[MissCriss]

I have heard of...

show hack

park

english pleasure

saddle seat

And then those words with "equitation" or "under saddle" or what have you.

And I'm sure there are other names that haven't come to mind or I don't know of.

I'm kind of confused as to what the difference of all of them is, and what each one is judged on.

Can anyone give me a mini-lesson please (or mega-lesson if you'd like lol)?

[Faith04]

our show hack over here is basically what we call our english style show horses. They're really the beauty queens of the horse world.

The others are western terms, so I can't really help there sorry

[Chester]

Show hack unfortunately has nothing to do with how the horse works but how much money it cost to get it into the ring.

We are off this weekend to play in the hack ring. I will be up early tomorrow to do some last minute preparations like dying and last minute clipping before heading out. He will get plaited up tomorrow night then well rugged for the show on the next day.

Somedays, I hate showing.

[AtomicTop]

What does "hack" actually mean? Where does the word originate from? These English are so weird!

[Buckshot]

Hmmmm....the easiest way for me to describe saddleseat would be a general term for some classes that Morgans, ASBs, Arabs, etc. show in: park, english pleasure, country english pleasure.

Those three divisions differ mostly by animation, speed, and action. A CEP horse will have slightly flatter motion, and go somewhat slower than a park horse. Park horses, especially trot above level. Here are some pics to show what I was talking about.


That's Park...not the greatest sideshot, but that's a pretty nice horse.


That's EP...


That's CEP (Country English Pleasure)

Okay...now, there is huntseat pleasure, which many non saddle-horse people call english pleasure. Here is a pic of that.


Equitation is a for classes judged on the rider, and often consist of a pattern. You can find them in western (often called horsemanship), huntseat, and saddleseat. And also equitation over fences, even dressage equitation, etc.

[Chester]

Originally Posted by AtomicTop

What does "hack" actually mean? Where does the word originate from? These English are so weird!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_hack

It comes from the English. Many many many years ago horses went for hacks. Hacking in the parks was a very social thing. A place for young ladies to meet eligable young men.

Hack classes these days are meant to show a horse suited to riding out in public and to catch they eye.

[AtomicTop]

Originally Posted by chester

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_hack

Hacking in the parks was a very social thing. A place for young ladies to meet eligable young men.

Hmm, should try that some time. Oh hold on, I'm a married woman.

[dressagejumper]

hey buck, where is that ep picture from cuz the horse looks familiar, but im sure its just a coincidence.

[Jrchloe]

Show Hack I believe is a hunt seat term.
The outstanding characteristics of the show hack are his grace, elegance and perfect manners. Quality is most important. Besides all these attributes the top-class show hack has that magical characteristic which is called presence, an impression of superiority hard to define and which compels and holds the attention of judges and spectators alike when the horse enters the ring.

The hack's action must be more spectacular than that of a hunter or riding horse and so the trot should be long and low with the potential to extend and point the toe when asked. The canter provides perhaps the greatest test of a show hack and should be noted for its balance, smoothness and rhythm. This is the proverbial hack canter which champions appear to do naturally.
When judging conformation, the hack must be as near perfect as possible. In eight out of ten cases a true hack will be a pure thoroughbred, although he must not exceed 15hh for the small or 15.3hh for the large class. A good animal should have about 8 inches of bone below the knee and be clean of its limbs with absolutely no unsoundness.
The training of the show hack is vitally important, and will follow along the principles of dressage with the aim that he will carry his rider comfortably and quietly with free forward movement at all times. He must be 100% responsive to the rider's aids and be light on the hands. The hack will be required to walk freely on a loose rein, trot elegantly, strike off into collected canter extending as necessary, and come back quietly with no fuss to stand rock-still when asked. It will be clear that the more time and trouble one takes with the early training of the horse, the nearer perfect the end result is likely to be.

The hack is never asked to gallop in the ring and the individual show must not exceed one and a half minutes. The performance should include a walk, trot, and strike off to canter with a simple change of leg, halt and rein-back. The horse will demonstrate his obedience and responsiveness to the aids but there should be no anticipation of the next movement on the part of the horse.
An expert rider will give a show which appears simple but is as technically perfect as possible. Should the horse make a mistake, the rider will cover it up with a fuss and throughout the display will appear so calm and nonchalant that it will seem to be entirely without effort.
The hack classes have been generating a great deal on interest in the last few years, and an abundance of enthusiasm is being shown by breeders, owners and riders of all ages, from children coming up from ponies to the more mature. It is encouraging that one may still be lucky enough to find a good animal unshown at a reasonable price, although obviously once a hack reaches the top of its class it can be very expensive to buy.

