ME too. I’m such a sucker for a horse that resembles a large pony… I’m still patiently waiting for the Extra Large Pony Hunter division to be approved. 
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I think we need a hony division. Adults on ponies or tiny horses only. No one cares about your striding just make it look pretty.
- a person with 2 honies
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He is very cute and love his knees! I’m also in the raise the jumps and the stride will come camp. At the current height, it’s almost but not quite there, and depending on if he’s easy to get back after lengthening, it might not be a good idea to push the strides at this point. Have you done a lot of collection and lengthening work? Hand gallop down one side of the arena, then collect around the short end? I found being able to lay on the gas while in the air and land forward and going helped when riding the honies. Of course, only if they’re equally able to collect back up afterwards.
More common than we may think, happened to me also.
New to the US, riding jumpers under a top BNT, I was teaching some advanced students and there was this one 17 year old boy that was extremely talented and well taught, but had this strange way to perch over the horse’s neck, hands stiff there.
I had him straighten up to the jumps, not weighing the horse’s front end so much, the horse had more freedom to use it’s front properly and the boy was smiling and saying that felt so much better.
Then he went to his twice a month special lessons with no other than GM, was chewed out properly and came back puzzled about it all, afraid to tell me he was told that was wrong.
I had never seen a hunter lesson, much less a class yet, so was puzzled right along with him, we were not communicating on the same level.
It tool a while before we sorted that out and I realized there were more than one basic way to jump.
As we were taught in our instructor courses, we can teach horses and riders any one way we are to teach, within reason, our way was best for our goals, other goals may demand other ways, so I tried to get up to par quickly.
Still, that hunter style riding never quite made sense to me with what I had learned first.
I would give others that come clueless to hunterland’s special ways of doing things a break.
All of us are at first a beginner at any that is new to us.
I do think that hunters are less extreme now than 50+ years ago, where the constipated duck look prevailed, just as jumpers ride with more refinement even if that is not required of them. 
I agree that the hunter style of riding has definitely evolved! My first hunter trainer had me perching on the neck to everything, which was making me a lawn dart if I missed a distance as I was taught to stay in a leaning position which then had me leaning at the jump.
My next trainer was a jumper, and I learned how to sit back and ride more defensively. Probably too defensively for hunters. Sitting back was making my horse launch at the jumps. But it did keep me safer!
My next trainer was a hunter trainer - she rides in the very forward leaning over hunter seat BUT has also come flying off at jumps multiple times due to this position (and has gotten multiple serious confusions). Her horses win a lot as this keeps them slow and rhythmical, and she is gifted with the ability to choose very nice young imports. From her I did learn to find a better balance between the defensive sitting back and supporting ride to the forward body “let it flow ride.”
Flash forward a bit and I now ride in two different programs (a home program and one out of state) who both happen to teach the same way - that there is not one “right” way - not even in modern hunterland. You use the seat and body position you need to use to get the job done at the moment in time. Every horse is different. Some will slow down it you lean forward. Some will speed up if you do that. Some need a little of both while others change based on the weather! The horse I ride at home sometimes will move forward with a full driving seat, yet other days you need a light seat. Yesterday I had to post the canter a bit and then ride him in a full seat, then back to the lighter half seat.
As a rider, it’s our job to learn how to best communicate with our horse to get the job done. I love that I’ve found two trainers whose methodologies are the same as it makes the transition seamless. It’s amazing how far my riding has come since making this change to stop applying a style to my ride and instead use critical thinking skills for each second of the ride.
Dressage lessons have been extremely helpful, too. Once I was able to truly understand how my body impacts the horse’s movement, it changed everything.
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@StormyDay & @Tini_Sea_Soldier1, can we join that division? Ok, my horse is almost 15.3, so maybe you won’t let him in, but he has definitely got the pony look down and we ROCK the add step just bc we like it.
See first gray horse here: I can’t seem to link to just him https://www.oncoursephotos.com/p8419920
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Ugh yes, my durned upper body position. My lifelong struggle, compounded by riding lots of green horses and developing bad habits by riding alone a lot. Interestingly, I have a weird ability to chill horses that other riders light up. A clinician told me it’s because my lower back is “soft”, which [he said] “doesn’t look good but some horses really like it.” But I do wish I could fix that issue.
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I’m mostly a dressage rider with a bit of foray into hunters, but here’s my two cents, you may take it or leave it: you can think of pinching your scapulas together at the top of your spine and your lower back can stay soft. Your stability in your core when you are not trying to shorten the stride comes from your upper abdominals, right above your diaphragm. It’s a similar feeling to how we hold our reins in our hands, obviously, but the tension and the give and take of the reins really comes from the back of your upper arm, which allows you to open and close the elbow.
You can have a soft and allowing lower back while keeping your upper body and shoulders tight. You already have the effective ride, and proper equitation is only going to make it better and make a more attractive picture overall. I’m a little concerned that over larger fences your seat and upper body will go from looking “soft” to looking “floppy”-- I really hope that doesn’t come off as insulting.
