Hunter under saddle?

[streamline]

What to expect? Is it basically just like English equitation?

I moved states and the only shows they offer around here are geared towards AQHA/APHA. I have a TB that’s best suited for western riding, in the sense we use him for basic ranch horse.

He’s nice under saddle, has hunter movement. He’s too downhill for me to really consider jumping him.

I was hoping to goto my first schooling show (I haven’t shown in 5+ years and when I did I was riding 1-1,10 jumpers and eventing)

Do I need one of those fancy fitted pads with the slot for numbers? Are hunter under saddle patterned classes? I couldn’t find any info on google.

[saddleup]

Hunter under saddle is a rail class. You will be asked to walk, trot, canter both directions…maybe hand gallop one direction. No pattern. The horses are judged on manners and way of going. Then you will either come to the center of the arena and line up, then back as directed by the ring steward, one at a time, or you may be asked to back on the rail. It’s up to the judge.

Equitation classes have patterns, like Horsemanship in western division. Those patterns don’t include jumping, btw. Those are separate classes.

I show Paints, and there might be differences in the AQHA.

[BlueDrifter]

Looks like a lot of tail extensions! I enjoyed watching it, thanks

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@saddleup

Hunter under saddle is a rail class. You will be asked to walk, trot, canter both directions…maybe hand gallop one direction. No pattern. The horses are judged on manners and way of going. Then you will either come to the center of the arena and line up, then back as directed by the ring steward, one at a time, or you may be asked to back on the rail. It’s up to the judge.

Equitation classes have patterns, like Horsemanship in western division. Those patterns don’t include jumping, btw. Those are separate classes.

I show Paints, and there might be differences in the AQHA.

Basically like the equivalent of a hack class then (just judged on the horse)

My horse does have a long mane I was just thinking about button braiding it and calling it good since it’s an open breed/schooling show.

I do have a little flashy 4 year old overo APHA I convinced my husband to buy but like I said I’ve never ridden western (til a year ago) and this horse is cow/ranch bred.

I think I’ll eventually have to take a few lessons from someone.

Thanks for the info!

[Palm_Beach]

Don’t worry about your pad. Just hold your piano hands really far apart and post high and bump your horse’s mouth a lot.

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@Palm Beach

Don’t worry about your pad. Just hold your piano hands really far apart and post high and bump your horse’s mouth a lot.

Gosh flashback to eventing/dressage land. I have never in my life understood the long open hands and bumping the horses face. Makes me sick. I thought some jumper riders had nice hands until I got out to cowboy central. I was amazing with most of these cowboys light, perfect lined hands.

[merrygoround]

@Palm Beach

Don’t worry about your pad. Just hold your piano hands really far apart and post high and bump your horse’s mouth a lot.

Can’t you ever be nice?

OP Although I do have to agree that there seems to be a deal of spread hands, ( how else will they keep those chins dragging), and over posting, necessary because the horses are tripping over their tails so badly that there isn’t any “tracking up” happening.

I think you might, with even a First One dressage background, along with the free movement associated with eventing and jumpers, find the pictured movements exhausting to cope with.

I am now digging my asbestos suit out of the closet.

[NoSuchPerson]

I love mules. My sister and one niece were involved in APHA breed shows for many years. I belong to the AQHA. But, I spent almost all of my showing years, child through college, in the AHSA hunter world (USEF, to you younger folks ).

The struggle is real. I want to support mule, AQHA and APHA hunter and jumper events. I want them to be good. I want to champion the AQHA hunters and, especially, the hunter mules. I want to share, on my Facebook feed, a video of a mule on course in a hunter over fences class or a hunter under saddle class at Bishop Mule Days and say, “Look at that, don’t these mules look great?”

But you know what? I don’t. I don’t, because to my eye, they, and their riders, usually look like crap. And it’s a never-ending source of frustration.

I’m sure if I had grown up with breed shows and that was all I know, then I wouldn’t look at videos like the one prunebey shared and grimace. There is an AQHA hunter under saddle standard of performance and a particular “look” that those competitors are meeting and achieving successfully. Part of me says that my problem is mine and not theirs; I’m judging them by the wrong standard. But the other part of me keeps saying, “I’m sorry, but that’s just wrong.”

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@NoSuchPerson

I love mules. My sister and one niece were involved in APHA breed shows for many years. I belong to the AQHA. But, I spent almost all of my showing years, child through college, in the AHSA hunter world (USEF, to you younger folks ).