Saddle Seat is a discipline created in America specifically the south and now is popular all around the country and is now very big in South Africa and Great Britain. Here is the Wikipedia article on Saddle Seat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saddle_seat.
Saddle Seat was developed as a style of riding "gaited" horses in order to show them off to their greatest advantage. "Gaited" horses include such breeds as American Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walking Horses, and Rocky or Kentucky Mountain Horses. Arabians and Morgans can also be ridden in the saddle seat style.
Saddle seat riding and the breeds associated with it were for the most part, developed in the United States by plantation farmers; the horses and method of riding them had to be comfortable enough to spend hours in the saddle overseeing plantations, but also showy enough to take to town. Over the years, Saddle Seat has evolved as the best way to compete with those breeds of horses as well as proving to be a comfortable way to ride at any time.
Saddle seat saddles have a cutback pommel to make room for the horse’s withers, and are placed so that the flap sits behind the shoulder and the seat is horizontal on the horse’s back. Riders carry their hands much higher than other styles of riding; in order to achieve the proper balance in accordance with the high head set desired in the show ring. Saddle seat show horses may be specially shod by farriers to complement their brilliant movement.
Saddle seat competition is divided into divisions which can be outlined by rider age, horse age and experience, the number of gaits performed (either three gaits or five) or such designations as Open or Pleasure. The different breeds have their own distinct divisions. Arabians can show as Park, English Pleasure or Country English Pleasure. Morgans can show as Park, English Pleasure or Classic Pleasure. Saddlebreds can show as Five-Gaited, Three-Gaited, Show Pleasure or Country Pleasure. Tennessee Walkers can show as Plantation Pleasure or Performance.
Within each division, dependent upon the breed of horse, riders can be asked to show at a variety of gaits. Arabians and Morgans show at the walk, trot and canter. For Arabians, the trot can be broken down into Normal trot and Strong trot (which is faster and stronger than a Normal trot). Morgans can be asked to perform at the Trot or Park trot (which generally shows animation, collection and balance), and the Road trot, which shows balance and ground covering action with extreme speed to be penalized.
Saddlebreds can show at the walk, Trot or Park trot (which has the same requirements as the Morgan division), and the Extended trot (which should be faster, stronger, bolder and show extension), as well, Saddlebred five gaited horses are required to perform the slow gait and the rack.
The slow gait is "developed from the pace to be a four beat gait with each of the four feet contacting the ground separately. In the takeoff, the lateral front and hind feet start almost together but the hind foot contacts the ground slightly before its lateral forefoot. The slow gait is highly collected gait with most of the propulsion coming from the hindquarters, while the forequarters assist in the pull of the final beats. The slow gait is not a medium rack."
The rack is "a four beat gait in which each foot meets the ground at equal, separate intervals. It is smooth and highly animated, performed with great action and speed, in a slightly unrestrained manner. Racking in form should include the horse remaining with a good set head. It should be performed by the horse in an effortless manner from the slow gait, at which point all strides become equally rapid and regular."
The Tennessee Walking horse performs at the running walk, the flat walk and the canter. The "walking" gaits are basically the same, but with a noticeable difference in the rate of speed between the two.
The Rocky or Kentucky Mountain horses are shown at the Mountain Show Walk (a collected 4 beat gait like the Rack, showing moderate speed), the Mountain Saddle Gait (same as the Show Walk but with more speed), and the Walk (a true relaxed walk demonstrating minimal contact on the reins). There should be a noticeable difference in the speed of all gaits, but collection should not be sacrificed for speed.
Pictures of American Saddlebreds in different divisions: http://www.american-saddlebred.com/asbshow.htm

Park and English Pleasure are Saddle Seat divisions with certain gait and way of going requirement.

Park: where horses are shown at a walk, trot, and canter, judged on their brilliant, high action.

Pleasure: An English pleasure class designation used in almost every breed, designated classes where good manners and smooth performance are more important than brilliant action. Most pleasure classes require horses to show at a walk, trot and canter, often calling for extended gaits.

Classic/Country Pleasure: This type of pleasure class that puts even greater emphasis on manners in the horse. The horse still has a high-set head position and somewhat animated gait, but animation is of less importance. Horses show at the walk, trot, and canter, often with extension, and are required to back.

Class terminology varies between breeds. For example, Saddlebreds may be shown in "English Show Pleasure" or "English Country Pleasure". Morgans have Park, English Pleasure, and "Classic" Pleasure classes. Arabians have Park, English Pleasure, and "Country" Pleasure classes. Tennessee Walkers exhibit in two categories: Plantation Pleasure and Performance. Each class may ask for different variations of the gaits, extended gaits, and sometimes for any specialized gaits.

Equitation is a class for Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat, Western and now Dressage. It judges Equitation refers to a rider's position while mounted, and encompasses a rider's ability to ride correctly and with effective aids. In competitions, this is judged in equitation classes, or classes at horse shows that mainly judge the rider's performance and control of the horse, as opposed to the performance of the horse. A good equitation rider is always in balance with the horse, maintains a correct position in every gait, movement, or over a fence, and possesses a commanding, but relaxed, presence. They are effective riders, able to direct the horse with nearly invisible aids. In the higher level shows the picture/combination of the horse and rider is also very important.

I host the Saddle Seat Equitation website if you would like to check it out: http://regaljada.tripod.com/saddleseatequitation/index.html.

Under saddle means exactly that. Showing the horse while riding it, this is stated this way because horses can also be shown in hand or driven in front of a buggy (viceroy) or cart (bike).

Please post any more questions relating to the above.