Introduction: Competitive horse judging is a popular activity throughout the country at local, state and national levels. Teams and individuals may compete as local 4-H groups or as a school or university. There seems to be a significant amount of information and experts in the field. This is particularly true at the university levels. As a result, our material here will focus on the basics that a person beginning to compete should know. All of the material that will be used is taken directly from "Competitive Horse Judging" published by The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). All of the material is copyrighted by the AQHA and is reprinted with permission from The American Quarter Horse Association.
The information from the AQHA is organized into the following chapters:
Chapter One ............. Coaching The Team
Chapter Two ............. Developing A Set of Reasons
Chapter Three .......... Conformation
Chapter Four ............ Halter
Chapter Five ............. Western Pleasure, English Pleasure, Hunter Under Saddle, Hunter Hack
Chapter Six ............... Reining
Chapter Seven .......... Western Riding
Chapter Eight ............ Horsemanship, Equitation and Showmanship
Chapter Nine ............. Connective Terms
Chapter One: COACHING THE TEAM
Regardless of the level of competition, whether it be 4-H, FFA or Intercollegiate, the coaching of a horse judging team most often determines how that a team will succeed as a team. Certainly, the actual competition is the least important, long-term benefit to being a member of a competitive horse judging team. As a team member, that is the outward objective. The development of a team's competitive personality is the coach's objective.
Time and experience has proven that graduated students of most horse judging teams have benefited from the experience by leaving the team as more mature and better prepared individuals. The experience often reaches into all areas of the individuals' lives, through their business, educational and personal relationships, as they will learn to evaluate situations and experiences prior to making a judgment. In other words, successful judging team members learn to "look before they leap."
Obviously, the coaching of these individuals is probably the greatest influence in making those "individuals" a "team." Even if the team does not have what could be considered outstanding individuals, they are often more successful than teams which have one or two outstanding individuals, because they work together and learn from each other. Perhaps they are all outstanding individuals, which might make the coach's job easier, but if they do not work together and complement each other, the task could become more difficult.
There is no right or wrong way to coach a judging team, but there are methods that will usually work as a skeletal outline, and to which adjustments must be made as each team is evaluated.
As styles and preferences change in the horse industry, so will the way in which horses are evaluated and judged to be the "ideal." Because those styles and preferences are usually dictated by the industry as a whole, the information horse judging students receive, no matter where they are, is likely very similar. The way in which it is presented and implemented is the difference between a winning and losing program.
As Class Begins
Coaches should keep in mind that they are working with and against a number of different variables when beginning with a new team each year. Each individual's personality (including the coach's), level of maturity, past experiences with horses and other teams, and conversely, an individual's lack of knowledge about horses and equine sport, provide a combination of assets and faults that must be shaped to form a team.
Each of the aforementioned characteristics cannot be considered assets or faults in themselves. Horse judging students can come from almost any type of background and be successful. It is their willingness to accept the information they receive as correct, and the resulting criticism of their performance when they are incorrect, that makes the difference between a perceptive, growing student and one that refuses to bend. Horse judging students that tend to use hard facts to make thoughtful decisions, instead of relying on their intuition, are usually the more consistent performers. In addition, those students who maintain a solid level of commitment, self-motivation and competitive spirit, are also able to cope with the pressure they will ultimately face before and during competition.
The task of building confidence and enthusiasm rests on the coach's shoulders. Leaders will naturally develop within a group, and the manipulation of those individuals as enthusiasm builders can help, but the team must never think that one or two persons make a team. It is the coach who should be their nucleus of support and guidance.
Confidence should be developed from the first day of instruction, and should grow throughout the entire training period. Coaches should encourage the group to make their own individual decisions, based on the same information, and then objectively evaluate each student's performance. There is no need to harshly criticize or openly question a student's performance - this will only serve to instill feelings of self-doubt in the student. A different approach to criticism can be taken so that the coach merely informs the student he was wrong and point out the mistakes. A student should never argue with the coach and the coach should not allow it. Students that tend to argue with the coach are notoriously the least successful in competition. The entire team must accept the coach's decision as final and correct because of his or her knowledge and experience.
Certainly, there is room for discussion about the coach's decision, but through the practice workouts, they will become accustomed to the fact that at a contest, the placing assigned is the only one that matters. Through these discussions, students will learn to see their mistakes and discover how they can improve on their thought processes. There is no room for "I thought," "Yeah, but," or "I don't like."
Each student that disagrees with the coach's placing must automatically
assume that he is wrong and the coach is right, regardless. However arrogant
that may appear, there must be a basis by which the students can assess their
performance, and the coach is the only one who can provide that basis. In
addition, the team members must place the classes alike if they are to win. If
an entire team's placing disagrees with the coach's, then it is likely the coach
who is at fault, either with his coaching method or his evaluation of the class.
Should one team member place the class incorrectly, then he must accept his
mistake, because he was exposed to the same information as was the rest of the
team.
Defining The Basics
As most new coaches will discover, and most veterans know, their ability to coach a team and the success of the team often relies on their ability to convey to the team the correct information. As was mentioned before, most of the information will be the same, simply because the industry does not change drastically, and the styles and preferences of the industry are, for the most part, functionally definable. This is where the success of the team will be determined - by the coach's ability to communicate and the team's ability to understand.
Confusion must be avoided at all cost, so logical instruction should be the game plan. That is what horse judging really is - a think tank game - much like the childhood task of fitting geometric figures into their matching slots. Students should realize that there are certain requirements a horse must match before he can be considered to be the ideal. A square peg cannot fit into a round hole.
To do this, the student must examine each animal individually, in comparison to the ideal, and must find the best traits about the animal, rather than looking for fault. Working from the positive viewpoint, rather than the negative, teaches the student to avoid making horse judging an elimination contest. Rather, the horse with the greater amount of good is judged as best, while the horses with the lesser amount of good are placed lower.
As the coach begins to form practice classes, he or she must keep in mind that in the beginning these classes must be very peaceable, otherwise he or she will be defeating his or her purpose. Designing classes that emphasize the ideal in the beginning will teach the student that he should look for an aid in avoiding confusion.
Coaches will learn that students often go through three phases when learning to judge horses. There is the initial phase where most of what they see and hear is clear to them and they have very little real trouble in placing the classes and understanding their mistakes. The second phase is when they are becoming far too critical of the individual horse and fail to see the "big picture," and thirdly, is the phase in which they eventually resolve the confusion and will be successful in grasping the "big picture."
Having a student in the second phase immediately prior to or during competition usually results in the removal of the student from the team. The student will eventually do this to himself, because as he responds to the pressure with confusion, his scores will suffer. For the coach, it is best to let the student work this out for himself, while at the same time, still pointing out the mistakes the student is making.
If, however, a team falls into this trap, the coach should do what he can to design classes that bring emphasis to the areas which the team is failing to recognize. For instance, if the team is neglecting structure as a determinant, the coach can design a class in which all horses are basically equal in the areas of muscling, refinement and traveling abilities, but structure is the deciding factor. The improvement of the student's eye is first and foremost.
Of course, there will be times when students will switch placings in a class
that can be classified as close pairs. There is nothing essentially wrong with a
close, but incorrect, placing, and it is an excellent place for a student to
score more points while presenting his oral reasons. Other than that, a close
placing is no place to teach a lesson. Students should recognize a close pair
and learn that the placement of a close pair in relation to the rest of the
class is what is important. One should point out here that if the student is
unable to defend his placing to himself while judging, he certainly cannot in
the reasons room.
Reasons - The Oral Defense of Placings
Learning to orally defend a placing need not be a difficult task for the student to grasp - all he needs to know is why he placed the class the way he did and have a reasonable command of the English language. The whole purpose behind reasons presentation, besides the obvious defense of placings, is to give the reasons taker a clear picture of what the judge saw, as if the reasons taker was there.
The reasons room is where the student will be able to salvage an average placing if he is able to clearly and logically explain his placing. This is not to say that a student can completely misplace the class and then talk his way out of it - that is just not possible. But it is possible for a student to switch a pair and defend his placing intelligently to the satisfaction of a reasons judge.
That is why it is so important the student learn early in judging training to organize his thoughts so those thoughts can be presented in an organized manner - sometimes hours later after memory of the class has become vague.
While the student must work with the other team members as a team in placing classes, oral reasons is the point in horse judging where the student can, and should be encouraged, to express his individuality. He can learn reasons, first of all, by listening to several sets of very good reasons, and then develop his own style from there. Some students will feel more comfortable giving what is considered a "canned" set of reasons - meaning that the form and word usage is basically the same, only the horses have been changed. These students need to realize that they will probably receive a canned score, as well, and will never be able to develop a style that captures the attention of a reasons taker.
Students can first learn to organize their thoughts by taking clear, concise notes of the class. In halter, enough time is given for the student to objectively place the class, and the remaining time period should be devoted to taking notes, especially of details he is not likely to remember. In performance, the student should spend as much time as possible watching the class, but can at times, jot down certain attributes or faults he saw during the class. Then at the conclusion of the class, he can more fully describe the class in his note taking. Over time, some students will not feel the need to take a great deal of notes and the coach should not be bothered by this if their ability to give reasons does not suffer.
Students should first submit their reasons in written form. This will give them a better opportunity to be more elaborate and descriptive with their reasons, as well as give them an idea of how to organize a good set. This should be done through at least two workouts. These written sets should be as long and concise as possible. In the next series of workouts, students should continue to write their reasons, and then should memorize them for presentation. Although memorization on the con- test level is not recommended, memorizing the first few sets of reasons in practice will help the students to develop their own style, not to mention their confidence.
Following the reasons presentation, either in oral or written form, the coach should be careful to point out both the good and the bad. Points of criticism a coach should watch for is the Canned Set, where the student continually uses the same terms regardless of the class; The Liar, where the student makes up faults or attributes about the horse that simply weren't there in order to "fluff" his set; and The Killer, where the student relentlessly criticizes his lower placing horses. This could really hurt the student later when he discovers that his bottom horse was a higher placing horse in the official placing.
Good points to recognize are original use of terms or phrases; clear, concise speaking practices, and an overall positive appearance by the student. The projection of a positive, forceful attitude to the reasons taker will not only wake him up after a long afternoon of listening, but will encourage him to give the student a higher score.
Before the student leaves the reasons room, the coach should give the student
a score, along with major points to work on for the next practice. A critique
card should be given to the student which summarizes the coach's critique. Most
students are usually too preoccupied or nervous to listen to what the coach has
to say in the reasons room. A student should be encouraged if he is going to
enjoy giving reasons, and reasons should be fun for him to give. Teach it that
way, and he will project the same attitude when giving reasons.
And Finally
There are a number of things a coach can do to separate the team from the rest and give them a feeling of confidence as they are preparing for a contest.
Check, Check, and Double Check: The Number of contests that have been lost because a student wrote down the wrong placing, or even worse, forgot to fill out his card, will probably never be known. The coach must emphasize that the card should be checked, double-checked, and triple-checked before they are collected by group leaders at a contest. It is a good practice for the student to write his placing on his note sheet, again at the back of his notebook and then on his placing card. Then, he should check all three of those placings again to match what he has written before turning in the card. It is a good idea that he refuse the card when offered in the reasons room; one, to show he is confident in his placing, and two, to avoid the shock of possibly seeing that he has just spent the last two hours working on a set of reasons for the wrong placing!
Put Up and Shut Up: Students will be penalized if their reasons are longer than two minutes, so they must learn to state their case and get out. Shouting at the reasons taker will not make their case any more convincing, and talking about it longer than necessary won't either. A good projected volume and short, crisp terms will do the trick every time.
Tubes and Cubes: If the student is having a terrible time placing the class, he could resort to a crude guideline that refers to the general body shapes found in conformation classes. Short, dumpy animals and tall, narrow ones are almost al- ways the least desirable candidates.
The Placing is There: Each class in a contest is picked with a placing in mind, and very few contest managers have the time or are willing to make up "trick" classes. Once the student learns that judging is a game, there is no need to panic over a class. Classes are designed with a placing in mind, and if the students evaluate the classes logically, they shouldn't panic. Teach them to look for the most logical placings first, and get "the big picture."
If It's Hard for One, It's Hard for All: Although the student may not think it to be true, when a class is hard for him, it is probably hard for everybody else. Again, logic has got to come into play here, and he must keep a positive, confident attitude.
The Bomb: Even if the student feels like he totally bombed a placing, it's important that it doesn't affect his ability to judge the next class. Once the class is judged, it's over. The student must learn to put that class behind him and move on, or the end result could be a very bad day.
The Final Exam: The final exam for a student is the contest, and he should be as well prepared for that contest as he would be for any other examination. If he is well prepared, he should not be nervous about judging the contest. The morning of the contest is the time to relax, and the student should remain relaxed throughout the judging phase of the contest. The time to become aggressive will be in the reasons room hours later.
Infighting: The coach has enough to worry about in developing a team than to let the team beat themselves because they don't get along. If there are personality conflicts on the team, it is best to get those worked out early. Successful teams are made up of individuals who are willing to work as a team, and more than likely, end up being good, lasting friends.
