Prohibited Halters in Shows

So i was wondering, why does everyone judging shows not want horses to be wearing a halter/stud halter and chain/lead like a realistic horse photo? I think it looks cool. I understand its not meant to be in the rode or covering the face so the horse can be judged but... ? xD

Thanks

Heidi SB

There are a few reasons.

One is that (like you said) it distracts from the model and can be easily used to cover the little factory flaws and goobers.

Another reason is that once you allow halters, you're gonna get other tack. One thing always leads to another.

The show is for the horse. Not it's fancy tack, or the scene it is in. If you absolutely love the halter, then use it in a scene or creative halter entry. :)

I agree that models look great in halters, but as a judge, I would immediately DQ a horse with a halter on. It is just a distraction from the horse's conformation and, most importantly, it's condition. Breyer's often have a flaw under the eye that can be very easily covered by a handy little halter.

I would definitely suggest shooting some scene photos where you can use your halters. It is really fun! 😀

Oh, ok. I didn't think of trying to hide flaws with them. :S

Thanks for the info!

<3

HeidiSB

Most people don't think of that, but sadly that's where some people's minds go first. : /

You're welcome, I hope it helps! :)

Thanks SDS, i have another tho. In the grand photoshow for 2022(currently running) it says headcollars/stallion sets are OK? Whats a stallion set?

Heidi SB

A stallion set is kind of like a leather halter with chain (think a stud chain and halter). Grand Photoshow is (I believe) UK based, and therefore has a different set of standard rules. And, as with any show rule, it is totally dependent on the judge's personal preference. :)

Oh, thats cool. I have quite a few stallion sets i could enter on my horses.

I dont understand what differs from regular to uk based rules, but thanks anyway. :D

Heidi SB

Sorry, UK rules vary on several levels. Just different wording (head collars vs halters) and a few different standards. UK uses more neutral backdrops, while realistic is the norm in the USA. Neither are required, all are based on personal opinion. It's essentially just everybody modifying a basic set of standards and norms. :)

The backdrop is not judged anywhere. It is just a factor in a photo, not the item being judged. The terms are not judged. Most of the standards are just preferences.

Oh ok. ;) I like both kind of backdrops, and im in Australia lol but we call them halters here.

Yes, AUS rules are more similar to the US. It's neat you're in AUS, I'm a half Aussie!

Yeh, thought so. :)

Wow, thats cool. ;D

When I hold a show I do not care if models have halters on. Its ok with me.

Speaking from my own experience judging, I do not like to see halters on straight-up halter entries. I've seen a lot of poorly fitted/poorly adjusted or just plain funky halters that brought down the presentation of an otherwise very nice model. And to Adah's point, those halters also often obscured the face enough I couldn't properly judge the *whole* horse.

In-hand/showmanship classes are a great way to show off your favorite halters that look spiffy on your favorite horse, and they become a critical part of your entry, not an unnecessary distraction. Are they in scale, properly fitting, and breed appropriate? A really nice halter (or head collar ;-)) can put your entry ahead by a nose. I'm seeing more all-halter shows including showmanship classes, and personally think that's excellent. Yeah, it's technically a performance class - but it's HALTER. :-)

Molded on halters are part of the model, and should never be counted against IMHO (and fit is rarely a problem, lol). "Dressing up" one as a showmanship entry, now that's a fun challenge!

Oh my goodness! This makes me remember back over 30 years ago when I first started live-showing (I didn't really photo show back then) the debate over halters for halter classes. There were some very talented tack-makers back then who made beautiful Western show halters and everyone wanted to use theirs. Okay, fine. But if you are using a halter, mustn't you also have a lead? This was back when there was just one Brenda Breyer and some Mego dolls if you were lucky to find one in your old toy chest or at a garage sale somewhere, so there weren't any real "handler dolls" out there; at least at the shows I went to in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan. So, what to do with the lead? Letting it dangle seemed okay; I mean, these aren't real horses and they're not going to break loose and trip over the lead, right? It's out of the way.

Oh, no! Your horse would not place with a dangling lead; it must be placed across its back!

Huh? Okay.... so at every halter class you'd have people cluttering up the table with themselves while they struggled with putting the lead at the exact correct spot (wherever that was) across the horse's back. So now you have this distracting lead in an unusual place that might be hiding some factory flaw on purpose or a cool spot or dapple by mistake.

Luckily this "lead rope" thing doesn't seem to be a fad anymore. I personally like "naked" horses in halter classes. Save the beautiful halters and doll handlers for Showmanship classes; this is a class where the handler, not the horse, is judged, and you want to have as realistic a presentation as possible.

Happy showing, everybody!

Trina

SpottedDreamsStudio said:

Sorry, UK rules vary on several levels. Just different wording (head collars vs halters) and a few different standards. UK uses more neutral backdrops, while realistic is the norm in the USA. Neither are required, all are based on the judge's personal opinion. It's essentially just everybody modifying a basic set of standards. :)

There should not be a bias for either type of background. Judges SHOULD be able to judge with either there. I just had a comment about one of mine the backdrop was "too distracting" which to me was BS, not needed and can be quite upsetting for people. If judging and your bias is for plain backgrounds then either (a) not judge at all or (b) learn how to judge fairly and not let your biases over rule. I am actually becoming a qualified photography judge in the non model horse world and that is one thing people should keep in mind.

Oh, I completely agree bassgirl1970. I was just saying that more people in the UK put the time into making them than people in the US. I couldn't care less which one a shower uses. It seems like the favorite type amongst collectors in the US is a quick and dirty neutral, while foreign competitors tend to spend more time making detailed scenes. When I said, "Neither are required, all are based on the judge's personal opinion" I was referring to any of those switchable terminology and norms. I was not trying to say that the judge should scrutinized the backdrop. I see how it could be taken that way though, I will edit it so no one misunderstands. :)

Yes, the backdrop should never be an issue. Unless it is falling down on the model, or the horse is completely wiped out because the color is an exact match, it should never come into a factor. I'm sorry you got that comment. The judge was probably just trying to be helpful, but it was not necessary, and could be taken the wrong way.