# breed prejudice in the show ring



## Kamakazi (Jun 10, 2013)

Just out of curiosity have any of you experience breed prejudice in the show ring?

I've always shown arabs and have had it happen to me a few times. I mostly show western (once in awhile some english thrown in). Most people in my state/area ride paints or quarter horses, I've always been kind of the oddball out.

I literally had a judge turn his back on me during my pattern. My dad noticed he was talking to someone behind him and went up and asked him why he wasn't watching the rider. The judge said, "It's an arab, I already know how it's going to place." My dad got mad and told him to turn around and watch. They made me start my pattern over after this and ended up getting 2nd in the class and placed a lot higher in the rest of my classes for the day than I had been before that. 

Anyone else experience this at all?


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Of course, all the time, those judges start to get known for which breed that they don't like and entries at those shows decline. Through the years I have seen less & less bad judging to keep entries up. Show organizers finally wised up.


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

Sure do, luckily at our open shows they have classes specifically for Arabs and saddle type horses! Sometimes I think judges don't like Arabs and sometimes I think they're just ignorant about Arabs. Either way, the open shows are just a stepping stone to the breed shows. Plus, the showers are all fun people to spend the day with.


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

any judged event or sport is going to be full of arbitrary scores. I wouldnt sweat it , if you enjoy showing just do what you like and for your own pleasure. Dont worry about scores. If you are worried about scores (nothing wrong with that I am sure am) then get involved with a non arbitrary event. Like barrels, endurance, or some other black/white, non judged sport.


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## Kamakazi (Jun 10, 2013)

I've been showing for 18 years, I know it's inevitable. The only annoying thing with it is because I live in such a stock-horse dominated area, there are no Arabian breed shows sadly. I wish. 
I also do all types of competition, I'm big into endurance rides (more so than showing now) and used to rodeo quite a bit.
Have any of you experienced it with any breeds other than arabs?


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

Haha, try taking a stock horse to a show with an arab judge. We know how you feel!


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

Oh vair Oh I bet that Rairly happens


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

Critter sitter said:


> Oh vair Oh I bet that Rairly happens


It doesn't? How many times have I heard "Oh that stock horse is obviously drugged" or "oh that stock horse is going slow because it's lame" or "oh that stock horse's head is so low it must be abused". All the time. Usually arab or gaited or non-carded judges. I won't get looked at, but I like the practice.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

There was a time in the UK that if you took a coloured horse into a show ring (paint,pinto etc) you'd be scorned and totally ignored - it was even considered to be a real No No to take one hunting and then in the early 80's it all turned around and they became the 'must have' and a third rate coloured would make more money and get higher placed in some shows than a better plain colour


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## busysmurf (Feb 16, 2012)

Happens all the time to all the breeds. In the 80's around here no one even considered showing an arab at an open or 4-H show. The nearest breed show was 2 hrs away. Then in the early 90's they were the breed to have. Now they aren't the most common, butthetthey aaren't rare either.

I have a buckskin QH. I was excused from a registered QH class unless I had his AQHA papers on me in the class. Because "buckskins" are a color breed. Not a full AQHA. 

The latest trend around here is the dressage outfitted riders are placing higher than HUS outfitted riders.

Everything goes in spurts.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## grayshell38 (Mar 9, 2009)

I don't show, but I am moving my Arabs to SW North Dakota in a couple of weeks. I have gotten the whole "crazy ay-rab" schpiel ten times over up here than what I'd hear back home. They do indeed like their stock horses. 

However, I have met some people who are not like that and those are the ones I will choose to associate with.


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## Kamakazi (Jun 10, 2013)

grayshell38 said:


> I don't show, but I am moving my Arabs to SW North Dakota in a couple of weeks. I have gotten the whole "crazy ay-rab" schpiel ten times over up here than what I'd hear back home. They do indeed like their stock horses.
> 
> However, I have met some people who are not like that and those are the ones I will choose to associate with.


I am from NE North Dakota. Everyone in this state is really against arabs. I constantly get the "they're crazy, worthless, ect." on a day-to-day basis from other horse people. That's just the attitude people have up here. What they don't realize is that my arabs can do just as much as their QH can even if it has "toothpick legs." I have nothing against stock breeds don't get me wrong, I was just raised on arabs.


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## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

It happens, but I'm finding that it's happening LESS now that people are just refusing to go to shows with bad judges. 

A friend of my mothers' told me I could never show my previous horse, in fact I should just give up (before I even STARTED) showing because he was an Appaloosa. A very well built, not obviously an Appy, but he was an Appy so that meant I shouldn't even try.

We never did place, but that's because he was crazy and incredibly green (much more so than we were told), who knows if we would have been scored lower because of his breed...