Don't Be Too Early: Contests are designed to give coaches and teams plenty of time to register and prepare for the judging contest. Arriving 15-20 minutes prior to the starting time will give the team plenty of time to get comfortable with their surroundings. Getting in there an hour ahead of time will just give the students an opportunity to get nervous, bored or just tired of sitting. Also, make sure the team has eaten a full breakfast before the contest. They don't need the distraction of hunger while judging, and more than likely, are not facing a gourmet meal during the lunch break.
Dress for Success: Dressing professionally and in good taste projects an image of self-confidence and poise. If a person looks professional, more than likely he feels that way. And so it goes for horse judging. The student who looks like he knows what he's doing can be very intimidating to those students who don't. Make sure your team projects a confident, professional image the minute they walk into the arena and in the reasons room.
Chapter Two: DEVELOPING A SET OF REASONS
The ability to forcefully present reasons clearly and concisely is an absolute necessity to being an effective judge. Further, it is essential to absorb and retain a mental image of the good and the bad points of an animal. These attributes come only with practice, time and experience. Without the appropriate vocabulary to convey decisions accurately, concisely and effectively, a judge is seriously handicapped.
Reasons are scored from 0 to 50 points. Seventy-five percent of the score is based upon accuracy. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately describe each animal and compare any animal to those placed above and below. Twenty-five percent of the score is based upon oral interpretation. This includes organization and ability to orally express thoughts clearly and enthusiastically.
Three additional points critical for obtaining a high reasons score are:
| TABLE 2-1 - REASONS PENALTIES | |
| TIME | PENALTY |
| 2:01-2:10 | -1 |
| 2:11-2:20 | -3 |
| 2:21-2:30 | -6 |
| 2:30 + | -10 |
Reasons can be divided into five basic parts; all are important to the overall score.
The most important aspect of giving a set of reasons is the opening statement
and the top pair, because in general, the range of your score is determined by
the official at that time. Thus, this portion needs to be mistake free and
accurate. At the same time, the last impression the official has is the manner
in which you handle the bottom pair and last-placed animal. Make certain your
reasons end as strong or stronger than they started. Always cover the main
points and anything unusual in each pair. Describe animals only long enough for
identification. Use specifics only as needed, and never include your personal
opinion. Remember, a perfect set of reasons should describe and compare the
class so clearly and accurately, that even if the official has never seen the
class, he would be able to look at the animals and identify each individual
based upon your reasons.
Taking Notes On A Class
In competitive judging, students are often required to give reasons several hours after they placed a class. Under these circumstances, it is necessary for the student to take notes as they judge. These notes may be used only as an aid for reason preparation, but cannot be used during the presentation.
One should not take notes until he or she has studied the class and observed the differences among individuals. Only after making these observations and placing the class is the judge ready to take notes.
It is generally helpful for the beginner to include in the notes something
unique about the animals which might help to visualize the class later. For
example:
1 - green halter
2 - bay with star and snip
3 - handler wore red blouse
4 - solid black
Each person will develop his or her own method of taking notes. The important thing is to get the essential information into your notes for reasons preparation. Many judges develop shorthand methods for taking notes.
It is always important to write your order of placing at the top of each page. Be certain this agrees with the placing on the card turned into the contest officials. After the placing, describe in your notes the distinguishing characteristics of each animal. The major reason why the first-placed animal started the class should be recorded next. Factors of major importance should be listed first.
In placing a class of four animals, there are three pairs. For example, in a placing, 1-2-3-4, 1-2 are the top pair, 2-3 are the middle pair and 3-4 are the bottom pair. Thus, the next step is to list reasons why I was placed over 2. These reasons should also be listed in order of importance. In some pairs, it will be necessary to grant some considerations to the bottom animal in a pair. Each pair is handled like the first pair, i.e. reasons are listed why one animal was placed over another followed by grants to the lower-placed animal of the pair.
In discussing the bottom-placed animal it is necessary to list the main reasons for placing the animal at the bottom of the class.
The following is a sample set of notes:
Placing 3-2-4-1
Excellent quality in entire class
3 - Sorrel mare with blaze and right hind stocking.
2 - Bay mare with star
4 - Large black mare, had buck-stitched leather halter.
1 - Lightest muscled, least balanced
3/2 - Nicer balanced, shorter back, longer underline, longer trimmer neck, breed character about head, shorter ear, more prominent jaw, straighter, more correctly moving mare.
2 - Heavier muscled
2/4 - Heaviest muscled - stifle, gaskin, forearm, v-ed up more, nicer balanced, leveler group, shorter back, longer underline.
4 - taller, moves straighter and more correct
4/1 - Larger, heavier muscled - taller, longer legged, thicker through stifle, gaskin, forearm - straightest most correctly moving in class - straighter at walk and trot.
1 - Shows more bloom to hair coat - bottom, smallest, lightest muscled, lacks muscle.
The person who has an organized set of notes has a definite advantage in
preparing his or her reasons.
Presenting Oral Reasons
Organization of reasons should follow the same pattern used in taking notes, i.e., the important facts are presented first. However, each person should develop an individual approach that is convenient to their way of speaking. Reasons should vary and not be monotonous due to repetition.
The following is a list of guidelines to follow in giving oral reasons:
| TABLE 2-2 - REASONS SCORES | ||
| REASONS PERFORMANCE | GRADE | SCORE RANGE |
| Good to Excellent | A | 46-50 |
| Above Average to Good | B | 41-45 |
| Average | C | 36-40 |
| Below Average | D | 31-35 |
| Poor | F | 30-below |
Chapter Three: CONFORMATION
Conformation and Structure Conformation is the physical appearance of an animal due to the arrangement of muscle, bone and other body tissue. There is no perfectly conformed horse "except in the eye of the artist." However, each breed organization has their ideal horse. Therefore, the breed ideal is the place to start. Prior to comparing two or more horses, it is essential to have a mental picture of the ideal horse of the breed (Figure 3-1). It is not the judge's place, and especially not the college and 4-H judging team member's place, to decide what is ideal. The purpose of judging, either in competition or as a selection tool, is to find within a group of horses, the horse most typical of the ideal horse of that breed, the second closest, third closest, etc.
Unfortunately, the ideal horse may not possess the optimal conformation for all performance events. This dilemma presents problems, not only for the competitive judging team member, but for the experienced horse show judge. It is essential to judge horses in a conformation class based upon their merit that day. Do not attempt to predict the potential riding ability of an individual being shown in a conformation class. This tendency is called "crystal balling," and is often about as accurate as having your future read at the county fair carnival! After all, there are performances classes where an animal's ability to be ridden can be judged.
The purpose of this chapter is to acquaint the horseman with basic facts that will help in evaluating two or more animals. This discussion is limited to facts derived from research data.
To understand conformation, one must understand the skeleton (See page A28);
The framework of the horse. Horsemen tend to talk about long heads, short backs,
long backs, short hips, low knees, short cannons and high hocks. As the chapter
is read, an effort will be made to make the reader think about what he sees or
thinks he sees.
A really competent judge must have a sound understanding of all parts of the
horse, as well as the function of those parts (See page A28).
Head: Starting at the horse's head, an effort will be made to define and
describe the various parts of the horse's body.
In general, there is no physiological benefit to a horse having a "pretty" head. Ugly-headed horses are able to breathe, see, hear and ingest food. Basically, an ugly head functions similar to a beautiful head. However, most people do not want to own an ugly-headed horse, so selection is based upon beauty. What makes a head pretty or attractive? Certainly, the set of the ears, shape of the eye, size of the nostril, depth of the mouth and overall proportionality of the head is important to the concept of beauty. Basically, the ears will be proportional to the horse's head. In fact, as the reader continues, it will become apparent that the various parts of the horse are always proportional. However, the placement of the ears will not always be the same. It is important that the ears sit squarely on top of the head, that they point forward and have an attractive, alert appearance. Some horse's ears turn outward, some turn inward and some are positioned on the side of the head, are flop-eared and so on. Any deviation in placement or carriage detracts from the beauty of the head, thus from the beauty of the horse.
When you measure a horse from the poll to a horizontal line drawn between the eyes, this distance is approximately one-half the distance from the horizontal line to the midpoint of the nostril. Thus, the eyes will be positioned one-third the distance from the horse's poll to the muzzle. When the width of the horse's head across the orbit of the skull is measured, that distance should almost be identical to the distance from the poll to the horizontal line drawn between the eyes. Horses heads are proportional. Consequently, length of the head is the same percentage of height for both tall and short horses.
AB = CD and 1/2 DE
The head has certain qualities that are important when evaluating other factors. For example, the eye can tell the experienced horseman a great deal about the individual's potential disposition. During evolution, the eye has moved from the front of the horse's head to the side, which provided a more rounded arc of vision (about 300 degrees). Large, quiet, soft eyes usually indicate a quiet, docile disposition. A small pig-eye is indicative of a horse that is somewhat sullen and difficult to train. The horse with excessive white around the eye is very often nervous and flighty. This is characteristic of some breeds and this should be kept in mind. Obviously, this anatomical characteristic is not the reason for these differences in disposition, but merely associated with other genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. What is the ideal look for an eye? Look for a bright, tranquil eye that has a soft, kind expression.
Even though many breed enthusiasts discuss the need for a large, flaring nostril to facilitate adequate intake of air, there appears to be no scientific data for this statement. Most horses breath satisfactorily, regardless of nostril size. However, nostril size has an effect on the horse's overall beauty.
For beauty's sake the horse should have a well-defined jaw. Stallions will have a slightly larger, deeper jaw than mares, indicative of common male sex characteristics.
There are distinct differences among breeds and lines of horses with respect to depth of mouth. This is indicative of a horse's mouth being light, soft or responsive during training, and is commonly referred to as being light and soft, or tough and hard. The more shallow the mouth, the softer and more reactive the horse. The deeper the mouth, the less reactive. Some breeders believe a deeper mouth is indicative of "breeding'. In fact, in the 1800s, a shallow mouth horse was discriminated against because it indicated a more flighty, responsive horse than was needed.
Obviously, trainers of reining horses and cutting horses appreciate the shallow mouth. When examining mouths, the horse show judge should ensure that the horse is not parrot-mouthed or monkey mouthed. However, in judging contests, all mouths are considered sound and should not have an effect on the overall placing.
Shape of the muzzle contributes to the beauty of the horse. There are distinct differences in shape of the chin and jaw in definition and refinement. The pretty- headed horses will always have a well-defined muzzle flaring into a refined chin and prominent jaw.
Neck: The neck is always an important conformational part of judging. The throat latch, which is from ear to ear, should be trim and refined regardless of the breed. However, the depth of the throat latch is usually equal to one-half the length of the head. If a horse is thick and coarse in the throat latch, flexion at the poll is restricted. This will prevent the horse from carrying its head in a vertical position during training because of an inability to breathe correctly.
Most judges give preference to horses with long thin necks, when in reality they should select horses with appropriate top to bottom line neck ratio. The top line is the distance of the poll to the withers and the bottom line is the distance of the throat latch to the neck-shoulder junction at the chest. The ideal would approximately be a 2 to I ratio of the top to bottom line of the horse's neck. Invariably, a horse that is short and heavily muscled will have a shorter, thicker neck than a taller horse with less muscle. The neck is proportional to the horse's overall length and height. Shorter horses will always have shorter necks than horses that are tall.
The determining factor in the ratio of the top to bottom line of the neck is the slope of the horse's shoulder. As the shoulder becomes more sloping, the top line become longer in relation to the bottom line. Conversely, as the shoulder becomes straighter, the ratio of the top to bottom line becomes smaller. As the ratio deviates toward I to 1, the horse appears to have a short, square boxy look to his neck. When two horses of the same frame size are compared, one with a normal neck and one with a short-appearing neck, both horses will have the same length in the bottom line of their necks. Obviously, the withers of a straight-shouldered horse are more forward and thus, the top line is shortened. Straightening the shoulder has little, if any, effect on the length of the bottom line of the neck.
All horses are basically proportional, but not necessarily balanced. Balance is the single most important characteristic in equine selection. Balance is determined by the skeletal structure. Thus, when judging, it is important to attempt to visualize and evaluate the skeleton of the horse underneath muscle and other tissues. Nothing is more critical to balance than the slope of the shoulder. The slope of the shoulder changes drastically when the angle of the shoulder is increased or decreased. Not only does the top to bottom line ratio of the neck change, but the ratio of the length of the back to the length of the underline also changes. As the shoulder becomes straighter, the withers move forward, which results in a longer back, measured from the withers to the coupling. The length of underline, as measured from elbow to stifle, is not affected by a change in shoulder angle, thus the straight-shouldered horse's body has the appearance of a tube. It is ideal to have a short top line and a long underline, however, it is incorrect to compare 14-2 hand horses to 17-hand horses because horses of different sizes should not have the same length of body or underlines. The long back coincides with the short neck of the straight-shouldered horse. When the shoulder is straight, the other angles of the horse's body will be straight. Thus, the horse will have a short, steep croup, a straight stifle and straight pasterns.
In general, the angle of the pasterns will correspond with the angle of the shoulder. A horse that has too much slope to its pastern is also undesirable and is said to be coon-footed. This condition can become so severe that the horse's fetlocks hit the ground as the horse moves. The ideal slope of the shoulder is approximately 45 to 50 degrees. However, shoulder angles will vary from the ideal. The judge should not be overly influenced in demanding an exact degree of slope of shoulder, but should concentrate on balance and blending of structure.
