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About Mountain and Moorland Classes

As the name suggests, this class is for registered Mountain and Moorland ponies. There are nine widely recognised M&M breeds, counting Welsh as one, although the Welsh breed is divided into four sections. The bigger the show, the more likely they are to have classes for each breed individually. Smaller shows may have a 'large breeds' (Connemara, Dales, Fell, Highland, New Forest, Welsh C&D) class and a small breeds (Dartmoor, Exmoor, Shetland, Welsh A&B) class, or may have them all in together. This can vary regionally depending on each breed's popularity - in Hampshire and Dorset, for instance, there are often separate NF classes, and there are fairly often separate Welsh classes everywhere as they are the most numerous breed overall. See the menu on the left for pages with more information and pictures of each breed.

As well as the ridden and inhand classes, there are also M&M Working Hunter Pony classes and M&M leadrein and first ridden classes.

The National Pony Society holds qualifiers all over the country for native ponies, such as the Picton Novice Ridden, which has its final at the NPS Championship Show in August, and the NPS Baileys Horse Feeds Ridden M&M Pony of the Year, the final of which take places at the Horse of the Year Show. HOYS also holds separate M&M ridden and working hunter championships.

Ponies (UK) is the other main organisation for native ponies in the show ring, it holds several qualifying classes as well.

The British Show Pony Society also holds some native pony ridden championships.

If you have a pony who you think is a native, but for whom you have no papers or registration, then you will have to go in the Unregistered Mountain and Moorland class. Many shows insist on the pony's registration number being on the entry form. If you are not sure, then a fairly safe bet is the Part Bred class. There are often classes for part bred native ponies at local or bigger shows, although the bigger shows may want them registered in the appropriate part bred studbook.

Tack and Turnout for Mountain and Moorland Classes

RIDDEN

Rider

• • Tweed jacket. Look at different colour tweed jackets here.

  • Beige or canary jodhpurs or breeches (not white).

  • Long boots if over 16, short boots with jodhpur clips if under 16 and small breeds if rider is over 16.

  • Hat - some shows specify current safety standards and chinstrap to be done up, others don't. Velvet hat or skull cap with velvet cover. Most affiliated M&M classes do specify proper hats to be worn, regardless of the individual show's rules, so you'll never be incorrect in a proper hat with harness.

  • Hair in a hairnet if long enough. Should always be neat and tidy.

  • Shirt and tie - tie discreet and matching/complementing your jacket. No gaudy ones! No stock. Shirt can be plain white, some wear coloured stripey ones.

  • Waistcoat is optional.

  • Brown or black plain gloves.

  • Show cane is correct, but not imperative. It finishes off the overall picture. Should match gloves and tack - ie - all brown or all black. Black cane with brown tack is better than brown cane with black tack.

Horse

• • Plain browband - no coloured velvet. Metal or clencher is permitted but may be frowned upon by more traditionalist judges. Brass is traditionally for stallions.

  • No numnah, or a discreet one that matches the saddle and shows as little as possible.

  • No boots or bandages allowed. Remedial shoeing (i.e. eggbars) may be taken to mean the horse has a conformational problem, so may mark you down.

  • Brown or black tack. Brown is preferred by traditionalist judges, but many wear black these days. Brown is always correct in the show ring, black may not be.

  • Snaffle bit for novice classes, double bridle or pelham for open ones. If a rugby pelham is used, then a separate sliphead for the snaffle ring makes it look much better.

  • Bridles should be reasonably plain and workmanlike. Discreetly stitched nosebands and browbands are acceptable in some breeds, but need to be matched with the horse's head.

  • A straight cut or working hunter saddle will show off the horse's shoulders and movement, so is preferable to a GP. Leather girth, or a white one is acceptable if your horse is grey, as a dark girth can distract the eye.

  • Manes, tails and feathers may be trimmed or pulled in some breeds, according to the breed society's specifications. Check these, as some societies do not allow any type of trimming.

  • Welsh Ponies of all sections can be shown ridden and inhand with a single plait behind the ear, not rolled up.

  • Quartermarkers are not correct for native ponies.

INHAND

Handler

• • Trousers are better than jodhpurs or breeches. Black or dark if your horse has light legs, and beige or light if your horse has dark legs. This means the judge can see the horse's legs move without getting them mixed up with yours.

  • Shirt and tie - as ridden class.

  • Waistcoat or tweed jacket.

  • Hat. Can be 'cowboy hat' type, or riding hat. A velvet hat without straps looks neat and tidy, but of course offers less protection than a normal riding hat, which must be done up if worn. You should never be penalised for putting safety first and wearing a proper hat.

  • Hair as for a ridden class - neat and tidy. No hairnet if you are wearing a cowboy hat, but tied back out of the way.

  • Jodhpur boots or discreet trainers of a similar colour to the trousers. You need to be able to run in them!

  • Gloves as for ridden classes.

  • Show cane as for ridden classes.

  • If you are showing a Highland, especially in Scotland or at the Breed Show, then a kilt or tartan trousers is correct turnout. With a kilt, the handler will often wear a Highland Pony Society sweatshirt or discreet sweatshirt in a dark colour.

Horse

• • White halter or rope halter is correct for New Forest, Highland (rope, not webbing), Fell, Dales, Welsh A, C and D youngstock, mares and geldings of any age.

  • Shetlands, Connemaras, Exmoors, Dartmoors and Welsh Bs are shown in leather foal slips, then inhand bridles.

  • Inhand bridles are acceptable for youngstock and broodmares. Yearling fillies or geldings should not be bitted, 2 year old fillies or geldings can be but the judge may assume they are badly behaved and you need it for control. No bit is preferable.

  • Horses who also do ridden classes can wear either riding bridles with normal reins or inhand bridles with couplings - not riding bridles with coupling and lead. If they are in novice classes then a snaffle bridle, once they have won an open class then double/pelham.

  • Stallions should, once they are 2 or over, wear bridles with bits. Yearling colts sometimes wear bits, but are led from the noseband. 2 year olds often wear the little nylon bits, but 3 and over (large breeds especially) should wear the proper stallion bits with horseshoe shaped bit rings on an inhand bridle. Small breed stallions (but not Exmoors) often wear the nylon bits at all ages, as the horseshoe bits can overpower a small face. Clencher browbands and brass buckles are often seen.

  • Some breed societies stipulate that stallion harnesses must be worn on stallion of 3 and over. Check with each society as to the rules on this.

Breed Societies and other links

• Connemara Pony Society

• Dales Pony Society

• Dartmoor Pony Society

• Exmoor Pony Society

• Fell Pony Society

• Highland Pony Society

• New Forest Pony Society

• Shetland Pony Society

• Welsh Pony and Cob Society

• National Pony Society - for short descriptions of the different breeds and info on showing guidelines

  • Hamlet's House, a website and discussion forum about native ponies.