Seriously, what is the difference between a hunter pace and a paper chase? Or more specifically, what is a paper chase?
Thanks!
You can obviously type out both - why not try it in google or the search box here ?
I’ll bet she gets 20,000 law school hits if she googles “Paper Chase” :lol:
1 Like
[QUOTE=Equibrit;4020093]
You can obviously type out both - why not try it in google or the search box here ?[/QUOTE]
I was serious about my question. I have ridden in hunter paces before, but never a paper chase. Thanks for your help. Really appreciate it. Didn’t mean to offend.
[QUOTE=linquest;4020168]
I’ll bet she gets 20,000 law school hits if she googles “Paper Chase” :lol:[/QUOTE]
Ha. Good catch. And good book!
Who pissed in your Cheerios? God forbid a fellow equestrian try to have a dialog with others on a given topic. Yeesh.
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I have only been to paper chases, its what we have around me.
basically you kind of show up whenever, register, saddle up and ride on a marked trail Usually takes like 2hrs or so, ,maybe 5 miles? The ones near me have ‘divisions’ of non-jumper, low jumper, and high jumper. Everything is optional, and if you and your friends are doing jumper and you don’t jump a fence it doesnt matter. No penalties. Basically what they do is take your time and the end and compare it to the 'ideal time"
The ideal time is based on the time it took for someone to ride it out before hand. Since there are a few around me, I have occasionally been the ideal time setter, just a combo of walk trot and canter.
dont know what a hunter pace is though, I was under the impression that they were more judged, but maybe not
The previous explanation of a paper chase is right.
A hunter pace is like a show with an outside course. It is judged and I think people dress for it. The fences aren’t optional.
The paper chase is a trail ride with optional fences.
Perfectly reasonable question!
[QUOTE=kcrubin;4021160]
The previous explanation of a paper chase is right.
A hunter pace is like a show with an outside course. It is judged and I think people dress for it. The fences aren’t optional.
The paper chase is a trail ride with optional fences.
Perfectly reasonable question![/QUOTE]
Odd, the paper chase description sounds like a hunter pace to me. I thought “show with an outside course” is a field hunter show or hunter trial.
Maybe these events are called different things in different areas/orgs? Haha, so it is a good question!
[QUOTE=linquest;4021289]
Odd, the paper chase description sounds like a hunter pace to me. I thought “show with an outside course” is a field hunter show or hunter trial.
Maybe these events are called different things in different areas/orgs? Haha, so it is a good question![/QUOTE]
Ditto, that is exactly how every hunter pace I’ve ever done is run. I’ve done them in the Northeast and the South.
It does seem that the terminology changes with the country. Around here, we have hunter paces/pair races. They are kind of like what was described above. In the pairs races, there is a fast time division over fences. There is an optimum time over fences. There is an optimum time on the flat. In the over fences divisions the jumps are not optional. There is an optimum time set by someone riding the course. These are typically run over courses 2.5 to 4 miles with 15-20 jumps.
Fun hunter paces are starting to build up to. They run anywhere from 5-9 miles. Similar divisions to the pairs races but some have optional jumping.
Thanks everyone! I agree, it seems there is different terminology depending on your locale.
way back when…
when I was a kid (about 30 years ago!) the Pony Club I was involved in had competitive “paper chases”. Before hand, they would go out and tac up different pads of paper at “pony level” then let us loose! 
The memory of us on our ponies, galloping through the trails, fields, etc collecting different colors of paper. The one with the most or all of the colors won. It was a blast!
I agree. In the NE the shows on outside courses are usually hunter trials or Field Hunter shows. They consist of much shorter courses ( 12-20 jumps) and they are judged on Field Hunter type maneuvers.
Hunter paces are basically marked trail courses with XC jumps and various optimum time divisions ( jumper, hilltopper, trailblazer etc…). In New England they usually range anywhere from 4 to 10 miles in length. They are a very popular fundraising function. All of the hunts put them on and some members do dress for the occasion but other more casual organizations put them on as well, many people show up in jeans and a teeshirt. We usually have lots of hunter paces to choose from in the Spring and then again in the Fall. I have never seen a"Paper Chase" advertised in my area but I always thought it was the same thing as a hunter pace?
I posted this on a previous thread . . .
Hunter Paces usually have one posted course, with no “dead ends” or false trails. You can also walk the course most of the time.
The Paper Chases that I’ve attended have never had a course available to walk or a map. You’ve had to follow a marked trail through the woods/fields. Usually there are false trails that lead to dead ends laid out to try & fool riders. Then you have to turn back & find the real trail. Some course designers are really tricky!
Once after a paper chase I told the course designer that I was surprised that we crossed the stream 7 times. She laughed and laughed - the course only crossed 3 times! (OK so we were a little lost . . . but man did we have fun!And got 3rd place!)
The two terms are used interchangeably in my area (south central PA). The whole marked course with optional jumps and optimum times for slow and fast divisions. sometimes a medium speed division too.