Shoulder: In addition to overall balance, the slope of the shoulder influences length of stride. Thus, the straighter the shoulder, the shorter the stride. The angle of the shoulder and angle of the pastern serve to absorb shock when the horse moves. The straight-shouldered horse will be shallow-hearted as measured from the top of the withers to the chest floor. Unlike the balanced horse, with legs that will measure approximately the same length as its depth of heart, the straight-shouldered horse's legs will be longer than its depth of heart. A straight-shouldered horse will always be a rough-riding horse.
Withers: The ideal withers are sharp, prominent and slightly higher than the horse's hindquarters or croup. A properly balanced horse will appear to be sloping down- hill from front to back. This is much preferred to a similar appearance from back to front. When the withers are higher than the croup, the hindquarters are positioned under the body more and contribute to athletic ability of the horse. Strength of the top line and loin muscles over the kidneys are also important in athletic ability and soundness of the horse.
Hindquarters: Regardless of breed, the hindquarters should appear square, when viewed from the side. How the corners of the square are filled in will depend on the breed. The flatter or more level the croup, the more likely that horse will move with vertical action behind and less horizontal action. The horse with a steep croup will move with its legs more collected under his body. The ideal horse has a quarter that is as full and as long from across the horizontal plane of the stifle, as it is from point of hip to point of buttocks. When a horse has a V-shaped quarter, it is due to limited muscling and/or a straight stifle.
Barrel: The judge should evaluate spring of rib and depth of heart as these are indicative of capacity. Again, these measurements will be proportional, however, some horses will have a pinched effect and less of a rounded, convex look to their rib cages.
Feet and Legs: Structure of feet and legs are major areas of consideration in judging. When standing beside the horse, the judge drops an imaginary line from the point of the buttocks to the ground. Ideally, that line should touch the hocks, run parallel to the cannon bone and be slightly behind the heel. The horse with too much angle to his hocks is sickle-hocked, and the horse that is straight in his hocks is post-legged. Ideally, when viewed from the rear, any horse, regardless of breed, should be widest from stifle to stifle. Another imaginary line from the point of the buttocks to the ground should bisect the gaskin, hock and hoof. It is not critical that a horse be perfectly straight from the ankles down as viewed from the rear. In fact, most horses naturally stand with the cannons parallel and toe out slightly from the ankles down. This allows the horse's stifle to clear his ribcage in flight, resulting in a longer-strided, freer-moving horse. However, when a horse is bowed-in at the hocks and the cannon bones are not parallel, it is cow-hocked. The horse that is cow-hocked has a tendency to be weak in the major movements that require work off of the haunches such as stopping, turning, sliding etc. Occasionally, there are horses that actually toe-in behind and are bow-legged, most of which are very poor athletes.
The horse should stand on a straight column of bone with no deviation when viewed from the front. A horse that is "over at the knees" is buck-kneed, and the horse that is "back at the knees" is calf-kneed. Obviously, calf-kneed is the most serious condition since the knee will have a tendency to hyper-extend, or bend backward. When the horse is viewed from the front, an imaginary line from the point of the shoulder to the toe should bisect the knee, cannon bone and hoof. The horse hoof should point straight ahead. When a horse toes out, its is splay-footed and the horse will always wing in. When a horse toes in, it is pigeon-toed and that horse will always paddle out. The most serious of these is the horse that wings in, because it has a tendency to interfere, i.e. strike its legs with the opposite hoof as it travels. If the cannon bone is off-centered to the outside, it is bench-kneed.
It is essential for the judge to recognize structural defects. There are many structurally incorrect horses that are sound, but few unsound horses that are structurally correct. A complete list of structural deviations follows this chapter.
Muscling is an important criteria in judging conformation classes, especially stock horse classes, similar to Quarter Horse judging classes. It is important to realize that muscling is proportional, i.e. as one muscle in the body increases, total muscle mass increases. The horse is a balanced athlete that is muscled uniformly through- out. Horses visually appraised as heavily-muscled generally have greater circumference of forearm, gaskin and width of quarter than lightly muscled horses. When muscling is visually appraised at the forearm, gaskin and rear quarters, it will reflect the same relative degree of muscling at other anatomical points. Thus, the common dogma in the industry that a horse can be heavier muscled in the rear quarter than the forequarter is unfounded.
Thus it appears that horses are proportional. Horses that have long heads are tall and horses that have short cannons are short. It is important that the judge learn to evaluate skeletal conformation. It is impossible to use long bone comparisons and make accurate conclusions. Each horse must be evaluated individually.
Where differences between horses occur proportionally, there has to be a structural reason and the good judge will see these differences as a lack of balance. He should visualize the skeleton, rather than the outward appearance. The good judge can see balance and proportionality, just as an artist can see balance and beauty in a great piece of art. We must learn to listen to what our eye tells us as judges. Base decisions upon fact rather than industry dogma.
Soundness and Structure
Soundness - Horses should be serviceably sound. In young animals, there should be no indication of defects in conformation that may lead to unsoundness. A judge must first know and recognize normal structure and function before he can identify unsoundnesses. An unsoundness is defined as any deviation in structure that interferes with the usefulness of an individual. Many horses will have blemishes, but will be sound. A blemish is an abnormality which may detract from the appearance of the animal, but which does not effect its serviceability.
A judge should be familiar with all of the common unsoundnesses and learn to recognize them. At the same time, competitive judges should keep in mind that the placing for most contest classes are not determined by soundness. All horses will usually be considered sound in the conformation classes. Do not spend an in- appropriate amount of time in a contest looking for and worrying about unsoundnesses. Structural correctness is only one of three to four major considerations. Some definitions and locations of unsoundnesses and blemishes are given on the following pages.
STRUCTURAL DEVIATIONS, UNSOUNDNESSES AND BLEMISHES
Bench Kneed - "offset knees" - the cannon bone is offset to the lateral
side and does not follow a straight line from the radius.
Bowed tendon - excessive stretching and tearing of the flexor tendons,
usually in the front legs, with swelling and acute lameness.
Bow-legged- the hocks are too far apart. The limbs may appear fairly
straight to the hock and deviate inward.
Buck-kneed-"knee sprung" or "over in the knees" is a forward deviation of
the carpus.
Bucked shins - periostitis of the dorsal surface of the third metacarpal
bone.
Calf-kneed - backward deviation of the carpus and carpal joints.
Capped elbow - (shoe boil) an acquired bursitis resulting from injury to point of ulna.
Capped hock - an acquired bursitis at point of hock.
Contracted tendons - inability to extend fetlocks and phalangeal joints due to shortening of flexor tendons. May be hereditary or nutritional in origin.
Coon-footed - too long and sloping a pastern causing a weakness due to an undue strain on the tendons, sesamoid bones and suspensory ligament.
Cow-hocked - the limbs are base-narrow to the hock, and base-wide from the hock to the feet. The hocks are too close, point toward one another and the feet are widely separated.
Curb - An enlargement on posterior aspect of hock (fibular tarsal bone) with the swelling of plantar ligament. Usually traumatic origin.
Fistula - (sinus of the withers) a continuous draining tract in the area of the withers or shoulder usually due to trauma.
Heaves - Pulmonary emphysema - characterized by exertive expiratory effort with "heaves groove" developing. More pronounced after exercise.
Laminitis - an inflammatory process of the lamina of the foot. The chronic form will show alterations in hoof wall growth (rings).
Monkey Mouth - a condition where a horse has an undershot upper jaw.
Osslets - a traumatic arthritis of fetlock joint with a distention of volar pouch.
Paddle-out - a traveling condition of the toed-in horse, where the foot "paddles" to the outside, even though it breaks over the inside toe and lands on the inside wall.
Parrot Mouth - overlapping of the upper incisions with failure of proper inclusion.
Pig-eyed - eyes are placed close together on the head, limiting the field of vision. Eyes are unattractive, and give an impression of laziness and stubbornness.
Post-legged - when viewed from the side, there is very little angle between the tibia and femur, and the hock joint is correspondingly straight. This predisposes the horse to bog spavin and upward fixation of the patella.
Ringbone - periostitis of proximal and/or distal phalanges, usually first and second. May involve progressive arthritis.
Sickle-hocked - the angle of the hock joint is decreased so that the horse is standing under from the hock down. A horse so affected is predisposed to curb.
Side bone - ossification and enlargement of the collateral cartilages, usually visible proximal to coronary band.
Spavin - 1) Bone Spavin - an arthritis and exostosis usually involving medial and anterior surface of tarsal bones. 2) Bog Spavin - an enlargement of the hock due to distention of joint capsule. Soft and fluctuant to touch, does not usually cause lameness.
Splint - an enlargement, usually on the medical surface of the third metacarpal bone. It may involve the second metacarpal bone and the interosseous ligament, with bony proliferation, periostitis and actual fracture of bones involved.
Stifled - upward fixation of the patella over the medial trochles of femur. Usually intermittent.
Stringhalt - exaggerated, involuntary flexion of the hock joint in progress.
Sweeney - atrophy of the intra- and suprascapular muscles usually from injury to the suprascapular nerve.
Thoroughpin - tenosynovitis of tarsal sheath enclosing deep digital flexor ten- dons of hind leg.
Toes-in - "pigeon-toed" - the toes point inward towards each other causing greater stress on the outside of the limb.
Toes-out - "splay-footed" - the toes point outward away from each other causing greater stress on the outside of the limb.
Wind puff - synovial swellings of the joints or tendon sheaths, usually in the fetlock area.
Wing-in - a traveling condition when a horse is toed-out, commonly causing limb interference.
Chapter Four: HALTER
Use of Chart in Making Placings
Judging is an effort to find which most closely fits what could be considered the industry idea. It is a positive process. When evaluating a class of halter horses, there are four major considerations:
By evaluating a class only on these characteristics, it is possible to use a chart to aid you in placing a class.
Rank the individuals in the class on BALANCE, then MUSCLING, STRUCTURE and then BREED AND SEX CHARACTER. Total the numbers for each horse and the horse with the smallest total is placed first in the class. Suppose a class was evaluated as follows for the main criteria:
| Horse # | Balance | Muscling | Structure | B&S Character | Total |
| 1 | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 5 pts |
| 2 | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 7 pts |
| 3 | 3rd | 4rth | 3rd | 3rd | 13 pts |
| 4 | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 15 pts |
One would place this class 1-2-3-4. This is a relatively easy way to begin placing halter classes and can be efficient in keeping placings objective and positive. However, this method will usually be used less frequently as the judge becomes more accustomed to judging horses.
SUGGESTED TERMS FOR COMPARING HALTER HORSES
I. GENERAL APPEARANCE
The best combination of ...
One combined, to a higher degree, muscling, balance and size
Overwhelmed the class with his (her) balance, size and muscling
Dominated the class in terms of her (his) heavy muscling, structural correctness and overall balance.
Heavier muscled, nicer balanced mare (stallion, gelding)
Shows more balance and symmetry
Was larger
Had a smoother blend of all body parts
Alert, with all parts blending smoothly and symmetrically
Shows more refinement and style
Nicer profiling
More athletic in his appearance
Represents the ideal
Quarter Horse
She was a more balanced, refined and feminine mare, which showed the classic features which are the trademark (hallmark) of the Quarter Horse breed, being ...
More compact
More alert and attentive expression
More stylish
More substance of muscle and bone
I realize and appreciate the fact that all of the horses in today's class possess superior quality.
Simply had more presence in the ring
Due to her advantage in muscling and overall quality More rugged and durable type of frame
II. BALANCE
Shows more balance in conformation by being ...
Exhibited more balance
Longer, more sloping shoulder
Has a more desirable slope to her shoulder, and is neater and sharper at her withers
Exhibited a more correctly angled shoulder, and more prominent withers, thus giving her a shorter, stronger back in relation to a longer underline
More angulation to the shoulders
Larger mare that is deeper in her chest floor
Deeper barreled horse
Showed greater capacity in the heart girth
Deeper ribbed, wider chested
Wider ribbed
More prominent withers, with a more functional top to bottom line ratio
More arch of rib
Longer in his (her) hip, shorter in his (her) back and showed more depth of heart girth and hind rib indicating more body capacity
Taller at the withers and showed more uniformity of height from the croup to the withers
Shorter backed gelding that is longer in his underline
She is longer in her underline and shorter on top
Deeper flanked Deeper hind rib
More powerful topline
Shorter-topped
Was shorter and stronger over the top
Wider-topped, showing a more powerful loin
Stronger coupled
Closer coupled
Higher at the withers
Fuller in his (her) loin
Longer, wider croup
A nicer turn of the croup
Higher tail set
Desirable tail carriage expressed
Straight and smooth over the top
More horizontal over the croup
Stronger, more horizontal over the back, loin and croup
Had a shorter back in relation to his underline, due to a more sloping shoulder and longer, flatter croup
Stronger linked in her back and loin
His shortness of back, length of underline and depth of heart combined to give him a more balanced appearance as viewed from the side
Exhibited more balance with all parts blending smoothly and symmetrically
Tail setting higher out of the croup
Longer and flatter over the croup
More horizontal over the croup
III. HEAD AND NECK
Was less coarse about the head
Sharper-chiseled features
Was more sharply chiseled about the head
Noticeably deeper chiseled from eyes to muzzle
Was especially shorter from his eyes to his nose, as well as being . . .
