Judging Hunter Under Saddle

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Judging Hunter Under Saddle
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Hunter Under Saddle

• A popular show event
• Used to be called
• Bridle Path Hack
• English Pleasure
• Similar to Western Pleasure ONLY in that the
  horses should be a pleasure to ride

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Hunter Under Saddle

• SUITABLE to purpose
• follow hounds cross country
• Preliminary class for English riding disciplines

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Hunter Under Saddle

• Contestants compete simultaneously
• Travel around the perimeter of the arena
• Walk, trot and canter
• Both directions of the arena.

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Criteria used to evaluate performance horses

• Functional correctness
• Quality of movement
• Attitude and Manners
• Head set and Head carriage

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Functional correctness

• Follows the rules!
• Horse picks up and maintains proper gait
• Each gait is correct and true
• Proper upward and downward transitions
• Maintaining a proper rate of speed
• Soundness

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Quality of Movement

• Gaits must be performed with proper cadence and
  balance
• Softness
• Horse maintains a level top line
• Horse maintains a collected frame

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Attitude and Manners

• Ask the question Which horse is the steadiest,
  brokest, most consistent horse in the class?
• Attitude and temperament
• Prompt response with no resistance

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Head set and Head carriage

• Must be in front of the vertical
• Must be level with the withers

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A good hunter

• Long, low strides
• reaches forward smoothly
• lengthens
• relaxed, free-flowing movement
• correctness in gaits
• cadence

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A good hunter

• obedient
• bright expression
• alert ears
• responsive to light hand/leg contact

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A good hunter

• responsive and smooth in transitions
• extend in same flowing motion
• poll level with or slightly above withers
• face slightly in front of or on the vertical

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Terminology the Walk

• Natural, flat footed, four beat gait
• Moves straight and true at walk
• Alert
• Stride of reasonable length in keeping with size
  of horse
• LOSS OF FORWARD RHYTMIC MOVEMENT SHALL BE
  PENALIZED

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Terminology the Trot

• Two beat gait
• long
• low
• ground covering
• cadenced
• balanced

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Terminology the Trot

• Smoothness is more essential than speed
• Knees should remain relatively flat
• knees exhibit minimal flexion
• SHORT, QUICK STRIDES AND EXTREME SPEED SHALL BE
  PENALIZED
• definite lengthening during extension

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Terminology the Canter

• Three beat gait
• smooth
• free moving
• relaxed
• straight
• long
• low
• ground covering

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Terminology the Hand Gallop

• definite lengthening of the stride
• noticeable difference in speed
• horse under control
• hand gallop to halt in smooth, balanced manner

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Quick, short, vertical strides
• Wrong lead
• Wrong diagonal
• Breaking gait

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Excessive speed
• Excessive slowness
• Failure to take the appropriate gait when called
  for

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Head carried too high
• Head carried too low
• Over-flexing, straining neck with nose behind
  vertical
• Excessive nosing out

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Failure to maintain light contact with horses
  mouth
• Stumbling
• Sullen, dull, lethargic, emaciated, drawn, overly
  tired
• Tail excessive movement/dead tail