This pinto just won the USDF / DSHB West Central Series Mare Championship. She is RPSI registered, 3/4 Trakehner by blood. We have not seen a color bias with judges.
Is this a reference to the USDF “horse of the month” article. My reaction, too, was “Pinto WHAT?”
I would say, in general, that the Dutch Pintos like Art Deco have made the dressage world “safe” for pintos. Saddlebreds are doing well, so the Pinto ASBs are probably well thought of. Of course, since “All Paints are Pintos, but not all Pintos are Paints,” there might be a residue of bias against obviously stock horse conformation Pintos/Paints, but in general I don’t think there’s the residual bias against Pintos that lingers on (in some cases) against Appies. It’s hard to say, since both Paints/Pintos and Appies come in a variety of conformations - from Stockhorse to racehorse to Arab crosses.
Still, my new App (an Araloosa) has done well in his limited low level showing (as a 4.5 and 5 year old)…but I’ve had a couple of judges and/or spectators inquire as to “what his other half is…” and they have guessed TB, Trakhener and Hanoverian - to be shocked when told that, 16.2 or not, he’s half-Arab. LOL
I think, thankfully, color is becoming irrelevant for MOST judges - training/movement/ accuracy and rider skill are being judged, and it’s only a handful (I have a list!!!) who still cling to the “____________s (Pintos/Paints/Apps/Palominos) are not dressage horses” attitude.
Yea, I cringed when I saw the picture they used in the USDF magazine as an example of a pinto dressage horse… I went to the Pinto World Show in '06 and although I saw a lot of …um…interesting…things in the dressage, I’d say about 1/3 of the competitors were knowledgeable, and competed in either schooling shows put on by their GMOs, or recognized shows. My half Arab pinto and I earned a Championship and a Reserve, and I thought it was hilarious that we got big honking belt buckles as ‘trophies,’ even in dressage. At least I live in Houston and once a year can wear one to the Rodeo! :lol:
all that joking aside… I think pinto is fine, as long as the horse is marked okay and doesn’t have something uneven going on… I think you’re generally fine.
[QUOTE=cyndi;4413635]
Yea, I cringed when I saw the picture they used in the USDF magazine as an example of a pinto dressage horse… I went to the Pinto World Show in '06 and although I saw a lot of …um…interesting…things in the dressage, I’d say about 1/3 of the competitors were knowledgeable, and competed in either schooling shows put on by their GMOs, or recognized shows. My half Arab pinto and I earned a Championship and a Reserve, and I thought it was hilarious that we got big honking belt buckles as ‘trophies,’ even in dressage. At least I live in Houston and once a year can wear one to the Rodeo! :lol:[/QUOTE]
That pinto from the USDF picture is at our barn - GAG is all I’m going to say. The trainer (riding) is our resident arab/asb trainer and he took the horse in dressage “for something else to do” The horse is in no way a good representitive of saddlebreds (he is a pb ASB) or dressage. They have since gone back to saddleseat and “hunter.”
All I could think of was couldn’t they find a better pinto for the picture? Slice & Todd didn’t even PLACE in ANY dressage class!
Good grief USDF!
That said, I am actually insulted they listed Pinto as a BREED anyway!
Becky & the boys