Shorter headed
Shorter down the bridge of his (her) nose
Shorter face
Brighter about the eyes
Broader between the eyes
More width between the eyes
Wider between the eyes
Wider from eye to eye
More prominent, larger, brighter eye
Shorter down the bridge of the nose
More refined and shorter through the muzzle
Shorter, neater ear
More erect ear
Was tighter in the throat latch, and had a more naturally arching neck which tied higher into his (her) shoulder
Trimmer throat latch coupled with a longer, smoother neck
Had a longer, leaner neck
More shallow through the throat latch
Higher tying from the neck into the shoulder
Exhibited more presence and quality through the head and neck
More elegant and refined head and neck
Typey, sculptured face
Dry features of face
Had more active, alertly poised ears and a large, more lucid eye
Finer featured
More chiseled head
More expressive about the eyes and ears
Shorter distance from eye to muzzle
More prominent through the jaw
Larger, more flaring nostrils
More upheaded
Cleaner cut about the head and throat Longer necked
More naturally arching neck
Longer neck that rose out of a more angulated shoulder
Greater definition to the jugular groove
Showed more alertness about the head
Typier, more elegant head
IV. MUSCLING
Showed more tone and power of muscling from end to end
He showed a greater volume of muscling over his larger frame
Was heavier and had more bulge to her muscle pattern
An expressively muscled stallion
Exhibited more ripple and bulge of muscling
Has more muscling from end to end
Was more powerfully muscled in his shoulder, loin, hip and through the plane of his stifle
Spread a greater total volume and mass of muscling of his larger frame
Fuller through his forearm and shoulder, and was more powerfully muscled through his quarter, dropping down into a more flaring gaskin
Was especially more muscular, showing more width through the stifle dropping down to more bulging gaskins both inside and out, extending forward to a fuller loin and a heavier muscled shoulder
More length of hip
Stood on a wider, more desirable foundation
Wider chested, wider walking mare
Carried more powerful muscling in her chest
More powerfully built through the front
More evidence of V muscling
Was more prominently V-ed
Trimmer, neater in the V muscling V-ed up deeper in front
Longer and stronger hipped horse
Exhibited more muscle development in her quarter
Had a more uniform and athletically muscled hind leg
Was more uniformly muscled in the hind leg, being thicker and more bulging through her stifle and gaskin
Showed more total dimension to her hip, evidenced by being longer and flatter over the croup, and having more width and depth through the hind leg
She showed more thickness through the center of the stifle in relation to the points of the hip
Thicker, heavier muscled stifle
Was wider through the lower third of her hip, while possessing an especially heavier muscled gaskin
Was more vast and bulging through the outside and inside gaskin
Heavier muscled arm Stronger in the stifle
Heavier muscled thigh
Carried more volume of muscling to the upper, central and lower portions of the hip
Heavier muscled stallion that was particularly wider from stifle to stifle
Wider fore and aft
Stood out wider both fore and aft
This combined to give her more volume and substance
More dimension in his quarter, a quarter that is wider from stifle to stifle
V. STRUCTURE
Stands straighter and more structurally sound
Is more structurally correct by being
Squarer-placed legs
Stood on straighter legs
Stood wider both fore and aft, with all four legs set squarely beneath him
Stands more squarely on the feet
Stood more structurally correct through the hocks and front legs
Cleaner about the knees and hocks, with a finer and flatter cannon bone
Cannon bones coming out more nearly to the center of the knee
It was also very apparent that she stood with her cannon bones extended more squarely from the center of her knee
Stands on a shorter cannon
Stood on more rugged, durable type bone
Seemed to possess a heavier, denser bone
More substance of bone
Stood on a straighter column of bone
Knees and hocks are closer to the ground
More correct angle at the hock
Was wider between the hocks as viewed from the rear
Cleaner at the hocks
Longer, more sloping pasterns
More sloping pasterns
More shapely foot that was wider and deeper at the heel
Her hoof is more open at the heel
Wider, deeper heel
Straighter legged
Well-defined tendons
His joints were free of swelling and blemishes
Hooves were more proportional to her body size
VI. WAY OF GOING
Moved out with more clearance between the knees and hocks
Was a wider traveling mare
Moves out straighter and more correct at the walk (trot)
Tracked out straighter with a longer stride
Straighter, truer stride
Exhibited more length and spring when at the walk
Moved with a more athletic and agile stride showing greater drive off his hocks
Moved with a greater softness of stride
Longer, more efficient ground-covering stride
Longer, softer-strided horse
More forceful stride
Moved out with a longer stride, showing more freedom of movement
More direct stride
A prompt stride
Longer, further-reaching stride
Freer moving, having a bolder, longer stride
More fluid
Sounder moving mare
Softer moving horse
More coordinated mover
More energetic in her movements
More flexion to the hocks, with more elevation and reach from the forehand
Takes a nicer position of legs and feet
More flexion of the knee and hock with more reach
More forward impulsion
More collected stride
Greater freedom of movement
More nearly floating strides
More stylish on the move
Is more upheaded on the move
Showing more movement and freedom of motion in his shoulder
More athletic and agile stride
When on the move, she exhibited more beauty and presence, possessing a more floating stride
Drives from behind with more hock action
VII. BREED, SEX CHARACTER AND QUALITY
Higher quality hair coat Finer hair coat
Showed more beauty, bloom and vigor
Was a more stylish, eye appealing, higher quality mare
Exhibited a more attractive, breedier head of greater quality
Shows more breed character about the head and neck
Showed more breed character and femininity
Showed more femininity
Showed more refinement about the head
The mare was more refined and stylish
She exhibited more overall style and beauty
Showed more masculinity
He had a larger, more bulging jaw
More prominent, deeper jaw
More bulge and prominence of jaw
More alert about the head, showing a brighter eye
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE FAULTS IN CONFORMATION
I. GENERAL APPEARANCE
Short, off-type mare
Light muscled, off-balanced gelding (mare, stallion)
Lacked balance and quality
Smallest, least balanced horse in the class
Rough-made mare, lacking femininity
Lacked the style and quality of the other mares
Coarser made, lightest muscled and most narrow based
Is too fat and soft
Is too thin
Old fashioned
Lacked the style and presence
II. BALANCE
Shallow middled, light-quartered stallion
Shallow through the heart girth (barrel)
Lacked the capacity and depth of those I placed above him
He is narrow in his chest and shallow in the heart girth
Shallow hearted
Long back
Was long and weak over the topline
Steep shoulder and croup
Has a short, steep croup
Has a short, straight shoulder
Is too straight in the shoulders
Mutton withered
Thick (muttony) withers
Coarse at the withers
Less prominent over the withers
Low-backed, weak loin, high hips
Weak through the back and loin
Had a long, weak back in relation to his underline
III. HEAD AND NECK
Least attractive
Longer, coarser, plainer headed
Coarse head
Less refined in the bone about the head
Long ears
Long face
Narrow between the eyes
Duller, smaller eye
Large, coarse muzzle
Wasty throated
Thick throat latch
Heavier, thicker through the throat latch
Too thick at the base of the neck
Low neck attachment
Cresty neck
Neck joined in extremely low into steeper shoulders
Short, thick neck that tied low into the shoulder
Small, unattractive eye
IV. MUSCLING
Was the narrowest based horse, lacking the muscling of the ideal
Narrow chested, close traveling horse
Lacked volume and dimension through the hip, gaskin and stifle
Flat chested
Was flat through the V muscling and exhibited short, bunchy muscling from end to end
Showed equal width between the top of the hip and through the stifle when viewed from the rear
Has a low tail setting
Short in the underline
Long coupled
V. STRUCTURE
Structurally incorrect, being ...
Stood crooked and structurally unsound
Shorter, straighter in the pasterns
Has short, steep pastern
Steep pasterns
Longer, weaker in the pasterns
Was post-legged
Bench kneed
Pigeon toed
Cow-hocked (stood close at the hocks)
Is a sickle-hocked stallion
Crooked through the front legs with the cannon bone coming out of the side of the knees
Cannons came out of the side of her knees
Had a long, weak cannons with splints and had wind puffs through the fetlocks and hocks
Calf kneed (back at the knees)
Buck kneed (stood over at the knees)
Splay-footed
Is a flat-footed mare
Stood on a hoof too small for his size
Cracked, brittle hooves
Hoof was narrow at the heel
Contracted at the heel
Stood on bone too fine for her massive size
Round, coarse boned
Has too fine a bone
Has too light a bone
Puffy about the knees and hocks
Was stocked up behind
Stocked up in all fours
Joints were puffy and swollen
Coarse in underpinnings
Lacked definition of tendons
Club-footed
Mule-footed
VI. WAY OF GOING
Appeared to be the least athletic
Appeared to be a rough-moving horse
Was a coarser moving individual
Lacked the length of stride when compared to
Walks close at the ankles
Crosses over
Does not travel straight
Moves stiff
Paddled out with the right front leg
Winged in
Small, being choppy and short in her (his) stride
Tracked shorter and choppier
Lacked animation and style
Has a rough, pounding gait
Short-legged, poorly moving
Limped on the right hind leg
Favored the left hind leg
Sluggish moving
Moved more sluggishly
Exhibited more rotation to the hocks while traveling
Tracked with more deviation from a straight plane of motion
Rolling at the hocks
Long, weak pasterns
VII. BREED, SEX CHARACTER AND QUALITY
Showed the least breed character
Was feminine about his head
Was masculine about her head
Looked dull and sulky out her eye
Lacked a powerful jaw
Had a dull hair coat
Lower quality hair coat
Possesses a rough hair coat
Lacks style, symmetry and animation
Low-headed; plain, lacks eye appeal
The following are sample sets of reasons for halter classes.
SIR, I PLACED THIS CLASS OF AGED QUARTER HORSE STALLIONS 2-3-1-4
I realize and appreciate the fact that all of the horses in today's class possessed superior quality.
After analyzing the top pair, I preferred to place 2 over 3, due to his typiness, balance, muscling and overall appearance. 2 possessed a much typier head, as evidenced by a shorter, neater ear; a brighter, kinder eye and a more flaring nostril. Also, 2 was much cleaner through his throat latch, more prominent at the withers, shorter in his back in relation to his underline and heavier muscled through his shoulder, loin, hip and through the plane of his stifle. In addition, 2 was the most athletic mover in the class.
I'm fully aware that 3 appeared to be a bigger, larger-boned stallion, and was taller at the withers.
In justifying the middle pair, I placed 3 over 1, realizing that it was a very difficult placing. 3, the Palomino, was a taller, more upstanding stallion that stood more structurally correct on his feet and legs. 3 possessed a much longer, trimmer neck that tied in higher to a more desirably sloped shoulder. Moreover, 3 stood on a shorter cannon bone and was much cleaner about the hocks. Also, 3 moved out with a longer stride, showing more movement and freedom of motion in his shoulder when at the walk and trot.
I acknowledge that 1 was obviously a thicker, heavier muscled stallion, that was particularly wider from stifle to stifle.
After closely analyzing the bottom pair, I'm fully aware that both 1 and 4 were the most structurally incorrect stallions in today's class; nevertheless, I placed 1, the chestnut, over 4, the bay, due to his advantage in muscling and overall quality. I displayed a heavier-muscled forearm and shoulder, stronger loin and a longer, thicker, more bulging hindquarter. 1 was also much wider from stifle to stifle and exhibited more circumference of muscling in his gaskin. Aside from this, 1 was a flashier stallion from head to tail, that simply had more presence in the ring.
I grant 4 was a taller stallion.
Now, in closing, I easily placed 4 at the bottom of the class for he was the
plainest, coarsest, most structurally incorrect stallion in the class. 4
possessed a small, unattractive eye, was thick about the throat latch and had
the dullest hair coat in the class. Furthermore, 4 simply lacked the style and
presence of the three stallions I placed above him.
Sir, it is for these reasons I placed the Aged Stallions, 2-3-1-4.
I PLACED THIS CLASS OF QUARTER HORSE MARES 1-2-3-4
I placed 1 at the top of the class today because she had the best combination of balance, breed character and muscling.
In the top pair, I placed 1 over 2, as 1 possessed a more powerful muscle through the shoulder, a thicker and fuller muscle through the forearm, being wider through the chest and more V-ed in the front. She had a longer and trimmer neck, in addition to standing more structurally correct, having a more correct angle to the hock with the cannon bone coming more nearly out of the center of the knee. She also showed more alertness about the head having a more natural, well-shaped ear.
I grant that 2 showed more femininity about the head, being shorter through the muzzle, and was cleaner and trimmer through the throat latch. She was also deeper through the heart girth.
In the middle pair, I placed 2 over 3, as 2 had a nicer combination of breed character and refinement. She had a more refined, more feminine head, having a kinder eye and was trimmer about the muzzle. She had a smoother blending of all body parts with more definition of muscle, and was also longer and smoother made. She also showed more bloom and vigor to her hair coat. She was more desirably tied in at the knee, with a longer, more sloping pastern.
I grant that 3 was a truer traveling mare.
In the bottom pair, I placed 3 over 4, as 3 was a more balanced mare, being shorter through the back and longer through the underline. She had a longer and trimmer neck that was set in higher at the shoulder. She was more correctly turned over the croup, and stood more structurally correct through the hocks and front legs, with the cannon bone coming out more nearly to the center of the knee.
