Explain Hunter/Jumper to me! (:

[mayberry]

So I have been riding for a little over two years and have only ever done eventing. Now, however, I am thinking about switching to hunter/jumper. It’s been hard for me to find a good eventing barn since I moved to Illinois (there are plenty of hunter/jumper barns), and I also want to join/start an IHSA team when I start college in the fall.

But, before I switch, I wanted to get a better understanding on the differences between eventing and hunter/jumper. I’ve heard different things and tried to research, but I figured this would be a good place to post and hear it straight from hunter/jumper riders! Also, if you have any helpful info on riding for an IHSA team, feel free to share!

Thanks everyone (:

[Night_Flight]

Is it hunters or jumpers that you’re interested in? They compete at the same shows but they’re very different.

[mayberry]

As of right now, I think hunters, but, if I’m completely honest, I do not really know. (From what I understand, IHSA does hunters, so that is what I would be doing.) I guess I need to know the difference between those two, as well as how they each differ from eventing.

[2tempe]

In the simplest terms: Hunters are to go around a course at a very steady tempo, jumping basically in stride, without a lot of (obvious) tinkering on the riders part. Its not about speed, its about the look and style, and behavior, so subjective judging… Typically the course is designed with less twists and turns, particularly at lower level.
Jumpers do a course that is technically more challenging, it is times and faults, so quantifiable results are all that matters. Jumper rider has to be very adept at finding distances, cutting corners to save time, etc. Many jumpers appear to be hotter horses.

Hunter jumps are usually designed to look like more natural obstacles, Jumper jumps can be quite creative…

Watch this hunter round (one of top riders in US) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB11qgXLb44

Same rider doing a jumper class
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ip28ldxR0A

You will see the difference between the horses and her manner of riding the class.

Edited to add: Jumpers are like the stadium portion of eventing.
Both hunters and jumpers classes come in all heights, so you can start at whatever level you are comfortable with.

[CactusFlower]

IHSA, if I recall correctly, does equitation. I did IEA (similar but for high school) although I’m an eventer at heart, and the switch was hard mostly because my local circuit is a huge fan of the “hunter perch” that feels so wrong to someone used to driving to the base of a jump.

You’ll need to ride a lot of different types of horses. Some of them are push button to the point where they’ll have meltdowns if you give too much direction. Some are greenbroke and a bit scary. You’ll be expected to give a “show” on these horses, making them look as good as possible and making the struggle look intense (but in a pretty way!) if they’re not a nice ride. You’ll need to learn ringmanship for flat classes (which is actually pretty fun) as well as honing a very exact form of equitation. Some of this equitation will feel strange to an eventer, but it can be helpful for fixing persistent flaws.

See if you can watch some shows/lessons or ride with the instructor before you commit to a team. Some are great and teach people to ride different types of horse, some teach bad habits that are rewarded in the ring. Ultimately, I learned a ton of helpful things during my IEA time, but also learned some bad habits that are coming back to bite me in eventing!

Best of luck crossing disciplines!

[copper1]

When explaining the difference between hunters and jumpers (I HATE the term “hunterjumper”!!) I explain that hunters are kind of like figure skating where jumpers are more like hockey. Really helps the novice un derstand the difference. To an eventer I would get them thinking that hunters are more like dressage over fences, elegant and precise with certain things expected. Eventers understand the jumpers already as they do have a jumper phase.

[Belmont]

If you were an eventer, chances are you did a jumper course. Hunters are more about style and everything is a little “slower”. You are judged on your horse, not on yourself.

Jumpers is you against the clock, it’s your only judge. You need to be fast but accurate. It’s more relaxed, in a sense. Not a ton of tack restrictions or anything like that. It’s fun!

[trubandloki]

If the OP is talking about team riding we might have to toss out Equitation into the ‘tell me the difference’ equation.

Most of the high school and college teams are judged on Equitation.

[IndyEquestrian]

Agreed trubandloki, IHSA is all equitation. . . and there are a whole different set of rules.

[snaffle635]

Where in Illinois are you? If possible, head to Lamplight in Wayne this weekend. They are wrapping up the third of a three-week show series. There are five or six rings of competition for hunter, jumpers, and equitation… You can find the schedule at showplaceproductions.com.

Park yourself by the rings and see which one most appeals to you. You’ll notice significant differences between the hunters and jumper. Hunters are slower, smooth, and flowing with big sweeping turns. Jumpers are fast and exciting with tidy turns.

Also, check out Youtube. Search ‘junior hunter’ or ‘performance hunter’. Not a jumper rider, so someone else can suggest jumper search terms.

Lastly, Anna Jane White Mullins book Judging Hunters and Hunt Seat Equitation is a good source for understanding how hunters are judged.

[snaffle635]

[QUOTE=copper1;8197726]
When explaining the difference between hunters and jumpers (I HATE the term “hunterjumper”!!) I explain that hunters are kind of like figure skating where jumpers are more like hockey. Really helps the novice un derstand the difference. To an eventer I would get them thinking that hunters are more like dressage over fences, elegant and precise with certain things expected. Eventers understand the jumpers already as they do have a jumper phase.[/QUOTE]

Love this, copper! For years I’ve been saying figure skating vs speed skating, but I like your hockey analogy better!

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

Hunter classes judge the horse: jumping style, movement across the ground, manners, soundness… the judge’s opinion about the best horse over the course

Jumper classes judge speed and accuracy: leave all the fences up and finish in the shortest amount of time and you win

Equitation (including IHSA) judges the rider’s form and effectiveness over fences and on the flat. Mistakes by the horse/variations in jumping/movement style do not factor unless created by the rider.

Take a look at the USEF rule book (www.usef.org) for more distinctions between hunters and jumpers and eq.
And the IHSA website (www.ihsainc.com) will fill in the details there.

[HunterEq95]

Hunters are pretty strict and judge the horse on his movement, conformation, turnout, etc. Hunter horses should have a long, ground covering stride but slower, steady pace and have even legs and tight knees over fences. The course is usually relatively low and the jumps are more natural colors like brown or hunter green to imitate foxhunt obstacles. There are lots of restrictions as far as tack and boots go. Only hunter bridles (no figure 8 or flash nosebands) with laced reins are acceptable, snaffle bits or Pelhams only, a simple girth with no kickplate or rings, no running martingales, a shaped fleece pad that fits your saddle well, a close contact saddle, and no boots on your horse.

Jumpers is judged on time and accuracy. Almost every type of tack and boots are legal in jumpers as well, and whoever clears the course the fastest without knocking poles wins. Jumpers have a large, ground-covering stride, but have a faster pace than hunters. The course is much different, as the jumps are brightly colored and the course is set to be difficult.

[Ambitious_Kate]

Jumpers is like your eventing stadium.

I don’t know what hunters are these days, many of the above descriptions are probably pretty good.