[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by HorseRidinCutie4224

I just remebered something I wanted to ask. Upper body position for hunter equitation. What do you look for? I see some people who sit very straight, and others who lean slightly forward. Also some people keep their shoulders facing straight forward, and others who turn them slightly to the inside to encourge bend. A friend of mine who has been showing for a while turns her shoulders to the inside of the ring slightly(does that make sense?) and does well in her classes. Thanks!

First impression, he's cool! I like him. He's very leggy and it looks like he's got lots of motion - with a horse like that, he's going to have that "I've got somewhere to go!" look when he's moving down the rail, which is great.

Your upper body should be just very slightly ahead of the vertical, so that you're with the motion of the hunter horse. If your body is exactly upright, you're going to get "left behind" the motion. As a test of your balance, you should be able to stand in your stirrups without falling way forwards or backwards.

Keep your shoulders facing forward though, rather than turning them inwards. You want to keep your weight evenly distributed through your seatbones into the saddle, so that your horse moves straight and true. For a hands-on demo of how much effect this has, sit in a hard chair like a kitchen chair, with your hands under your seatbones and then lift your feet off the chair. Then twist your body from one side to the other and feel the difference in pressure on your hands. Your horse will feel that and it can make him travel off of centre. Instead, to bend your horse around the corners, make sure you turn your head to look around the corner, and you can apply a little inside leg so your horse "wraps" his body around it as he travels through the curve. Then straighten out as you move down the rail.

[PaintedPNH]

I set Duch up like the pictures you showed at a show last year and the judge told me it was wrong and placed me last

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by Horseshoe Girl

how good a mover do you think this pony (Baby) is and how much of a boost does that give you over the other horses in a hunter class?




thanks!

Wow, nice form over that fence! As for movement in hunter... it counts a lot in Hunter Under Saddle/Hunter Pleasure. In Hunter Over Fences, emphasis is placed on the jumping form as well, so movement isn't quite as important but it still counts!

From your trot picture, we're only looking at a single moment during the stride, but this particular moment happens to say a lot. Look at her left hind leg. See how far under her body it is? Way under there! That means she's driving from behind. Yay! And because she is driving under herself, she can really reach out with her right foreleg for a nice long stride. Yay again!

To really maximize that cool forward movement, you could work on lowering her frame and headset a little bit. I don't know how she carries herself consistently, but from this one photo, if she stretched her neck forward a bit and lowered her poll by 5 or 6 inches, then her back would be more supple and she'd be able to reach forward even more!

Check out these two shots:

In the first photo (Arabian stallion *Muscat), see how the horse is lifting his neck upwards out of his shoulder? And it elevates and shortens his stride? It's pretty, but it's not what we're looking for in Hunter. The second photo, of a warmblood performing the extended trot in Dressage, you see the horse's neck arching forward, much lower in frame, and it allows him to reach waaaaaay out there with that right foreleg. This is a very exaggerated example, but it illustrates the effect of the carriage of the horse on his stride.

[HorseRidinCutie4224]

Thanks ridegurl! You cleared some stuff up for me! Thanks.

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by PaintedPNH

I set Duch up like the pictures you showed at a show last year and the judge told me it was wrong and placed me last

Aw, I'm guessing you were at a 4H or open breed show? It's certainly not wrong in Arabian competition. Because stock breeds like Quarter Horses, Paints, Appaloosas etc tend to make up the majority of entries at these shows, the expected method of showing usually follows the stock breed trends - so in that case, you'd pretend your Arab was a QH and set up square like a QH halter horse. *sigh*

My personal preference is to see each breed shown for what they are, instead of trying to show apples, oranges and bananas as though they're all apples, ya know what I mean? However, not all judges are familiar with and/or appreciate the various styles of presenting horses in hand. Look how differently all of these breeds are shown at halter/showmanship:

Saddlebred/Tennessee Walking Horse... parked out, front and hind legs square and stretched
Morgan... (this is a mare named Equinox Georgette, that I showed in WA for her owner)...her forelegs square and vertical, hindlegs square and stretched
Warmblood... hind legs natural with forelegs square
Thoroughbred... all four split, natural
Paint (same for QH, Appy)... all four square
Arabian... forelegs square and vertical, right hind vertical, left hind back

So don't feel too discouraged. Sometimes it's just a matter of where you're showing.

