News: Articles: Scottsdale 2006

An Amateur Point of View

The View from the Rail:
Scottsdale
by Russ Vento

Since Scottsdale is our home show, you might know that I’d have a lot to say. Even though the days were busy, you just couldn’t miss how great this year’s Scottsdale was, so I want to go on record with the praise and also with the few things I would cite for improvement.

Nothing is ever perfect, not even Scottsdale, but for the most part, the 2006 edition of the show was so enjoyable that I’d grade it a good, solid “A.” Let’s start with the weather. It was incredible; it couldn’t have been better, with 75 to 80-degree temperatures through the day and crisp, cool nights. And the atmosphere—it was pure “Scottsdale.” People were excited, positive, happy about being in the Arabian business. We had a record number of spectators come through the horse show the first Friday, which was great because that was the opening of the youth weekend. People kept their barns open and the visitors were able to see and touch horses. It was good public relations for the Arabian and Half-Arabian.

What’s New—Bravo!

Scottsdale Show management did something this year that they have never done before. They made a holding pen in the paddock for the halter horses, where the handlers could prepare their horses before each class. By that, I mean get the horses excited for their appearance in the ring. Some people might say that they were terrifying the horses and that it wasn’t a good thing, but actually, that wasn’t the case. Since the holding paddock was right in front of our stalls, we got to watch it, and in my opinion, it was probably the best thing for the horses, especially the babies.

Here’s what would happen: Someone would shake a plastic bag, and a horse would get a buzz, and snort and blow—and then the next baby would be snorting and blowing because of the first baby, and then the third baby would start doing it. That all went on from one shake, with a domino effect, and what actually happened was that the horses were playing and showing off to each other. There was no banging trash cans, or running them up aisles and bursting out of every place but the restrooms on the way to the ring. (Safer for the humans, too.)

It was phenomenal because the horses got to feel good and feel comfortable, and they went into the ring feeling good about themselves, instead of being tense before going in to show. I think that was one of the most positive things for the halter competitors It worked the same way even with the adult horses who had been showing in halter forever. It was like the horses had their own little competition in the holding pen, and it was fun. But the babies were the ones who really sold me on the idea; it was so exciting to see them because when they were bucking and snorting, they were so playful. It was like you would see them in the pasture.

I think the idea of the holding pen is something that more horse shows should try It would probably stop a lot of the complaints that getting young halter horses mentally ready for the ring is too intense In this case, the babies got fluffed and excited, and then walked a lap or two to calm down before they showed, and then went before the judges. It worked very well and was easier on the horses.

Another innovation at Scottsdale that I think was an improvement was a new way of presenting the ribbons. When the top ten were selected, eight were called out before the announcement of champion and reserve. Sometimes that meant that the champions were standing out there alone, and other times, there was a crowd. It really heightened the suspense, because you didn’t know who would win and who would get the gate. It was new and exciting, and the crowd got more involved.

Specifically: Shoeing

Scottsdale operated under the new shoeing rule, and I’m here to tell you that they were really fast when they used the gauge to measure the shoe and then get it back on. I was there 90 percent of the time, morning and night, and I’ll bet there were fewer than a dozen shoes thrown out of 2,000 horses. Usually we have that many thrown in Amateur English! I’m just kidding about Amateur English, but I’m not kidding about the huge difference from a time standpoint.

Another thing I noticed in connection with the shoeing was the improved cadence of the horses. There are always cadence issues here or there, but with the new shoeing rules, the horses were much more balanced. Their movement and motion didn’t look stressed or out of sync. I thought that for most part the majority of the horses looked like it was easy for them to do their jobs.

The Divisions

Halter. Scottsdale certainly is premier for halter horses. It was exciting because the young horses are always exciting. It’s their first time to be shown, and the first time we really see new people’s breeding programs. It was exciting also because there were a lot of new imported horses. I think it got people extra-excited to see new faces on the scene.