The struggle is real. I want to support mule, AQHA and APHA hunter and jumper events. I want them to be good. I want to champion the AQHA hunters and, especially, the hunter mules. I want to share, on my Facebook feed, a video of a mule on course in a hunter over fences class or a hunter under saddle class at Bishop Mule Days and say, “Look at that, don’t these mules look great?”

But you know what? I don’t. I don’t, because to my eye, they, and their riders, usually look like crap. And it’s a never-ending source of frustration.

I’m sure if I had grown up with breed shows and that was all I know, then I wouldn’t look at videos like the one prunebey shared and grimace. There is an AQHA hunter under saddle standard of performance and a particular “look” that those competitors are meeting and achieving successfully. Part of me says that my problem is mine and not theirs; I’m judging them by the wrong standard. But the other part of me keeps saying, “I’m sorry, but that’s just wrong.”

Do they really have mule classes for hunter over fences? Love it! My DH won’t let me have a mule

[NoSuchPerson]

On this web page you will find, among other things, videos of mules competing in hunter over fences, show jumping, and 4th level dressage.

http://www.horsenation.com/2014/04/02/show-donkeys-and-hunter-mules/

[streamline]

Well I was looking forward to going but I can’t show in the HUS w/t all ages and then the HUS 19-39. Can’t cross over into lope classes or the equ.

I figured I can just buy a fitted pad with the number spot on it and put my velvet cap on and trot around the field this weekend instead

Im not feeling the need to travel 2 plus hours for a schooling show… I’ll just have to look into APHA shows that are closer since it’s the only papered thing I have.

[sandsarita]

When you go remember that the hus class at a breed show is basically the same as the hack at a hunter show. W/t/c both directions with a back. Manners are very important. Consistency is important. You still want a long ground covering stride with a very slow cadence. The canter at Breed shows will feel much slower but it still needs length and slow cadence. The head and neck will be lower. Poll should be plus or minus one inch from level with withers. Still want hunter poke with nose. Want light contact but no drapey reins.

If you go to a breed show you must have the number pad. Can get one through sstack at a decent price. Just PIN number on both sides with safety pins. So not use the Velcro on number holders. There is a reflection and judges have a hard time seeing them.

Probavly the two biggest differences in the show pen will be the speed of the canter (sit, no half seat) and that we don’t immediately take the gait when the announcer calls. And by that I don’t meant delay, but use a few seconds to get horse prepared for transition and then do it. Helps prevent them from listening to announcer and you can use to help get better position in the pen.

This is the top hus trainer for aqha and Apha. Hopefully looking at some of her stuff will give you an idea of how they are moving.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fdgesufHIdM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_WV4CrIBcto

and for fun the last one jumping at the same show the hus video was taken
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h2MJFpAZNt4

both of these mares are world and congress champions and have also been bred and have produced world and congress champions. So good examples of the hus style

[streamline]

@sandsarita

When you go remember that the hus class at a breed show is basically the same as the hack at a hunter show. W/t/c both directions with a back. Manners are very important. Consistency is important. You still want a long ground covering stride with a very slow cadence. The canter at Breed shows will feel much slower but it still needs length and slow cadence. The head and neck will be lower. Poll should be plus or minus one inch from level with withers. Still want hunter poke with nose. Want light contact but no drapey reins.

If you go to a breed show you must have the number pad. Can get one through sstack at a decent price. Just PIN number on both sides with safety pins. So not use the Velcro on number holders. There is a reflection and judges have a hard time seeing them.

Probavly the two biggest differences in the show pen will be the speed of the canter (sit, no half seat) and that we don’t immediately take the gait when the announcer calls. And by that I don’t meant delay, but use a few seconds to get horse prepared for transition and then do it. Helps prevent them from listening to announcer and you can use to help get better position in the pen.

This is the top hus trainer for aqha and Apha. Hopefully looking at some of her stuff will give you an idea of how they are moving.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fdgesufHIdM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_WV4CrIBcto

and for fun the last one jumping at the same show the hus video was taken
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=h2MJFpAZNt4

both of these mares are world and congress champions and have also been bred and have produced world and congress champions. So good examples of the hus style

Really excellent examples thank you! My TB moves/looks more like he should be a HUS than the paint I have. My TB naturally carries himself long and low like that and he has the longer back to boot. He has super flat knee action as well and he’s probably the slowest horse I’ve sat on haha.

The paint I have I doesn’t look or move like a HUS or even a pleasure horse. I’m sure over time I could get him there but right now he’s basically just ranch broke.

https://flic.kr/p/2fpYfdz