I grant that the 4 mare was wider traveling and had a more refined head that was cleaner about the muzzle.
However, I criticize 4 for lacking the quality and balance of the other mares in the class. She tended to be coarse and thick through the neck, as it set too low into the shoulder. She was steep over the croup and possessed a rough hair coat. She was also structurally incorrect by being crooked through the front legs with the cannon bone coming out the side of the knees and cow-hocked behind.
For these reasons, I placed this class of Quarter Horse mares, 1-2-3-4.
I PLACED THIS CLASS OF QUARTER HORSE GELDINGS 2-1-3-4
In the top pair, I placed 2, the sorrel with two rear socks, over 1, the bay. 2 was a stouter made, wider based, more powerfully built gelding. He was a heavier muscled gelding, that was more prominently V-ed in his chest floor, showing a more bulging muscle to his forearm, as well as to the inside and outside of his gaskin.
He showed more strength from withers to loin, and more dimension to his quarter, a quarter that was wider from stifle to stifle. 2 was deeper through the heart girth showing greater circumference of barrel. He stood out wider both fore and aft with all four legs setting squarely on the corners of his body. He stood on a shorter cannon bone with his knees and hocks closer to the ground, and moved with a more athletic and agile stride showing greater drive off his hocks as he moved at the trot.
On the other hand, I concede that 1 was a taller gelding that moved with a longer stride.
Coming to the middle pair, I favored 1 over 3. 1 combined to a higher degree of muscling, balance and size. I was a taller gelding, showing greater height at the top of his withers. He was longer bodied, showing greater length of neck and hip. His shortness of back, length of underline and depth of heart combined to give him a more balanced appearance as viewed from the side. In addition, he spread a greater total volume of mass of muscling over his larger frame. I exhibited a more desirable slope of shoulder and pastern, and moved with a more elongated ground-covering stride at the walk and trot.
I grant that 3 was a more fit and expressively muscled gelding.
In the bottom pair, I placed 3 over 4. 3, the chestnut gelding, was a more stylish, eye appealing, higher quality gelding. He showed greater length from his poll to his withers, was shorter over his back in relation to his longer underline and leveler over his croup, giving him a more ideal profile when viewed from the side. He showed greater muscle expression, as he was fuller through his forearm and shoulder, and was more powerfully muscled in his quarter, dropping down into a more flaring gaskin. He was lighter conditioned, as he was leaner about the neck and throat latch, and more prominent about the withers. Furthermore, he stood more structurally correct on his feet and legs, and moved with greater softness of stride.
I readily admit that 4, the grey, was a trifle taller gelding. Nevertheless, I criticize him and placed him at the bottom of today's class because he was a narrow-based, shallow-bodied, light-muscled gelding that lacked balance and substance of those I placed above him. He was straight in the shoulder and pastern, and moved with the shortest, choppiest stride in today's class.
For these reasons, I place this class of geldings 2-1-3-4.
Chapter Five: WESTERN PLEASURE, HUNTER UNDER SADDLE AND HUNTER HACK
WESTERN PLEASURE
Western pleasure is an event judged on a horse's ability to be a pleasure to ride. To be a pleasure to ride, a horse must be broke and quiet, soft and smooth, and go with little restraint. In addition, a horse must meet the requirements of the class.
The Official Handbook of the American Quarter Horse Association describes the western pleasure class in the following manner;
Western pleasure is shown at a walk, jog and lope each way of the ring. Horses are required to back easily and stand readily. A good pleasure horse has a stride of reasonable length in keeping with his conformation. He had enough cushion to his pastern to give the rider a pleasant, smooth ride. He carries his head in a natural position, not high and oversexed at the poll or low with the nose out. Credit should be given to a horse that is relaxed, but has his ears alert, looks balanced in his way of going, and is bright, as well as responsive to the reins. When asked to ex- tend the jog, he moves out with the same smooth way of going.
The walk is a natural, flat-footed four-beat gait. The horse must move straight and true at the walk. The walk must be alert, with a stride of reasonable length, in keeping with the size, of the horse.
The jog is a smooth, ground-covering two-beat diagonal gait. The horse works from one pair of diagonals to the other pair. The jog should be square, balanced and with a straight, forward movement of the feet. Horses walking with their back feet and jogging on the front are not considered to be performing the required gait. When asked to extend the jog, he moves out with the same smooth way of going.
The lope is an easy, rhythmical three-beat gait. Horses moving to the left should lope on the left lead. Horses moving to the right should lope on the right lead. Horses traveling at a four-beat gait are not considered to be performing at a proper lope. The horse should lope with a natural stride and appear relaxed and smooth. He should be ridden at a speed that is a natural way of going. The head should be carried at an angle that is natural and suitable to the horse's conformation at all gaits.
FAULTS: Changing hands on reins, two hands on reins (unless showing with a snaffle or hackamore), more than one finger between reins, being on the wrong lead, excessive speed (any gait), excessive slowness (any gait), breaking gait, failure to take the called-for gait when called for, touching the horse or saddle with free hand, head carried too low or too high, nosing out or flexing behind the vertical, opening mouth excessively, stumbling or falling and use of spurs or romal forward of the cinch. Head carriage and disqualification.
Western pleasure classes are placed on four main criteria: 1) broke and quiet, 2) soft and smooth, 3) functionally correct and 4) loose rein.
Again, it is possible to use a chart to aid you in placing the class. Suppose the class was evaluated as follows for the four main criteria:
| HORSE | BROKE QUIET |
SOFT SMOOTH |
CORRECT | REIN LOOSE |
TOTAL |
| 1 | 4th | 3rd | 4th | 4th | 15 |
| 2 | 3rd | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | 13 |
| 3 | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 7 |
| 4 | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 5 |
THIS CLASS WOULD BE PLACED 4-3-2-1.
HUNTER UNDER SADDLE
Hunters under saddle should be suitable to purpose. Ideally, it should be a horse that is ridden through fields and woods, over brush and fence, following hounds chasing a fox. They should move in a long, low frame, and be able to lengthen their stride and cover ground as in traversing hunt country following hounds. They should be obedient, alert and responsive to their riders. Quick, short strides should be penalized. Horses which move in an artificial frame, are over flexed and behind the bit should also be penalized. Hunters under saddle are shown at a walk, trot and canter both ways of the ring. They also may be asked to extend the trot and hand gallop. Horses should back easily and stand quietly.
GAITS: Walk - forward, working walk, rhythmical and flat-footed; extremely slow, or "jiggy" walk to be penalized. Trot - long, low, ground-covering, cadenced and balanced strides. Smoothness is more essential than speed. Extreme speed to be penalized. Excessive knee action to be penalized. Canter - smooth, free-moving, relaxed and straight on both leads. The stride should be suitable to cover ground following hounds. Over-collected, four-beat canter to be penalized. Excessive speed to be penalized. Hand gallop - should be a definite lengthening of the stride with a noticeable difference in speed. The horse should be under control at all times and be able to pull up (not a sliding stop).
Hunter under saddle classes are also placed on four criteria: 1) broke and quiet, 2) soft and smooth, 3) way of going and 4) functionally correct. Use a chart to aid you in placing this class.
| HORSE | SOFT SMOOTH |
WAY OF GOING |
BROKE QUIET |
CORRECT | TOTAL |
| 1 | 3rd | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 10 |
| 2 | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 5 |
| 3 | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 16 |
| 4 | 2nd | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 9 |
THIS CLASS WOULD BE PLACED 2-4-1-3
HUNTER HACK
The hunter hack horse should move in the same style as a working hunter. Horses are first required to jump two fences, two feet to two feet, six inches in height. Horses are then shown at a walk, trot and canter both ways of the ring.
When judging hunter hack classes, it is best to divide the over-fence work into three equal parts; 1) the first jump, 2) the second jump and 3) the hand gallop and stop. Use a scoring system of 1-8 or 1-10 for each maneuver. A total of 1-24 or 1-30 points will result. Hunter hack is judged 70 percent on the over fences and 30 percent on rail work. Basically, rail work should only be used to break ties and close pairs.
Fences: To be judged on manners, way of going and style of jumping, horses should have an even hunting pace and cover the course with free, flowing strides. Preference will be shown to horses with correct jumping style that meet the fences in stride without interrupting rhythm. Horses are to meet fences squarely, jumping at the center of the fence.
Flat work: Walk - forward, working walk, rhythmical and flat-footed, extremely slow or "jiggy" walk to be penalized. Trot - long, low, ground-covering, cadenced and balanced strides. Smoothness more essential than speed. Extreme speed to be penalized. Excessive knee action to be penalized. Canter - smooth, free moving, relaxed and straight on both leads. The stride should be suitable to cover ground following hounds. Over-collected, four-beat canter to be penalized. Excessive speed to be penalized. Hand-gallop - should be definite lengthening of the stride with a noticeable difference in speed. The horse should be under control at all times and be able to pull up (not a sliding stop).
TERMS TO COMPLIMENT PLEASURE HORSES
OPENING STATEMENTS
Overwhelmed the class with her style and easy, quiet way of going
A peaceable top, as he was the easiest, freest moving, most stylish horse that more closely typified the ideal
Considered a placeable top, as he was the most consistent and efficient performer
Was a quieter horse, that slipped down the rail showing more brilliance and style
Easier moving, showing more ability and a quieter pleasure horse disposition
Appears to give a more comfortable ride
BROKE AND QUIET
Most broke, consistent and relaxed horse
A more relaxed, obedient mare
Was more consistent and efficient throughout the performance
Was a steadier, nicer mannered gelding
Showed less resistance and hesitation to the riders aids and cues
Simply a more steady, solid and consistent performer
Was the most broke and honest performer in the class
Required less fixing and checking on the part of the rider
He was more mindful of the bit and carried his head more correctly
Was quieter and calmer going both ways of the ring
A more solid, quieter horse
Showed to give a more pleasing ride, as she was more relaxed and less nervous
Quieter, calmer and more consistent performer
Going both ways of the ring in a quieter and calmer fashion
BACK
Backs easily without being forced
More responsive when asked to back, responding by dropping off the bit, backing faster and straighter
Backed straighter and faster
Backed with less mouthing of the bit
TRANSITIONS
Quicker to make transitions throu2h the 2aits
Smoother transitions
Smoother and quicker in his transitions from the walk to canter
Accepted transitions with less resistance
Smoother, faster, more prompt transitions
He was more prompt and exact in the transition of gaits
Stopped squarely and easily
Took leads without hesitation
Responsive to rider's wishes
Was more responsive to the rider's aids and cues
Showed more response to his rider, picking up his leads quickly and more correctly, going both ways in a quieter fashion
Showed more response to his rider picking up his-leads quicker and more correctly
ATTITUDE
More acceptance to the bit evidence of being quieter at the bit
Is a willing worker
Performed in a more workman-like manner
More willing and obedient
More obedient down the side rail
More alert and attentive
Appears more pleasant
More pleasant and willing attitude
Expressed a kinder, more agreeable attitude
Showed more expression while working, showing more willingness and alertness out of the eyes
Gives the appearance that he enjoys his work
Readily yielded to her rider's commands
Was lighter and more responsive to the rider
Moved with less restraint
Reined readily, without hesitation
Shows more feeling in his (her) mouth Responsive and agreeable to aids
Performed his duties in a more willing and positive manner
SOFT
He (she) had a more stylish way of going
Was a lighter, softer traveling horse
Moved in a more rhythmic way of showing more brilliance and style
For she was the most stylish, fluid and softest traveling horse in this class
She has a more polished, stylish performance, being steady and correct throughout the class
She slipped across the ground staying lower and leveler, showing greater reach of forearm at the walk, trot and canter
Was a lower, flatter, smoother moving horse
Was a flatter moving horse, that appeared to give a more comfortable ride as she hit the ground softer and lighter on all fours
More extended and freer moving Had a more defined trot
Had a more definite 2-beat trot Goes more collected at the lope
More supple at the jog, hitting the ground softer and smoother with all four feet
Had more length and spring to his stride
More nicely balanced, more athletic gelding
Moved in a more collected way at a more ideal speed
More cadenced at the walk and trot, and had a more precise 3-beat lope Traveled in a softer, more supple fashion
Had a more stylish way of going, moving with more balance
Showed to be a more athletic gelding, having greater length of stride, as well as softness
Especially flashier in her movements
Engaging his hindquarters with greater drive and impulsion
Moved along the rail in a more collected way of going at a more ideal speed Moved in a more collected manner
REIN
Moved on the loosest rein with the softest contact from his rider
Traveled straighter down the rail at a more desirable speed
More desirable drape of rein
Leveler over the topline, more perpendicular in his headset as he went straighter down the rail on a much longer, more trusting rein
Showed more flexion at the poll, looking straighter through the bridle while working off a looser rein
Went on the longest rein with the lightest contact
HEADSET
Looked straighter through the bridle
He carried his head so that his eyes were in the same plane or above his withers
Was more mindful of the bit and carried his head more correctly (naturally).