Western. The western horses were absolutely gorgeous. It was exciting to see some who won five years ago still competing in the amateur or ladies or kids classes. The horses were soft in the bridle, covering ground, and the amateurs were on their game; some of those horses were successful with both trainers and amateurs. I think in one western open class, there were about eight past national champions, and they all still looked good enough to win in open or amateur today. They were just beautiful. Given the complaint that our western horses are trying to look like Quarter Horses—the ones I saw looked like Arabians, they performed like Arabians, and I think the trainers and the amateurs need to really commend themselves because they did a super job.

English. The English horses were spectacular. As usual, there weren’t tons of them, but there were more than there have been in the past, and they were exciting to watch. The amateur horses were under control and doing their job, which was nice to see, because sometimes they are a little wild. The judges rewarded the horses for their performances. And again, no shoes off!

Signature Classes

You just couldn’t miss the Signature classes. They have been in the process for four years now, and this year it was great because the prize money was so high—$20,000 or so in each class, with about $8,000 for a top ten. It was exciting; it was amateur to handle, so the bigger farms were recruiting people to show their horses.

What was really exciting for me was seeing the breeders showing their own horses. That said the most. You breed the product, you put it in the program—you had the foresight and the vision of what you were doing—and then you put it in the ring and you are rewarded for it. Especially for amateur handlers! Certainly the trainer trained the horse and got it ready, but that’s all preparation. It’s no different from having professional help getting our outfits together, and that’s all acceptable. It was just great to see the breeders showing their babies; they were still the owners, which it made it mean even more.

Judging

In my opinion, the judging at Scottsdale overall was very good, but I do have a couple of suggestions.

I think that in our junior divisions, across the board (English, western, hunter, whatever), our judges need to start judging the horses on their potential and not on their performance. This is not a negativity thing, because we all want the best horse to win, and the criteria of the class states that the horses be judged on their quality and potential, instead of marked down for little mistakes. That is one of the few ways I would fault this year’s Scottsdale judges. These are young horses; if they jig a step or if they toss their heads, it is not a sign of being belligerent. They are baby things—they are new in the show ring.

There is a reason I’m saying this, and a reason the class specs were written as they were. They are designed to protect young horses from being pushed to be finished like our open horses or adult amateur horses. Judged on their potential, the horses’ quality will come through whether it is in their motion, or their stride, or for the western, their softness. We reward them for where they’re going to be; we don’t penalize them because they aren’t perfect now. I think that in our breed we’re getting away from that, and we need to go back to it and give the young horses time to mature at their own pace.

I have some thoughts regarding the hunter division as well. These are the biggest classes at our shows; the numbers in hunter classes are off the charts. The horses are beautiful and very competitive at whatever they are doing, but I think we need more detailed criteria for judging. There are so many different types of hunter; there are high-headed hunters, high-trotting hunters, true hunters, and they are all wonderful horses. It is almost to the point that we need to have different types of hunter horses, because so many great horses and great performances are being missed due to the lack of a set standard.

I’m not sure how to resolve this situation; we don’t do hunter horses here. But from what I watched at Scottsdale, there were three different types of horses in one class. From a judging standpoint, you certainly go to your personal preference, but on a national scale, how do you know which one is best? What represents our breed best?

If we don’t have any type of standard for best of breed, we legitimately go with each judge’s preference. Some like kimblewicks, some like snaffles, some judges like higher heads, some like lower heads, some like the horses flatter, some like them curvier. Some like motion and some don’t. I think our show hack class, which could easily have had the same problem, has evolved to its own style, where it is so much about the transitions and the ease of the movement; it has found its own way to be judged, and the best horses win. It’s an incredible class to watch. But the hunter horses, I think, are still a little off.

And finally, about judges—you can’t make all of the people happy all of the time. We had a great horse show, and I am not complaining in any way, shape or form. I heard comments now and then that two judges used a horse one way, while the third did not. Apparently, some people are expecting that decisions be unanimous all the time, and that just doesn’t happen.