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Not insulted at all. I was looking back at videos of this horse over the past few months and in this one I think I’m much more effective with my upper body. Now these clips were the first time the little horse ever cantered whole courses so I might just have been helping more.
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I think you’re fine. My heart horse was 15.2… or 15.3 “on a tall day” as we used to phrase it.
However, I looked 16 and he looked like an overstuffed Thelwell cartoon, so together we got threatened many times that childrens hunters weren’t schooling yet, and had to explain that I was, in fact, in my mid-20’s, and that he was an AA horse.
He also had a mongo stride… we were schooling once at another barn that also held A shows to get ready for indoors and the trainer at that farm glanced at him and told my trainer… it’s a big 5… so that one might want to do the 6. My trainer smiled and thanked him… then quietly walked up to me and said… LEAVE IT OUT. We jumped in with a nice forward step and floated down in a bold 4… and left that trainer’s jaw on the ground. From that time on… he would joke… here comes the girl with the “go-go gadget horse”.
We also had a judge that bred beautiful ponies that would always say hi to him after the hack and say… I keep lobbying for the extra large pony hunter division… you just wait… one day you’ll be the king of the hill <3
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I love this
Also, I’m gonna add “Gadget” to my list of potential horse/pony names. How cute!
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@2bayboys your young horse is lovely. I think you are riding him very kindly and purposely and producing a consistent relaxed round. Kudos! What’s his name ? I’m a fan 
. I’m sure we can all tweak things about our body position … your horse looks like he is developing into a willing soft partner under your ride. Kudos!
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@ThreeWishes Aw, thank you so much 
His show name is Devotion, barn name is Divot because he has an odd anomaly on one cheek bone like someone took an ice cream scoop and carved out a big spoonful. I’m pretty sure this is the last baby I’ll ever start from scratch so I’m enjoying the process but I really want to do him justice.
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Love it! He really really is quite special. Please keep updating his journey. I think some people don’t realize how very hard it is to quietly canter a young horse around so rhythmically without tension or the rider noticeably correcting. He has a wonderful brain and obviously trusts your ride. Congrats and best wishes in your years ahead.
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<3 <3 A while back, I rode a horse that belonged to one of my trainer’s clients while mine was hurt in the 2’6" adult division while his owner showed him in the 3’ adults. The judge told her that the “little girl” who borrowed him was “just adorable” on him. I’m almost 10 years older 
Yeah, mine is 15.3 “if he stands on his toes.” Or if there is a pretty girl around. He has a thing for big mares lol He can easily do a double add or the step. When I tried him, my friend couldn’t believe it when she saw me trot into a line and lope out in the step.
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FYI, it also exists in New Zealand! (But not in Australia, as established earlier in this thread, haha)
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He’s lovely and you two are a beautiful pair!
Whenever people disparage the hunter division to me, I know they’ve never really ridden a hunter. I do not come from a hunter background and I didn’t get it either until I rode some nice hunters and experienced how much tact, timing, body control and focus goes into making those 8 jumps as close to perfect as possible. A great hunter round looks effortless… which tricks people into thinking it’s easy.
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Your horse is so seriously cute and the step is definitely there. I think you give him a an empathetic ride with quiet aids, and the 2’6” height will definitely help. In some of the lines in your videos, the step is actually already there - even at this height- and you had a settle a bit (where had you instead encouraged you could have gotten it). Now, of course that would have been the wrong move to make in the class because, well, you know why. You’re an experienced hunter rider. 
Are you doing any cavaletti or pole work? That might also help encourage him to reach and open up his stride - and would be a kind way to introduce it.
I can’t wait for you to share your progress with him over the next few months as you continue to advance.
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[quote=“conniemary, post:56, topic:762002, full:true”]
US show hunters are vastly different from Bristish and NZ show hunters. The US style is very specific We made our hunter division so special here in the US that we even have our own special way to braid manes (which of course is the most time consuming and expensive way possible to braid a mane, because that seems to be how the hunter sport works!).
The frame of the horse is also completely different, and the non US show hunters are ridden in more of what would be an equitation frame in the US.
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NZ actually has two systems of show hunter classes (not sure if the UK does). One is following the UK tradition and has working hunter classes, flat classes, and sometimes jumping rounds. These are usually held at agricultural shows where people show other livestock. This is probably what you think of as UK show hunter classes.
The other style is following the US tradition (but yes, not as extreme) and is held at jumping shows - they will often have one show hunter ring and three jumper rings. This began in the 80s, directly inspired by someone who had seen USA hunters.
Technically the same combination could compete in both but most adults would choose one or the other, because the judging is completely different. (And the UK style classes are looking for a very specific build of horse/pony - mine would not even be allowed to register for classes because he is the wrong type.)
Edited to add: Australia also has the UK-type classes.
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