Carried his head with his eyes more nearly level to his withers
His head was held more nearly perpendicular to the ground
Had more contact with the bit
Nicer headset, traveling with more flexion to the poll
Held head more naturally and showed more alertness and expression about the head
Carries his (her) head more desirably
Carries a more natural flex at the poll
More relaxed through the jaw, yet more attentive about the head and ears
Her head held closer to the vertical
Cleaner throat latch and a longer, more naturally arched neck
Carries his head in a more natural way
QUALITY AND CONFORMATION
Bloomier, flashier, showing more quality
More presence
Is a flashier gelding (mare)
Greater expression as she moved along the rail with a greater usage of ears and eyes More alert and attentive
Showed more bloom and vigor to his hair coat
HUNTER UNDER SADDLE TERMS TO COMPLIMENT WAY OF GOING
Freer moving in her shoulder as she showed with more extension of stride in all her gaits
Brisker moving horse that maintained more extension of stride throughout the class
Showed more impulsion and drive off his hocks
Was a lighter, softer traveling horse that showed more spring and animation of stride
Longer, more ground covering, purposeful stride
Showed more spring and flash in his movements
Bolder moving horse that showed more length of stride, as well as more impulsion and drive off his hocks
A brisker-moving horse that maintained more extension throughout the duration of the class
Lengthening equally from shoulder and stifle, achieving greater length with each stride
Kept his hocks well underneath him showing greater drive from the hocks
Moved forward into the trot with more hindquarter impulsion, more willingly without hesitation
More sweeping trot
Showed more energy and purpose of stride
Exhibited greater forward impulsion from the hindquarters while at the canter
A more energetic trot with more snap and flexion of knees and more hock action
More snap, flexion and elasticity
Engaged rear quarters with more drive
TERMS USED TO CRITICIZE A PLEASURE HORSE
GENERAL STATEMENT'S
Lacks style
Lacks pleasure horse type
Lacks a pleasure horse disposition
Simply could not compete with the style and movement of the top three horses
Was the least broke, poorest mover in the class, simply lacking pleasure horse characteristics
Could not compete in today's class
Lacked the style and movement of the ideal pleasure horse
Failed to perform his (her) duties in a pleasurable manner
Did not display a pleasurable ride
Lacked the consistency and efficiency of the horses placed above him
Appeared to give an uncomfortable ride
Lacked the ability of a pleasure horse
BROKE
Was the least broke horse in the class
Simply not broke
Was a high-headed, nervous horse
Inconsistent throughout the class
Required the most restraint from his rider
Travels with excessive speed and must be controlled with undue restraint
Needed excessive restraint
Is unresponsive to his (her) rider
Bucks
Breaks gait
Became more excited as the work progressed
Lacks consistency at the lope (trot, jog)
Missed his (her) left (right) lead
Afraid of other horses
BACK
Did not back
Was forced to back
Was unwilling to back
Hesitated and swished his tail excessively when asked to back
Raised his head, and mouthed the bit, lacking flexion and give to the bit when asked to back
Backed crooked and unwillingly
Opens his mouth when asked to back
TRANSITIONS
Has slow transitions
Has rough transitions
Was slow and ill in the transitions of gaits, throwing his head and wringing his tail
QUIET
Works sour
Seems unpleasant
Was an unwilling performer
Anticipated his rider's aids
Listened to announcer
Hard mouthed, fights the bit
Fighting bit, swishing tail
Was an unwilling performer, evidenced by his wringing his tail and chewing the bit
Excessively mouthed the bit
Poorly mannered about the head
Jawing and fussing at the bit
Showed the least ability and the worst pleasure horse disposition
SOFT
Rough in her way of going
Lacks smoothness
Lacks suppleness
Traveled rough, lacked smoothness
He was rough at the walk (trot, lope)
Had a short, choppy stride
Lacks animation
Lacks balance
Moves too slow
Moves too fast
Lacked a definite two-beat trot
Four beating
Was disunited at the lope (canter)
Was lame Rein
Was ridden on the tightest rein
Lacked the desirable length of rein
Required the most restraint from the rider
Rider had to ride with too tight of a rein
Headset
Carried his head too high (low)
Traveled with her nose stuck out
Heavy on the bit
Was hard mouthed, fighting the bit throughout the class
Is behind the bit
Was over-flexed and heavy on his front end
She is a heavy fronted horse
Is above the bit and hollow down her back, lacking collection at the lope
Is over-collected and behind the vertical
Too high in his head carriage
Nosed out on the move, lacking flexion at the poll
Quality and Conformation
Was extremely thick in the throatlatch and neck, lacking desirable flexion in the poll
Showed the least ability
The following are sample set of reasons for Western Pleasure and Hunter Under Saddle.
Western Pleasure
I PLACED THE WESTERN PLEASURE 1-2-3 AND 4.
I started this class with the most stylish mover, 1, and left the poorer moving, most resistant horses in the bottom pair.
After analyzing the top pair, I preferred to place 1 over 2, 1, the Palomino gelding, had a more stylish way of going, moving with more balance and cadence at the walk, trot and canter. I traveled with a more definite two-beat jog and three-beat canter, having more impulsion and drive from his hocks. It was also apparent that 1 was more collected at the canter. I'm aware that 1 did not possess the long, ground covering stride of the ideal western pleasure horse.
In discussing the middle pair, I placed 2 over 3. 2 more consistent and calmer going both ways of the arena. She had a nicer head and neck carriage, showing more flexion at the poll and looking straighter through the bridle while working off a looser rein. 2 also had smoother transitions from the canter to the walk.
Proceeding on to the bottom pair, I favored 3 over 4. 3 showed to be a more athletic gelding, having greater length, as well as softness to his stride. 3 was also quieter and calmer going both ways of the arena, and showed more obedience to the rider. I realize 3 worked off a tight rein and possessed little flexion at the poll.
In closing, I faulted 4 and placed him at the bottom of the class because he showed the most resistance to his rider's aids and cues, worked off a tight rein throughout the entire performance, and thus appeared to be the least enjoyable horse to ride.
It is for these reasons, I placed the Western Pleasure 1-2-3-4.
Western Pleasure
MY PLACING ON THE WESTERN PLEASURE IS 4-3-2 AND 1.
In analyzing the top pair, I favored 4, the grey stallion over 3. 4 appeared to be a more willing performer, showing greater response and obedience to his rider. He moved with a more collected way of going, having a more ideal speed at the walk, trot and canter. He was more prompt and exact in his transitions going both ways of the ring. Aside from this, 4 appeared to be more relaxed through the jaw and exhibited a more pleasing disposition as evidenced by his quietness of mouth and tail.
I am aware that 4 did not possess the length and softness of stride of an ideal Western Pleasure horse.
In discussing the middle pair, I placed 3, the bay mare, over 2. 3 was more consistent and calmer going both ways of the arena, showing less resistance and hesitation to her rider's aids and cues. She worked off of a looser rein, requiring softer contact by her rider while looking straighter through the bridle. Furthermore, 3 showed to be more relaxed through the jaw, yet more attentive about the head while jogging out with a more definite two-beat trot and three- beat canter. It was also very apparent that 3 displayed more beauty and bloom to her hair coat and was especially flashier in her movements.
I realize that 2 exhibited more flexion at the poll when at the trot and canter.
In focusing on the bottom pair, I preferred to place 2, the Palomino gelding, over 1. 2 appeared to be a more athletic gelding having greater length, as well as softness to his stride. He was also quieter and calmer going both ways of the arena, being less resentful of his rider's aids and thus displayed more acceptance of the bit.
I faulted 2, however, for being slow when asked to back and working off a tighter rein than those horses placed above him.
In closing, I placed I at the bottom of today's class because he showed the most resistance to his rider's aids and cues, worked off a tight rein throughout the entire performance and thus appeared to be the least enjoyable horse to ride.
For these reasons, 4-3-2 and I is the way I placed the Western Pleasure class.
Western Pleasure
I PLACED THIS CLASS OF WESTERN PLEASURE 4-3-1 AND 2.
In the top pair, I placed 4, the sorrel gelding, over 3, the sorrel mare. 4 was quieter, calmer and more collected at he traveled both ways of the arena. He was more responsive and agreeable to his rider's cues and aids. Furthermore, he moved on the loosest rein with the softest contact from his rider of any horse exhibited in today's class. However, I grant that 3 backed more readily with a more definite two-beat back.
Moving to the middle pair, I favored 3 over 1. 3 was a more willing worker that performed his duties with a more positive attitude. She was a nicer mannered, more relaxed mare that more readily yielded to her rider's demands. 3 moved along the rail in a more collected way of going at a more ideal speed. She showed greater expression as she moved along the rail, with more use of her ears and more alert- ness about her eyes. In addition, she backed faster and straighter.
On the other hand, I concede that 3 moved with a longer, more extended stride in each gait.
Coming to the bottom pair, I like 1, the palomino gelding, over 2, the bay mare. 1 was simply a more steady, solid and consistent performer throughout the duration of the class. I moved with a more balanced way of going, showing greater reach of forearm, as well as greater extension in 0 three gaits. He exhibited a more desirable head carriage, keeping his eyes more nearly in the plane of his withers and less con- tact was maintained with his mouth by his rider throughout the class. He showed less resistance to his rider's wishes, as evidenced in his quiet mouth and tail.
I do recognize that 1 backed off to the side and showed a slight resistance when asked to back. Consequently, I readily admit that 2 backed straighter and more quickly when asked to do so.
In closing, I placed 2 at the bottom of today's class and criticize her because she was a high-headed, highly nervous mare that moved on the tightest rein. Aside from this, she broke gait at the lope, while going the first way of the arena and lacked the overall consistency of those I placed above her.
For these reasons, I placed this class of Western Pleasure 4-3-1-2.
HUNTER UNDER SADDLE
I PLACED THIS CLASS OF HUNTERS UNDER SADDLE 2-1-4 AND 3.
I found the sorrel gelding to dominate the class in terms of his style, rhythm and length of stride, as well as more closely fitting the description of the ideal hunter under saddle.
Judging the top pair, I placed 2 over 1. 2 exhibited a more desirable head carriage, keeping his eyes more nearly in the plane of his withers and less contact was maintained with his mouth by his rider throughout the class. Going along with this, he also reached further from his shoulder, extending well past the knees plus had more power and drive through his hindquarters, allowing him to achieve greater distance with every stride. I also noted that he cantered with a more nearly level topline, having more balance and rhythm as he traveled along the rail.
I do acknowledge that I moved out more briskly and with greater speed at the hand gallop.
Discussing the middle pair, I decided on I over 4. 1 was basically of a more desirable type, being especially taller and more fluid in his movement, deriving from a longer, lower, more efficient ground-covering stride. Not only that, but he was steadier and flatter at the canter, not to mention backed straighter and easier, tracking back with more definite two beats.
Coming to the bottom pair, 4 over 3 was chosen in a relatively close placing. 4 did show more length and reach of stride than did 3, having a longer, more sweeping trot and a more elongated stride at the walk.
I did recognize 4 climbed in front at the canter, whereas 3 was more level
and traveled with his eyes at a more correct level.
Be that as it may, I preferred 3 at the bottom of the class as he was decidedly
shorter in the stride, lacking the smoothness and fluidity of a pleasurable
horse to ride. In addition, he was more resistant to the bit, evident by his
unwillingness when asked to back.
For these reasons, I derived a placing of 2-1-4- and 3.
HUNTER UNDER SADDLE
I PLACED THIS CLASS OF HUNTERS UNDER SADDLE 1-2-3- AND 4.
I found an exceptional top horse in 1, and a bottom pair of 3 and 4. Concerning the top pair, I have 1, the bay, blazed faced gelding over and above 2. 1 was a brisker, lighter moving horse that maintained more extension and elongation of stride throughout the class, as well as more impulsion and drive from his hocks. Additionally, he kept his head held more ideally on the vertical while at the same time being ridden with softer contact. I also appeared to be a kinder, more willing horse that showed more expression and presence than any other horse in the class.
I will admit that 1 became nervous and raised his head when coming down from the canter when going to the right, and render the fact that 2, the big sorrel gelding, was a more solid and consistent horse.
Regarding the middle pair, I preferred 2 over 3 simply because he contributed a quieter, more consistent and solid performance. Moreover, he was freer moving in the shoulder, as he showed more extension in all gaits, especially at the hand gallop. Furthermore, I was more willing to back as he did respond by getting off the bit, flexing at the poll and backing straighter and faster.
In the bottom pair of 3 over 4, I favored 3 primarily because the brown gelding was a nicer mannered and lighter, more cadenced mover. He exhibited more thrust and drive off his hocks, and more flexion at the poll.
I recognize that he backed crooked and concede that 4 gave the appearance of being a longer-strided horse.
I close with 4 at the bottom of the class for the brown mare was an extremely heavy fronted mare, as she stumbled badly when trotting to the right and was over flexed throughout the duration of the class. She required the most aid from the rider and was the most ill and resistant horse in the class today.
It was for these reasons, I placed this class of hunter under saddle 1-2-3 and 4.
Chapter Six: REINING
Two sets of rules most often used when judging reining are those of the National Reining Horse Association and the American Quarter Horse Association. Although there is little difference between the two, it is important to be aware of which set of rules are being followed in a judging contest.
In an approved reining class, any one of 6 approved AQHA reining pattern may be used. One of these 6 patterns is to be selected by the judge of the class and used by all contestants in the class.