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by HorseRidinCutie4224

Thanks ridegurl! You cleared some stuff up for me! Thanks.

You're welcome!

[Horseshoe Girl]

wow. thanks a lot!!! i never knew that! I was working on her using her hind by working with draw reins. It really did help. She got really aggrivated though... lol

[littlemoney08]

Originally Posted by ridegrrl

Glad you like the thread! Good questions. I'll answer in the same order you asked them....

Preparing for your first breed shows.... read your rulebooks! Know exactly what is expected, and if you can, watch some paint/pinto shows and see what happens in the class so there are no surprises. Do your homework (training and conditioning, fitting your tack and clothes, and even bathing and clipping if possible) so when you get to the show grounds, you can focus completely on having a nice warmup and a great ride. Remember, it's just another horse show!

Glitzy clothes and fake tails...... well, they are part of the game. I think that it's a little like celebs going to a red carpet event... when it comes to what they wear, sky's the limit, but tasteful is always looks best. When you're picking your outfit, your tack, and considering fake tails, remember a few things:
1) The important thing is the performance, don't distract from the performance with overdone/gaudy outfits or accessories, and don't use a fake tail if it annoys your horse and makes him irritable
2) You still need to look "workmanlike" meaning your tack and clothes have to be safe and fit well, and it doesn't hurt if they're a little on the practical side (washable is nice!)
3) Choose what makes you feel confident. If you FEEL like you and your horse look stunning when you come through the gate, that is conveyed to the judge, and your self-assurance sends a "we rock, keep up the good work!" message to your horse.

Asking your horse to back... this should be free of resistance. The horse needs to back up softly and in a straight line. He shouldn't fuss or open his mouth, and the impulsion is from the hindquarters rather than pushing himself backward with his forelegs. The rider should cue the horse by simply blocking the forward motion with the hand and then applying leg aids to move the horse backwards. Steering/correcting the horse's direction is best accomplished with your legs.

Reverse in Western Pleasure... should always maintain forward motion. At the walk, I like to see riders that can reverse with either a semi circle or a semi-pivot. A semi-pivot doesn't actually stop, it just means the horse will complete a semi-circle while moving laterally like in a leg yield. It should all be one smooth flowing motion to look polished. At the jog, a semi-circle is the way to reverse, and make it big enough to let your horse keep his strides consistent all the way around.

Extra commands in Western Pleasure.... no, I do not ever ask for lead changes or side pass in Western Pleasure. By rule, a judge may NOT ask for these maneuvers in this class.

Money's cute!!! I'd love to see some pics of him under saddle.

Wow! You helped out a lot!!! Thx I apperciate it!! Yeah I have been to some paint shows and I have gone through my rule book.

Heres some pics under saddle: Sry if the lighting stinks.

Like I said hes still in training so he might not look his best.







in some pics his neck is a little to arched but the trainers are working on him to carry his own head

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by Horseshoe Girl

wow. thanks a lot!!! i never knew that! I was working on her using her hind by working with draw reins. It really did help. She got really aggrivated though... lol

No problem. Draw reins can frustrate horses... what if you could use your legs to accomplish the result you're looking for... think your pony might like that better? Have a look at this link: http://www.horsegroomingsupplies.com/horse-forums/developing-the-ideal-headset-9641.html

[ridegrrl]

Originally Posted by littlemoney08

Heres some pics under saddle:



in some pics his neck is a little to arched but the trainers are working on him to carry his own head

Oooh, nice! On my own horses, I don't mind a little bit of arch or bascule to the neck. Especially in training, it helps develop muscles along the top of the neck and in front of the withers, so the horse can carry his head more comfortably.