LIGHT HORSES.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 1813, 4 November 1931, Page 7

LIGHT HORSES.

SHOWING IN THE KING. The show season is on us again with all its hopes and fears and disappointments. The main uncertainty which exhibitors can never rid themselves of is the judges, as no matter how high these may stand in integrity and fair dealing, they are at the best only human, and therefore liable to err in making their awards. In no other class is the judging so variable as in light horses. New Zealand cannot be said to have advanced much in this line of breeding, except perhaps in cobs and ponies, and in the former the improvement may be largely attributed to the use of English hackney blood. The classes for upstanding harness horses are now dominated by the American trotter, and it is strange that though many breeders of these are of Irish descent, in Ireland where the finest light-legged horses in the world are bred, the American standard-bred trotter lias never been able to gain a standing. The Irish are a sporting people, but horse racing in their country means galloping on the flat or steeplechasing, and those controlling Irish shows cater for this, as those who have been privileged to attend the Dublin Show can testify. Even at the smaller shows in Ireland, on it level with our main fixtures, the very choicest of our light horses would not have a hope of being placed either in saddle or harness classes. The standards are entirely different not only in type but in action and training, and it may be something of a shock to fight horse exhibitors to be told that in action our draughts are incomparably better than the very best of our harness horses, according to Irish ideas. The perfect moving draught even tit a walk shows the soles of the feet, which very few of our harness horses do, and the trouble is that most judges fail to notice this, or if they do, look on it as of no moment. The difference between the judges of light horses in New Zealand and those who adjudicate in Ireland and Britain, is that the former pay more attention to pace than the Home judges. The New Zealand hunter can fly his fences without any question of safety and hunting form, and the harness horse may closely resemble a pacer in action, but he gets over the ground, while at Home merely clearing an obstacle or getting on pace are secondary considerations in a show ring. It is the method of going which counts, the style, the action, the manners, and the horse which does not show perfect training, even when standing, has no hope of getting into the prize list. This is as it should be, and New Zealand exhibitors and judges of light horses have a |,lll<j way it. go before they attain the perfection seen in Home shows. The demands of the show ring are quite different to what obtains on the racecourse. Apart from type, manners, action, mouth and training are the main show essentials, just as pace and stamina are on the racecourse. In a steeple or hurdles the doctrine of "safety first'' is unknown, and on tin flat, whether galloping or trotting, timt wins. Many of our light horse judget ate racing men, and allow, it may be unknowingly, racecourse standards tc influence their awards. This is right up to a point, as both saddle and bar ness horses must have a certain amount of pace, but they must also be abh to show a high degree of perfection it movement. Unfortunately, the brecdin; of light horses nowadays is a very poo paying proposition, except for raein; purposes, but there are still a fe\ enthusiasts who help to make our show more attractive by exhibiting, and n class of stock inTIiC show gets so mite attention froiff the general public a