You have three different people with three different opinions, and they like three different things. So it is okay if Judges A and B have the same first three horses, while Judge C is entitled to his opinion. I still stand by what I have said in a previous column: All judges—A, B and C—should have the same three horses on their cards. I don’t want to see a horse high on two cards and tenth on the third. To me, that’s wrong. But I think we all need to remember that regarding those top three horses, their ranking is just a difference of opinion, and we pay for three different opinions.

So I can state that at Scottsdale this year, I don’t think the judges did anything wrong. They had their opinions, but they didn’t play games. The judges stood their ground on what they did and didn’t like. I guess we might consider, in picking a panel of three judges, getting three that like the same horse. Or else people just need to accept the fact that we are paying for three different opinions.

Sales

Sales were great. As usual, the halter horses were probably the biggest sales. The Cedar Ridge auction did very well; they had high-selling horses that were probably in the $50,000 range, and I thought that was great. There were also lots of private transactions in both halter and performance horses.

As far as I can tell, the biggest stress in purchasing horses right now is 1) agreeing to the price, and 2) surviving the vet check. And I still say that in the vet check, our equipment may have gotten ahead of us. Sometimes we’re looking at things that were probably there 20 years ago, and we just couldn’t see them. No horse is perfect, and we are now being called upon to decide which flaws can be lived with and which can kill a sale.

The Horsemen’s Awards

The closing of Scottsdale week, of course, was the Horsemen’s Awards, on Sunday night at the Westin Kierland resort. Almost 500 people came, which was an all-time record. All the women had their ball gowns on, all the men wore ties. It was great for everyone to sit down together and talk and enjoy each other.

It was a very moving evening. There was an incredible tribute to Jay Stream for his contribution to Arabian horses, and his wife and daughter were present. And a lot of the people who won awards had not won before, both in the Horsemen’s categories and for Distinguished Service. These were people who have worked very hard for the breed as a whole and were rewarded for it. Some were so choked up they couldn’t speak, which made it very special. The whole evening was just a crowning moment to a great week.

Overall

It was one of the most positive Scottsdales we’ve had for a long time. It was great to see amateurs videoing their rides and videoing their trainers and asking questions and really participating. They were there on the rail supporting their teammates. They were speaking up and being a part of everything. They were with their trainers doing things, rather than waiting for the trainers to say, ‘hey, do this, do that.’ I think it was so important to see everyone’s involvement. I’m sure a lot of it had to do with the weather and the atmosphere, but the horses got better throughout the week, rather than getting tired or exhausted, and everyone’s mood stayed up.

To me, Scottsdale just offered so much encouragement as we go into this horse show year. We’ve got so many new and exciting things going on, with new shows and new futurity programs and prize money programs. Let’s keep it positive and forget the negative! As a whole, we Arabian horse people seem to always want to challenge new things. This time, let’s support the new ideas and get involved, because it’s going to reward us all in the long run.

Finally, in closing, I want to say that I can’t thank everybody enough for their positive comments on the this column. For the most part, I heard ‘thank you for talking about this or that—we’re either afraid to bring it up, or afraid to do it,’ or ‘now I realize that I’m not the only one.’ One of my goals in doing this column is to emphasize that no one in this industry is ever the only one to go through the ups and downs of horsemanship. None of us is alone in our quest to be better at what we’re doing, and half the fun is sharing the experience.

For anyone who would like to email questions, topics, or comments, I can be reached at info@battagliafarms.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Russell Vento Jr. has been involved in the Arabian industry for 25 years, and since 1989 has been a partner in Battaglia Farms. He was honored twice with APAHA Amateur Horseman Awards. To date, he has owned or shown 30 U.S., Canadian and National Show Horse national champions, and he now enjoys watching his daughter Skyler win on many of the horses with whom he was successful. He has been a Large R USAE/AHA judge since 1996.

Related Links:

Show Results
Recent Sales
Articles
Calendar