Question about congress reining

[RoughOut]

the duck run … oh the duck run. How silly that looked. shudders

[findeight]

:lol::lol::lol::lol:…heard that called the potty run by a couple of judges.

[Foxglove]

That’s a better name! Potty Run --I first saw it at our local 4-H club show when a girl who shows Congress scooted across the ring --there were actually some comments made about “did she hurt her back riding? Is that why she runs like that?” --after the class (which Congress girl won) she told all the other 10 year olds that “is how it SHOULD be done if you want to win at Showmanship!” By the next class, there were a bunch of potty runners --I saw my granddaughter practicing like that at home with her showmanship horse. She told me “Debbie said we HAVE to do it that way!” --nothing I could say would change her mind, but FORTUNATELY her trainer who knows Debbie and her horse well (and the trainer has many peeps at Congress --not us, we are not THAT into showing) --explained to Granddaughter she to move in such a way to make her horse look good --and running like a duck wasn’t doing that. Because Granddaughter listened and worked like a Trojan with her plain little dun gelding, she beat Congress Debbie more than once in Showmanship --Congress Debbie --like a lot of little girls, would get over confident and ignore her trainer (who was paid to attend shows with her). GD did her best each time, listened to what judges told her, and like every Disney Story, won now and then --but the Disney Story ended this summer --GD who is now 18, lost complete interest in her little dun gelding and told me to “sell her stuff” because she plans to “never ride again.” The little dun will finish his days in my big pastures keeping company with another retired horse . . .where’s Disney when you need him? Oh, and GD isn’t a prima dona --her goal is to own and manage a humane swine operation and she’s in college now to earn an agricultural degree that will make that possible.

[roseymare]

@Foxglove

Roseymare --do you remember the short-lived (thank goodness!) squat duck-run Showmanship kids did for a couple of years? Someone thought his/her horse would show better if horse trotted with it’s head lower, but didn’t want points deducted for a tight shank pulling down – Since the horses are trained (ours are anyway or were) to keep the horse eye level with the handler shoulder (that way a short child is in the same position relative to the horse that a tall child is) --some exhibitor started to do a squat run --the horse will then trot with it’s head lower!!! --clearly one or two kids (probably with the most fabulous horses) won having done a squat run --and suddenly every kid in halter and showmanship is running along looking like a duck! After a year or so there were FINALLY articles in the horse magazines by judges saying how much they disliked seeing kids squat and run and it seems to have faded from the show ring. We still see it in 4-H now and then --but not nearly as much. I still think there’s too much “dancer pose” in Showmanship --I like to see shoulders on the same vertical plane with hips --but many, many successful exhibitors do an extreme back arch --good posture is one thing, but standing like a circus performer seems forced --and I think takes away from the entire picture of a calm, attentive horse, when the handler is standing so awkwardly.

@Foxglove Of course I do! And I was showing amateur then and I had these fabulous Anderson Bean boots in a mustard yellow! Hubby said he’d pay me to duck run. And then when I didn’t he said I looked like a duck anyway!

But even the duck run was better than when I was a kid and it was the vomit run! Your free hand went tight to your midriff and you bent over. Well I didn’t LOL

[roseymare]

@Foxglove

That’s a better name! Potty Run --I first saw it at our local 4-H club show when a girl who shows Congress scooted across the ring --there were actually some comments made about “did she hurt her back riding? Is that why she runs like that?” --after the class (which Congress girl won) she told all the other 10 year olds that “is how it SHOULD be done if you want to win at Showmanship!” By the next class, there were a bunch of potty runners --I saw my granddaughter practicing like that at home with her showmanship horse. She told me “Debbie said we HAVE to do it that way!” --nothing I could say would change her mind, but FORTUNATELY her trainer who knows Debbie and her horse well (and the trainer has many peeps at Congress --not us, we are not THAT into showing) --explained to Granddaughter she to move in such a way to make her horse look good --and running like a duck wasn’t doing that. Because Granddaughter listened and worked like a Trojan with her plain little dun gelding, she beat Congress Debbie more than once in Showmanship --Congress Debbie --like a lot of little girls, would get over confident and ignore her trainer (who was paid to attend shows with her). GD did her best each time, listened to what judges told her, and like every Disney Story, won now and then --but the Disney Story ended this summer --GD who is now 18, lost complete interest in her little dun gelding and told me to “sell her stuff” because she plans to “never ride again.” The little dun will finish his days in my big pastures keeping company with another retired horse . . .where’s Disney when you need him? Oh, and GD isn’t a prima dona --her goal is to own and manage a humane swine operation and she’s in college now to earn an agricultural degree that will make that possible.

She will come back at her own pace. Keep the dun happy for her! I hope she is successful with her dream.

[reining727]

Shame the copy the cruelty as quickly as they do the potty running and tape on boots. Have you seen this site on reining. reiningtrainers.com