I forgot that I put in the MHA website instead of my personal one, but if you go to the Farm Page and click on "Treasured Acres" that's my website. Again, in desperate need of updating, but there

Arabians can do pretty much anything and look great doing it! They're beautiful!

Like Odhinn's Mom said, it depends on what you mean by huntseat. Breed shows, yes. There it will depend greatly on how typey of an Arabian he/she is. A open hunter/jumper shows, she will probably not be very competitive as a hunter. Arabians do not typically move like a hunter should move. It isn't breed discrimination, it's just most Arabians don't match the judging criteria.

If you are looking for breed specific huntseat shows, Id say go for it.

However, in the "open" shows, they are looking for more of a low moving "Daisy cutter" horse. Most arabs have to much knee action for what a open judge is looking for..

As MC said, its not breed discrimination, its that those horses do not meet the judging criteria.

In my opionion (owning an arabian myself) it IS breed discrimination. if its western pleasure, it shouldn't be by how slow, and the least motion they can make and still do that lead... its about making the horse look like the most comfortable ride ever.. and my arab is comfortable, and has that nice slow trot, that will put a QH to shame.. but because hes an arab.. he gets overlooked. and its unfair. a jusde even TOLD me that once.. "Well I'm sorry, but I just don't see what your doing with an arab at an open horse show thats mainly QH's..." its OPEN right?!?!

I agree. How does a low head carriage, slow gaits and slow leg movemet make a horse a pleasure to ride? For myself, I think a pleasure horse should carry itself with pride, move out in a calm and relaxed manner, and be alert and obedient. It shouldn't be what breed the horse is or what color pattern it is. A pleasure horse should be a pleasure to ride, whether it goes with its head down to its knees and its gaits are barely true and covering little ground or the ne who moves out with true ground covering gaits with a higher proud head carrage. It should be what is correct for the individual horse and not something it has to be forced into in order to win. The best Pleasure horse should win the class, rather the slowest moving with the slowest legs or the lowest head set.

Spotted Pony

An open show judge is supposed to judge each type of horse according to its breed standards, then choose which best fits that standard. Unfortunately, many forget that little piece of information and judge solely on what they think a pleasure horse should look like.

It's not pleasure, but I once questioned a judge on why he placed my pony at the bottom of her pony halter class, above only 2 thin, scraggly rescue ponies (cute kids were proud as could be). She'd been placing first or second all year long on the same circuit with different judges, and I expected to hear something about her being cowhocked or slightly off that day. He told me flat out, "I don't like English-type ponies." I reported his comments to the show officials and dropped out of the rest of my classes that day.

The next time he was scheduled to judge, I had a young man from our barn show her dressed in western clothes, same Arab halter. She placed second.

I refused to show under him ever again. Not that it matters now that I'm in a completely different state

I had something like that happen a few times.

Once, I had taken my stallion to an open show for the purpose of schooling him for Regionals. While there, on a whim I entered him in a class titled "Western Horse at Halter". Funny thing- QHs were first second and third, paint was fourth, Appaloosa fifth. The Arabians and Morgans got the gate.

I asked the judge on my way out what I could do next time to improve our position. His response? "Nothing. You have a very nice Arabian, but you have to admit that Arabians are NOT western horses". Say what? My horse was a multiple champion in WP, both breed shows and open competition...

I just "thanked" him and began to leave the ring...while several (unknown to me) bystanders outside the ring who overheard that laid into the judge about it being an open show; that meant open to ALL breeds equally, and that if the judge could not or would not consider all breeds equally, that that "judge" had better excuse themselves of judging or the show committee needed to refund the fees of anyone who had anything other than QHs, Paints, etc so that they wouldn't waste their time and could go home now.

I almost scratched and went home then and there. Reminded myself I was there to school anyway, so went ahead and stayed anyway.

Showed in our western class of 32 horses, figuring we were going to get the gate again.

Is the lineup, the judge approached and told me "he really gives a different perspective under saddle". Huh?

We placed 2nd (the only Arabian to place). Can't help but wonder how we'd ahve done if my horse had happened to be QH though!

Another time, we showed in halter at an open show. Got the gate. Asked the judge same question. "I know how Arabians are supposed to be shown, you have to show with a whip and the horses have to be animated" Huh? At Arabian shows, that's optional.

So next halter class that morning, in I come with my whip...with a small plastic bag on the end. Didn't change the way I showed my horse at all...just carried the whip quietly at my side. Guess what?! My horse suddenly got better "conformation", against the same competitors and won the class! Technically, I should have been disqualified for the plastic bag

Btw, believer, here's one of my hunters:

He or she is beautiful! Thank you for showing me that picture and thanks all of you for responding. Arabians are what I learned to ride on and I have always had a soft spot for them. I think they are beautiful and look beautiful being ridden any way. I'm kind of leary though of having my daughter show this guy because I don't want those things to happen to her. The hunter world isn't the most forgiving and I don't want her to lose her confidence if she were fortunate enough to do well enough in a class to place and not place because of the breed of her horse, but on the other hand, I say she should just go for it and learn about the good, bad and the ugly of the horse world. I mean, it's out there and she might as well start learning about it at her young age right?!

Arabs are great huntseat, but many open show judges have serious breed bias against Arabs in the hunter ring. Just prepare her for that if she is going to show in the open shows. If you can swing the expense, try to look for an Arabian breed show in your area. Many local clubs host schooling shows as well, which might be a good introduction for your daughter into breed shows.

Here's the AHA event calendar: https://secure.arabianhorses.org/perl/AHA/showcalendar.cgi?func=start
Each region has its own web site, which should have more information about things going on in your area.

Arabian Community shows are more like schooling shows, smaller and more informal: http://secure.arabianhorses.org:8080/acs1/ACSHome.do Here's the calendar for those: http://www.arabianhorses.org/competitions/acs/ec_eventcalendar.asp

~Barbara