that many leg defects do not affect athletic ability, hopefully Mag's.)
How bad is it, in these shows? I have no idea, except that cameras lie. But the judges, what are they seeing? Wish I knew. I've sat on the couch of an international Arabian judge, a couple times as she offered to sell me a straight Russian mare, and at another time a gelding, but I wasn't aware of this crap at the time, so I couldn't ask. And how would you broach that subject.... "Hey, how corrupt are you then?"
Her cheapest horse was out of my price range. Ugly too. I got a better one, but sadly, not in bay.
If that is the future of the Arabian horse world, I am darn glad I have quarter horses. That's all.
I can't help answering my own question, it must be a librarian thing.
Here's where I found the "scoring system" from the Arabian Horse Association: http://bit.ly/2okfMYA
The basics:
Type (Purebred Arabians only)
Quality, Balance, Substance at the walk
Legs & Feet
Head
Neck & Shoulder
Back, Loin & Hip
Movement
So, yeah: "head" gets as many points as "legs & feet." Since "head" is not a yes/no question ("does the animal have a head, yes or no?") I guess there's some kind of judgement about what constitutes a proper head...and as in all things fashionable, when something is good then MORE OF SOMETHING is automatically better. So a little snout is good, and teeny leetle snout is superior. Snork.
Too bad they don't apply that to legs, I'd like to see a 6-legged horse!
Didn't know that Orion had that reputation! The place just sold for several million. Don't know where they are operating out of now...
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