Maybe I’m taking a big leap in here, and I have read this entire thread, but does anyone else feel that a lot of the “imperfections” cited here that supposedly drop a horse from pinning are the result of pilot/training error, and not something the judging standards should be condemned for? Or perhaps the question should be: Are we aiming to judge the horse’s performance regardless of what the rider causes him to do, or are the pair being judged as a team?
Before anyone gets disgusted and goes on the warpath, my point is basically that I agree no one takes time to fully develop a desirable riding partner, but then again, our lives are pretty hectic, people can be impatient, etc. I’m making no judgements. This is only an observation, and feedback is very welcome.
It’s really really hard and takes really good riding and training to get a horse relaxed, rhythmic and flowing over a hunter course at a useful pace. I think the current judging standards award the epitome of good training and riding, simple as that. A buck in the corner is a lapse in concentration and communication, allowed by the rider. Likewise, an uptight horse is unsure about his job and may distrust the rider, caused by a lack of experience or prior bad experiences, either through riding or training. A head shake could be a teeth issue (improper horsecare), resistance to contact with the reins being taken up (again, training/pilot error), or again lack of relaxation. A tail swish is discomfort or objection to a too-rudely-applied spur (and if the horse needed a rude “wake-up,” that’s a training issue). As pointed out, it may be OK for a greenie to lose concentration/resist momentarily, but not for a supposedly seasoned “pro” horse in the jr/amateurs or even the regulars. It shows a break in communication between rider and horse – either bad riding or bad manners resulting from bad or incomplete training.
Maybe a lot of people will disagree about pilot error/training, but if you watch someone at the top whose riding you really admire, rarely will the horse be allowed to focus on something else in his job and be allowed to get away from the rider to the extent he bucks. As more training is put under the horse’s belt, the communication between horse and rider to avoid the bucks and resistance, etc. gets more subtle and sophisticated and voila, the perfect hunter. If the horse just never can settle and focus, despite a rider’s best efforts, or is distracted easily, then he doesn’t fit the ideal of an obedient, pleasant and safe ride that the current hunter standards seek (and if we don’t agree that this is the basic premise, then of course there’s a good argument for allowing bucking, disobedience, etc.). And unfortunately, everyone’s striving to be a great rider/trainer, but many haven’t achieved it yet, so we see substandard performances that are appropriately penalized.
I think everyone agrees that a truly beautiful equitation round looks for the same thing a truly beautiful hunter round does, as well as a truly beautiful jumper round; the horse is asked to perform different tasks within these standards, but who has not recognized that when done well, all of them can be equally compared in execution and beauty? The point is getting the horse placed where he makes it look easy, rhythmic and flawless, so as to make the horse’s job – carting us around – easier.
The “dead horse walking” description, which I personally don’t think applies to the really good hunters, may simply be a result of people who misunderstand the standard and don’t ride with enough pace; I’m not even sure what exactly qualifies for “dead horse walking”: lack of pace, the unchanging rhythm? I’m just not sure. Maybe the outside-diagonal-diagonal-outside courses make hunters dull to watch. I haven’t been to the course thread that I’ve heard exists, and don’t know what’s been discussed there, but I agree more challenging courses would spark hunter rounds up without changing the ideal standard. Anyway, going back to the original point, it’s hard to achieve consistency, brilliance and manners at a good clip, so that’s probably why some rounds look dull.
Of course I have to throw in the caveat that I do not consider myself anywhere near this level of great riding, but I’ve seen it done and I aspire to it. I don’t mind that someone who can achieve a smooth lead change will place more highly than me, when my horse decided in one particular moment to resist our training and needed a spur poke for the change – he probably wasn’t truly flowing and tuned into me, which ultimately was my responsibility.
Finally, I’m NOT trying to be critical of anyone’s riding or training. Hey, we’re all on this planet working on something and trying to learn. I’m just pointing out I think the current standard truly seeks exceptional performances, which some of us aren’t up to par with yet. Of course, if we want a lower standard that will allow us to win despite our own errors, then that’s a perfectly valid point and nothing I would criticize. I’m just trying to say that we hold up an ideal that’s hard to accomplish and we shouldn’t be discouraged if we don’t ever see it perfectly executed. And when it’s hard to achieve, people will cheat by drugging a horse to numb it to outside sensations like the rider’s imperfect aids or potential stressors that time in training has not been able to fix yet.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