Each contestant will perform the required pattern individually and
separately. To rein a horse is not only to guide him, but also to control his
every movement. The best reined horse should be willfully guided and controlled
with little or no apparent resistance and dictated to completely. Any movement
on his own must be considered a lack of control. All deviations from the exact
written pattern must be considered a lack or temporary loss of control, and
therefore faulted according to severity of deviation. Credit will be given for
smoothness, finesse, attitude, quickness and authority in performing various
maneuvers while using controlled speed.
Scoring will be on the basis of 0-100, with 70 denoting an average performance.
The following will result in a no score:
The following will result in a reduction of five points:
The following will result in a reduction of two points:
Starting or performing circles out of lead will be judged as follows:
Each time a horse is out of lead, a judge is required to deduct one point, which is accumulative, and the judge will deduct one point for each quarter of the circumference of the circle or any part thereof the horse is out of lead. The judge is required to deduct a half-point for a delayed change of lead by one stride.
Deduct 1/2 point for starting a circle at a jog or exiting rollbacks at a jog up to two strides. Jogging beyond two strides, but less than 1/2 circle or 1/2 the length of the arena, deduct two points.
Deduct 1/2 point for over or under spinning up to 1/8 of a turn, deduct one point for over or under spinning from 1/8 to 1/4 turn.
Deduct 1/2 point for failure to remain a minimum of 20 from wall or fence when approaching a stop and/or rollback.
When a change of lead is specified immediately prior to a run at the end of the arena, failure to change leads will be penalized as follows; failure to change leads by one stride - 1/2 point; failure to change leads beyond stride but completed prior to next maneuver - one point; lead is not changed prior to next maneuver - two points; in patterns requiring a run-around, failure to be on the correct lead when rounding the end of the arena will be penalized one point; failure to be on the correct lead prior to the center point of the arena will be a two-point penalty.
Faults against the horse to be scored accordingly, but not to cause disqualification:
Faults against the rider to be scored accordingly, but not to cause disqualification:
TERMS USED TO COMPLIMENT A REINING HORSE
OPENING STATEMENTS
Exhibited the most agility and control
Ran the fastest pattern with more control and authority
He showed more willingness and precision in executing the prescribed pattern For the most part, he accomplished more of his pattern
He simply got more done
He was simply more fundamentally correct throughout the pattern
She ran a more difficult and demanding pattern, and yet showed a more positive expression
Exhibited more athletic ability and handle throughout the pattern
Rider had a greater degree of handle on the horse, thus requiring less excessive reining and leg cues
Was more stylish in the pattern, which was a more definite, well-blended combination of fast and hard, soft and slow
Her pattern was quicker and more correct, and she was obviously the top horse in today's class
Placed at the top of the class because she exhibited a more complete picture of control, smoothness and speed
Was a more natural, athletic horse, being a brighter, cleaner mover, holding a steadier rhythm and cadence
The pattern was more accurate and was run with more effort and control from horse and rider
He was a more suitable reiner, being more broke, accepting the rider's control with- out resistance
Smoothly achieved control
Accepted the rider's contact, staying lighter and more supple through his neck and jaw
Flowed through the pattern
More accurate in his pattern
Illustrated and/or showed a more aggressive manner
More exciting and pleasing form
Showed more finesse and control
More relaxed throughout the pattern
STOPS AND RUNS
More controlled ideal stops Fell deeper into the ground
Dropped deeper into the ground
Dropped his hocks deeper into the ground
Stopped with her haunches deeper in the ground
Her stops were deeper and more completely shut down
His stops were more stylish, being deeper with a longer slide
Deeper, straighter slides
Performed a more correct sliding stop
Had longer slides
Stopped in a more relaxed manner
Was more confident in his stops
Was a smoother, longer stopping horse
Exhibited a more controlled and relaxed sliding stop
Stopped squarer
Worked off his haunches and maintained movement in his front end, allowing him to have a more relaxed stop
Dropped his hindquarters deeper into the ground, while keeping his front legs relaxed, allowing him to execute a more correct sliding stop
He slid further in the stops with his hindquarters more squarely beneath him and his head more tucked as he stayed relaxed with his front legs
His stops were executed with him being more over his haunches and more relaxed through his mouth, poll, neck and loin
Was a smoother stopping horse that stayed more relaxed and supple down his spine, thus allowing him to also slide further
Moved into the stop with greater authority and confidence, sinking deeper, curving his spine and crawling up front, thus sliding further and smoother
Used the ground more, stopping deeper and staying in the stop longer
She was a softer, prettier moving mare, with stops that were deep and long
For she was more correct and responsive in the stops, which were longer, harder and deeper
He eased down into the dirt, holding both hocks steady in his longer slides, while moving more up front
Stopped with his haunches deeper in the ground, walking further up front
RUNS
Drove out harder in the runs, stopped smoother and slid further
Moved more freely into the rollback, driving out harder over the hocks
Ran with greater speed and dispatch from end to end, rolling back cleaner over the hocks
Ran harder with less hesitation into his stops
Ran with more authority and aggressiveness into her stops
Ran harder with less anticipation in the straight-aways
Came out of her rollbacks with more speed
CIRCLES AND LEAD CHANGES
Showed more size and speed variation to her circles
Ran harder and faster circles
Ran with more control and confidence in his circles
His circles were performed more in the center of the arena
Performed her circles in a more correct and precise manner
Held his nose to the inside of the circle Running rounder circles
Rated the circles more uniformly
Drops back more obediently into the slow circles, holding his body correctly, while keeping a more steady pace
Circles with a more correct arc through his body
Performed his circles in a quieter and calmer manner
Ran flatter and smoother circles
Laid down flatter, smoother circles
Showed a more released arc though his body, setting his nose more to the inside of each circle
Was more balanced in his circles, staying lighter and more responsive between the reins with his neck, shoulder and hip more correctly arced
Circled with her head, shoulder and hip more desirably arced in the direction of her circles
Showed more variation of size and speed of circles
Showed greater control of the arena and ground, by staying more within the markers while displaying smoother and more balanced circles
Had a more correct degree of flex through his neck and shoulder
She was softer in the bridle, following a lighter rein in her more precisely executed circles
Ran his eights with more speed and was more fluid in the lead Changes
The size of the figure eights were limited, showing him to be a more handy and maneuverable athlete
Greater contrast in the speed and size of his figure eights
Was more balanced in the figure eights, opening his stride without hesitation in the fast circles, while slowing down more promptly into more evenly shaped small circles
His figure eights were more symmetrical
Higher continuity of speed and size as he traveled through his circles
Flowed through his circles
Size, speed and smoothness of circles
Kind in his circles
Leaned shoulder and ribcage to the inside of circles
More alignment and glide to circles
Kept his nose tipped to the inside of his circles
Crisper and more direct lead changes
More prompt and exact lead changes
Exhibited smoother, simultaneous lead changes with less anticipation and hesitation
Was more proficient in his lead changes, stops and turns
Exhibited more natural, effortless lead changes
Changing leads with greater dispatch
Spins, Rollbacks and Pivots
Turned faster in the spins with his front loose and low
Kept a lower center of gravity in his faster spins
Faster spins while remaining flat and holding a more stationary pivot foot
Held his body straighter in the spins, keeping his pivot foot in place whiling staying looser and lower in front as he reached around
Each his spins were faster than the preceding one
Stayed down more, being leveler in the spins, crossing over cleaner with more reach, while maintaining faster speed
Faster, flatter spins with her pivot foot firm to the ground
Showed more desirable trotting spins, turning more ideally over his haunches, while maintaining a lower center of gravity
Flatter, more consistent spins Smoother, flatter spins
He stayed down lower in his more brilliant spins
Faster spins
She put in snappier spins
Had more flexion to his hocks, maintaining a lower center of gravity while spinning
More correct and agile spins in terms of his planting the pivot foot, shifting his weight more to his haunches, making his forehand maneuverable, exhibiting cleaner, faster spins
Showed more snap to her spins
Ran harder from rollback to rollback
Rolled back more over his haunches
Performed his rollbacks in a more correct and willing manner
Performed more correct rollbacks, with them being more over his haunches
Performed a more correct 180-degree rollback
Rolled over the hocks more correctly, with a more stationary pivot foot
Rolled back cleaner over the hocks
Rolled back harder over the hocks
Kept his hocks underneath him more in each rollback, pushing off with greater power and drive
As he executed his rollback, he showed more control, aggression and a higher degree of difficulty
PIVOTS
Showed sharper, quicker pivots
Showed more snap and finesse to her pivots
Performed his pivots with more confidence and ease
Showed more brilliance in her pivots
Showed a crisper and more controlled pivot
Showed a smoother pivot, crossing over cleaner and faster with his front legs
BACK
Was a faster and cleaner backing horse, with each foot falling equidistant of the last
Backed more readily over his tracks
Faster, straighter back and settled more readily
Lowered his head, tucked his nose and backed straighter and squarely over the hocks
Backed faster and with more ease
Flexed her poll, relaxed her jaw and backed in a straighter fashion
Was a faster, straighter backed horse
Was more willing to settle after backing (or spinning)
MANNERS
Was more responsive to the slightest cue
Settled easier
Worked more efficiently and with a more cooperative attitude
Was a more willing worker, performing in a more positive manner
More readily yielded to his rider's cues and aids
Moved on a looser rein with less restraint on the part of his rider
Performed with greater willingness
Was quieter about the mouth and tail
Was a more willing worker and was under more control by her rider
Was quieter and calmer
Performed her duties in a more workmanlike manner, showing more response and obedience to her rider
Stood calmer after backing
Showed more response to the rider
Had less mouthing of the bit
Was a more suitable reiner, as he was more broke
Performed duties on a looser rein
TERMS USED TO DESCRIBE FAULTS IN A REINING HORSE
GENERAL STATEMENTS
He lacked the overall correctness and finesse of those I placed above him
Lacked the control, finesse and style I
Lacked the polish, control and style that a knowledgeable horseman would have
preferred
Was the least willing, most unathletic horse in the class
He showed to be under the least control by his rider
STOPS AND RUNS
Did not stop
Failed to stop
Came out of his stops early
Popped on his front end
Was heavy on his front end
Failed to completely stop on every stop
Ran through his stops
Was bouncy in his stops
Stopped on his front end
Extremely rough in his stops
Flipped his head in the stops
Crooked stops
Stopped short, spraying out thus losing his balance in the stops
Did not use the ground efficiently when stopping, as he stopped on his front end while popping out the ground too early each time
Came out of each stop too soon Anticipated in the runs
Was sluggish and resistant in the runs
Ran slow and with greater resistance
Required more spurring going into the stops
Anticipated the stops, setting up early at each end
Bolted into each run and was uncontrollable
Took the bit and bolted coming out of the rollbacks
Flipped his head and ran away in the runs
Changed leads continuously, anticipating going into each stop
CIRCLES AND LEAD CHANGES
He scurried around in a choppy, frantic manner in the circles
Dropped his shoulder, drifting in and out of the circles
Flipped her head, swinging her body off course in the circles
Was stiff, lacking the desirable arc through her body
Lacked size and speed variation
Was slow and unwilling in the circles
Shouldered out in each circle
Was over bent in the circles, shouldering out each way
Was high and chargy
She was out of control in the circles
LEAD CHANGES
Was late in his changes of leads
Anticipated the lead changes, dropping his shoulder to the inside of the new circle
Was chargy and rough in his lead changes
Changed leads early each time
Drug the lead three-quarters the way around the first circle
Drug his hind lead change one-fourth the way of the third circle
Missed a lead three strides going into his second circle
SPINS, ROLLBACKS AND PIVOT
Lost her pivot foot, ending the spins far off center
Hopped around in the spins
Loped around in the spins
Backed out of his spins
Walked out of the spins
Came up and out of the spins too soon
Hung in the spins
Froze-up in the spins and quit her rider
Shoulder out in the spins
Was over-bent in the spins, losing his pivot foot, thus spinning over his middle
Was too elevated and unaggressive in the first set of spins
Stuck in the second set of spins
Was slow and awkward in his rollbacks
Rolled back over his middle
Hung in his left rollback
Stuck in the right rollback, going away from the gate
Pivoted over her front end
Did not pivot
Was slow and resistant during the pivots
Flipped his head in The pivots
Rider forgot to pivot
BACK
Did not back
Refused to back
Was hesitant to back
Drug her front legs when backing
Flipped his head and wrung his tail when asked to back
MANNERS
Was ill and resentful throughout the class
Wrung his tail
Flipped her head
Opened his mouth and chewed the bit throughout the duration of the pattern
Constantly mouthed the bit
Lacked a positive expression and willingness
Did not yield to the rider's demands
Required undue restraint on the part of the rider
Required the most restraint
Was ridden on the tightest, least obedient rein
REINING
The following are sample set of reasons for Reining.
I PLACED THIS CLASS OF REINING 1-2-3 AND 4.
In the top pair, I placed 1 over 2 because the grey gelding was a more athletic performer, who simply got more done. He ran flatter and more flowing circles on a looser rein. He also showed a more relaxed arc through his body, setting his nose more to the inside of the circle. 1's lead changes were crisper and more direct, and he did show more speed from rollback to rollback. When asked to back, one did so with a straighter and faster manner.
In discussing the middle pair, I favored 2 over 3. 2 showed a more workmanlike attitude, and was smooth and longer striding in his circle, having lead changes that occurred more directly in the center of the arena. The sorrel did show more eager- ness from rollback to rollback. His stops were executed with him being more over his haunches and more relaxed though his mouth, neck and poll.
