‘Is showing plaited ponies spiralling into decline?’ Stuart Hollings ponders the way forward as M&Ms continue to prosper

Well-known and respected judge and former producer of numerous top ponies Stuart Hollings reflects on the value of using marks in the show ring

Is plaited showing spiralling into decline? Despite encouraging numbers at some shows, the low numbers forward this season overall – particularly in the pony sector – make me wonder.

In contrast, mountain and moorland competitors are a different crowd and appear to embrace “their circuit” far more and will continue to prosper as a consequence.

I’m convinced that we need to return to when showing was at a peak some 20 years ago to address the problems, and future-proof the discipline.

The British Show Pony Society (BSPS) introduced the marking system in the mid-1990s to promote transparency. I’m flummoxed as to why this was axed in the Royal International (RIHS) flat classes post-Covid.

If marks had “run their course”, why do they remain in place in Horse of the Year (HOYS) and London International (LIHS) qualifiers and finals? Marks also live on at the BSPS judges’ assessment days and are compulsory for probationary and first-year judges, ironically.

The majority still find mark sheets fascinating and flock to the secretary’s marquee to view them and bombard show organisers to post them online.

The importance of feedback

Showing is a subjective discipline and a common complaint is that competitors, particularly at the start of their showing journey, receive little or no feedback.

Nowadays judges understandably seem more reluctant to give comments for fear of social media backlash and the unknown can lead to cynical conspiracy theories festering at the ringside instead!

Apart from dictating results, marks provide valuable information. How far behind the winner was their pony, perhaps, or which judge was the good or bad cop, for example?

Mark sheets can also produce evidence of below-par judging: judges not using their marks, not taking into consideration the go-round or even altering their marks late in the process! But above all, they provide a valuable aide-memoire when sorting big classes such as the RIHS finals.

I concur with Bethan Simons’ comments that unless judges possess superpower memory levels, in reality, they can only clock the best and worst. So what happens to the middle group that makes up the majority?

Writing copious notes does not work and consulting them can be time-consuming. Could the little-used “A-B-C” alternative marking method (A for animals worthy of a top placing, B for a lower place and C for those not in the running) be the answer? This would also eliminate the risk of adding up so many numbers incorrectly.

At the conclusion of the individual assessments, those with AA scores are asked to walk round as the two judges choose their final line-up. These can be topped up by the AB group if necessary.

I believe this system has merit and allows a conversation between the two judges both when pulling in after the initial go-round, which is vital, and more importantly during the final reckoning.

“Tin-hat time”

I felt redundant when judging phase two of the working hunter pony classes at Lincolnshire with my brother Nigel who held all the cards with 70% of the marks, for jumping, at his disposal. There were only seven clears in the whole section on the day.

The courses are more challenging these days and require a pony with technical ability. Interestingly both our champion and reserve combinations, Tullibards Silver Mine and Nellfield Blueboy (ridden by Anya Dewey Clarke and Guy Hamilton respectively), have valuable showjumping credentials. Our champions had also qualified for the 138cm showjumping final at the RIHS.

Now for tin-hat time: would allocating 40% of the marks to the showing phase, like in horse working hunter classes, encourage more competitors?

● Would you support Stuart’s suggestions for a change to the working hunter pony marks system? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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