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## Foxesdontwearbowties (Jul 9, 2012)

Yup! Before I even got my mare I ran into it. I had a man who used to be a farrier come buy hay from me, and I was talking to him about horses and he asked what I was getting. I told him I'm actually getting a 13.2 Hackney Pony mare. Guess what he told me? "_Get your money back while you can! Don't waste a trip that far to get a nasty, mean thing like that_" And then proceeded to try and sell me a big quarter horse gelding (nothing against them, but I love my little mare). 

Went to a show with a friend of mine. She brought her Arab, boy did we get some stares! Along with a few whispered "_What are those.. ?_"
I don't mind though, I'd take my Hackney over any 10 of their big stock horses any day. (;


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## SketchyHorse (May 14, 2012)

I very rarely show... avoid it like the plague. All the times I've taken my little Arab to the shows I've never had issues. Of course this is 5 - 8yrs ago. She even had a tendency to toss huge bucks in her classes & still placed >.> When we didn't place it was because our lack of experience, mismatched tack, etc. Not because of her breed. Heck our first & last Dressage show everyone _loved _her even though she's one of them "nasty Arabs." 

These days? She'd never place at the local open show. The judge will place the EXACT same horses in HUS as WP. They're not open or friendly to different breeds. And it's just an _open _Hunter Under Saddle class. There's no specifications as to which type of "hunter" the horse has to be. I know some gals who took their Hunter ASBs to this show & practically got laughed out of the arena. They only want to see stock type hunters. This is the same show I took my mare to years ago & we placed among stock hunters. I took Sonny to this show as well & rode him Dressage. No I wasn't expecting to place as yes - it was a hunter class - but the judge didn't even look twice at him. It was disgusting.


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## paintedpastures (Jun 21, 2011)

Prejudice occurs within specific breed shows themselves:shock:,not just between the breeds at a multibreed show.
Seems you can't escape it:evil: Something you have to unfortunately have to come to expect,although not always easy:-( so yup as we complain to each other,we also tell each other put on your big girl panties & remind yourself it is just one persons opinion on that day:lol:.We need to just, Go out , do your best & hope you will come across less Bias judges your next showing


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## LoveHaflingers (Feb 11, 2012)

Oh, yes. At the last show, even though it was just an open schooling show, the judge was basically ignoring me for most of my classes. Granted, I was on the fat, thick-necked fluffy Icelandic, but he was well-groomed and shiny, braided up, and we looked as good as we could. After about the 2nd class, my mom even said that she saw her just looking over me in flat classes, and in the classes where we went into the arena alone, most of the time she said "thank you" before I was even done. For example, in Hunter Hack, we jumped 2 2' jumps, then hand galloped around the arena, stopped, and backed. We kind of messed up the jumps, since he was bending back toward the other horses, but we did a nice hand gallop. But before I had even stopped, she said "Thank you" and turned away to watch the next rider. I was so mad. Yes, he may not be the typical hunter, and we may be here just for experience, but at least have the decency and respect to let me finish my pattern! And stopping and turning are actually two things he does extremely well.


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## LoveHaflingers (Feb 11, 2012)

*stopping and backing* Oops.


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## horsea (Dec 28, 2009)

Yeah, I have a Paint that I have done hunters with and we often get overlooked. I don't understand though... A bright, loudly colored Paint would catch my eye over a plainly marked bay Thoroughbred type horse any day, not that I don't love those TBs. I guess it's just not "typical" but oh well, we have fun and that's all that matters


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Attended a show whereby in the w.pleasure class the horse was as close to perfection as possible, moving in a beautiful rounded frame. Only arab in a class of quarter horses and although it had out performed the others it wasn't even considered. Same with my arab. Qh judge in a halter class of over 20 quarter horses so I put him in ponies and he won.


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## Bagheera (Apr 23, 2013)

Jeez! You guys make me afraid to go to a horse show. I used to show jumpers, where all you had to beat was the clock. I've switched to Dressage and am hoping to go to my first show at the end of the summer. I hope the judges don't over look me and the paint horse I'll probably take.


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## caglover (Jun 3, 2013)

Try taking a Standardbred to an open show...


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## existentialpony (Dec 4, 2012)

I just started in a local arabian-hosted all breed buckle series and certainly, the arab judges love to place arabs! But in my opinion, our judges so far have been excellent about being fair. You have to realize-- humans are not by nature objective creatures.


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## GotaDunQH (Feb 13, 2011)

Critter sitter said:


> Oh vair Oh I bet that Rairly happens


It's happened to me at a regional open circuit. I took on my QH's (a 2 YO filly) in Colt & Fillies class.....the judge was an ASB/Morgan/Arab just...guess what happened.


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