However, I realize that 2 gaped his mouth and wrung his tail. Furthermore, I
grant that 3 was quieter at the mouth and tail, and showed more quickness to his
pivots.
Focusing on the bottom pair, I placed 3 over 4. 3 was a less abstinent, harder-
stopping and freer-moving horse that showed less resentment to his rider. He was
smoother in his stops and showed more speed as he performed the pattern.
I criticize 4 because he was the least willing, most unathletic horse in the class. He was chargy, bouncy in his stops and showed resentment to his rider when asked to pivot.
It is for these reasons I placed this class of reining 1-2-3 and 4.
SIR, I PLACED THIS CLASS OF REINING 3-4-2-1
In a class of four athletic and aggressive reining horses, I favored 3 over 4 in the top pair. 3 ran a harder, more demanding pattern and simply got more done. 3 showed greater size and speed variation in her circles. She ran more flowing circles, keeping her nose and shoulder to the inside of her circle while maintaining a more relaxed and natural are to her body. She ran with greater authority and aggressiveness into her stops, melting her haunches deeper into the ground while maintaining movement on her front end, allowing her to slide further and deeper into the ground on every stop. She also executed more correct 180 degree rollbacks and 360 degree spins with greater brilliance and finesse. Aside from this, she backed more readily and quickly with a definite two-beat back.
However, I will concede that 4 was a more athletic appearing mare that ran a faster pattern.
In the middle pair, I placed 4, the gray gelding, over 2, the brown mare. 4 was a more willing worker, that performed his duties in a more positive manner. 4 was a more relaxed gelding that more readily yielded to his rider's cues and aids. He executed smoother, flatter circles, more towards the center of the arena, and per- formed simultaneous lead changes between these circles. He ran harder with less hesitation into his stops, dropping his hindquarters deeper into the ground, while keeping his front legs relaxed, allowing him to execute more correct sliding stops. In addition, he showed greater snap and vigor to his rollbacks, as well as greater sharpness to his spins, turning more ideally over his haunches while maintaining a lower center of gravity.
I recognize that 2 had a more desirable head carriage through his circles, keeping his head at a correct height.
Moving to the bottom pair, I liked 2, the bay gelding, over 1, the palomino gelding. 2 performed a more precise and controlled pattern, showing greater smoothness and consistency. 2 ran with more control and confidence in his circles, and more readily and correctly picked up his lead changes between circles. He moved on a looser rein with less restraint on the part of his rider. Furthermore, he ran with more speed from rollback to rollback, and drove his hocks deeper into the ground on his stops.
But I criticize 2 because he was slow and hesitant in his spins, and I grant that one performed his spins with greater willingness.
Nevertheless, I fault 1 and placed him at the bottom of today's class, because he mouthed the bit and was resentful of his rider's demands throughout the pattern. He failed to completely stop on every stop, and failed to change behind one-fourth of the third circle.
For these reasons, I placed this reining class 3-4-2-1.
Chapter Seven: WESTERN RIDING
The western riding pattern is scored between 0 and 100 points, and is primarily a class to score lead changes and the control of the rider. In judging contest, western riding is sometimes used as a reasons class, particularly in higher levels of competition.
As described by the AQHA Official Handbook, the guidelines and rules of western riding are as follows:
Western riding is neither a stunt or a race, but should be performed with reasonable speed. It is the performance of a sensible, well-mannered free and easy moving horse. The horse will be judged on quality of gaits, change of leads, response to the rider, manners, disposition and intelligence.
Credit shall be given for and emphasis placed on smoothness, even cadence of gaits (i.e. starting and finishing pattern with the same cadence) and the horse's ability to change leads precisely and easily rear and front at the center point between markers. The horse should have a relaxed head carriage showing response to the rider's hands, with moderate flexion at the poll. 7he horse should negotiate the pattern in an easy fashion, neither driving into nor rushing through the markers. 7he horse should cross the log at both the walk and the lope without breaking gait, or radically changing stride.
Scoring will be on the basis of 0 to 100 with 70 denoting an average performance. Scoring guidelines to be considered: Points will be added to or subtracted from the eight maneuvers on the following basis, ranging from plus 1 point to minus 1 point: +1, excellent; +1/2, good; 0, average; -1/2, poor; and -1, very poor.
The eight maneuvers are as follows: 1) gate, 2) walk/log, 3) jog, transition to lope, 4) line (side) lead changes (plus or minus one point per change) 5), first two crossing lead changes (plus/minus one point per change) 6) log/lope, 7) second two crossing lead changes (plus/minus one point per change), 8) lope/stop/back, minimum of 10 feet, and 9) overall pattern accuracy and smoothness (plus/minus one point).
A contestant shall be penalized for:
A horse going off pattern is disqualified. Off pattern is any of the following: An incomplete pattern, incorrect order of maneuvers, knocking over markers, passing on wrong side of marker or missing the log.
The following characteristics are considered faults and should be judged accordingly:
Chapter Eight: HORSEMANSHIP, EQUITATION AND SHOWMANSHIP
Many state and local contests use either showmanship, horsemanship or English or western equitation as a class in judging contests. Because of a wide variety of opinions as to what is correct, these classes can sometimes cause problems for a judging team member.
Starting with western horsemanship, the AQHA handbook describes the proper position as follows:
HANDS: Both hands and arms shall be held in a relaxed manner with the upper arms to be in a straight line with the body, the one holding the reins bent at the elbow. When using a romal, the rider's off hand shall be around the romal with at least 16 inches of slack. Some movement of the arm is permissible, but excessive pumping will be penalized. Hands to be around reins. One finger between reins is permitted when using split reins, but not with a romal. Reins are to be carried immediately above or slightly in front of the saddle horn. Only one hand is to be used for reining, and hand shall not be changed. Reins should be carried so as to have light contact with the horse's mouth, and at no time shall reins be carried more than a slight hand movement from the horse's mouth.
In the event a horse is shown with a snaffle bit or hackamore, it is legal for a rider to show with two hands on the reins.
BASIC POSITION: Rider should sit in the saddle with his legs hanging straight and slightly forward to the stirrups. The stirrup should be just short enough to al- low heels to be lower than the toes. Body should always appear comfortable, relaxed and flexible. Feet may be placed home in the stirrup with the boot heel touching the stirrup, or may be placed less deep in the stirrup. Riding with toes only in stirrup will be penalized.
POSITION IN MOTION: Rider should sit to trot and not post. At the lope, he should be close to saddle. All movements of horse should be governed by the use of imperceptible aids. Exaggerated shifting of the rider's weight is not desirable. Moving of the lower legs of riders who are short, shall not be penalized.
CLASS PROCEDURE: The class procedure usually requires that each rider ride a
prescribed pattern, and then proceed to work on the rail. Some breed
organizations, show organizations etc. require that the rider ride the rail work
first, followed by a test or pattern. Regardless of the procedure, the class can
be judged the same way.
The class is scored on a 1-20 scale based upon the rider's test or pattern. The
following guidelines should be used when using this system:
19-20 The perfect run. Excellent pattern. Absolutely correct position. No deviation from the ideal. The beautiful rider who does everything correctly and with style.
17-18 The near-perfect run. May lack style or beauty of a 19-20. Very correct position. Excellent pattern.
15-16 The excellent run. Correct pattern. Good to excellent position; some beauty. and style.
13-14 The good run. Pattern basically correct. good position. This run is a run that lacks sparkle. Nothing wrong, just not exciting.
11-12 Small error in pattern. Errors in position. No sparkle. Errors beginning to outweigh the good.
9-10 Major pattern or position error.
7- 8 Major errors in both pattern and position, leads, gaits etc.
6 or below Off pattern. Horse balks, etc.
Once the pattern is scored, the rail work is used to break any ties or extremely close scores from the pattern work.
HUNT SEAT EQUITATION
This same system can be used for hunt seat equitation. Obviously, it is important that the judge have an idea of the correct position and/or seat and be able to score each run based upon the description found in the system.
The correct hunt seat position is described below:
Rider should have a workmanlike appearance, seat and hands light and supple, conveying the impressions of complete control should any emergency arise.
MOUNTING AND DISMOUNTING: To mount, take up reins in left hand and place hand on withers. Grasp stirrup leather with right hand and insert left foot in stirrup and mount. To dismount, rider may either step down or slide down. The size of rider must be taken into consideration.
HANDS: Hands should be over and in front of horse's withers, knuckles 30 degrees inside vertical, hands slightly apart and making a straight line from horse's mouth to rider's elbow. Method of holding reins is optional and bight of reins may f4 on either side. However, all reins must be picked up at the same time.
BASIC POSITION: The eyes should be up and the shoulders back. Toes should be at an angle best suited to rider's conformation; ankles flexed, heels down, calf of leg in contact with horse and slightly behind girth. Iron is placed in ball of foot.
POSITION IN MOTION: At the walk or slow trot, body should be vertical; posting trot, inclined forward; canter, halfway between posting the trot and the walk; galloping and jumping, more inclination than posting trot.
SHOWMANSHIP
The AQHA Handbook describes the showmanship class as follows: Only showman to
be judged. The horse is merely a prop to show the ability of the showman. This
performance class shall be judged strictly on the contestant's ability to fit
and show in a hatter class.
APPEARANCE OF HORSE: Hair coat, clean and well
brushed. Mane, tail, fore- top and wither tufts free of tangles and clean. It is
prohibited to use any ornaments or to braid any of the aforementioned. Hoofs
trimmed properly. If shod, shoes must fit properly and clinches should be neat.
APPEARANCE OF EXHIBITOR: Clothes and person - neat and clean. Suitable western clothes.
SHOWING HORSE IN RING: Enter ring leading animal at an alert walk in a counter clockwise direction unless otherwise directed by the judge. Walk on animal's left side, holding lead shank in right hand, near halter. The remaining portion of the lead is held neatly and safety in the left hand. A tightly coiled or rolled lead shank will be considered a fault in showmanship. Animal should be lead readily at a walk or trot. When moving the horse, be sure that the judge gets a clear, unobstructed view of the horse's action. Allow the horse sufficient lead so that he can move freely and in a straight line. Lead the horse from his left side the required distance, stop and turn to the right around the horse.
POSING: When posing your horse, stand toward the front facing the horse, but not directly in front of the horse and always in a position where you can keep your eye on the judge. Do not crowd the exhibitor next to you when in a side by side position. Show animal at all times, not yourself. Respond quickly to requests from the judge and officials. Be courteous and sportsmanlike at all time. Recognize quickly, and correct faults of your horse. Keep showing until the entire class has been placed and has been excused from the ring.
Even though showmanship can be a controversial class to judge, the same type of scoring system used in equitation can be used in showmanship. However, one change is sometimes necessary. The showmanship pattern can be divided into two parts. For example, walking to the judge and trotting back to the line might be one part of a pattern, and the set-up for the judge, the second part. Each part of the pattern would be scored from 1-10 using the following scale. The total score would be 1-20.
SCALE FOR SHOWMANSHIP
10 - The perfect run. Excellent pattern. Absolutely correct showmanship. No
deviation from the ideal. The beautiful showman who does everything correctly
with style.
9 - The near perfect run. May lack style or beauty of a 10. Very correct
showmanship. Excellent pattern.
8 - The excellent run. Correct pattern, good to excellent showmanship. Some
beauty and style.
7 - The good run. Pattern basically correct. Good showmanship. This run is a run
that lacks sparkle. Nothing wrong, just not exciting.
6 - Small error in pattern. Errors in showmanship. No sparkle. Errors are
beginning to outweigh the good.
5 - Major pattern or showmanship errors.
4 - Major errors in both pattern and showmanship
3 or below. Off pattern, horse refuses to trot, etc.
EQUITATION AND HORSEMANSHIP TERMS TO COMPLIMENT A RIDER
She presented the most desirable picture of a horse and rider working in unison, as she was a more effective rider who showed her horse to its fullest potential
Executed her aids with more discretion which complemented the overall appearance of control and harmony of the horse and rider working together
Gave a more complete picture of horse and rider working in unison Maintained a picture of confidence and control
Sat taller in the saddle, riding with more style and confidence
Showed a more elegant and correct posture
Maintained a smoother and more controlled ride throughout the class
Was a stronger, more capable and confident rider
Carried her head up and was more alert, attentive and confident
Sat taller and more erect in the saddle, holding her head higher while looking straighter through the horse's ears
Sat deeper in the saddle with her weight more evenly distributed
Was quieter and deeper seated
Steadier at the canter, sitting deeper in the saddle
More rhythmic and effortless in her position and steadier in her seat at the canter
Was squarer in her shoulders, yet more relaxed in her back which allowed her to more easily absorb the concussion of the horse's motion
Maintained the proper vertical line from shoulder to heel at all gaits
Was squarer with her shoulders and correctly arched in her lower back
Maintained a correctly straight line from her shoulder through her hip to her heel
Kept the proper vertical line from shoulder to heel at all gaits
Had kinder, more sympathetic hands and was relaxed in her arms, which more easily allowed her to follow the movement of the horse's head at the walk and canter
Lighter, more effective hands, which encouraged her horse to have a more elegant head set with more flexion at the poll
More stable and educated hands
Maintained a horizontal line from bit to elbow
Smoother and more effective execution of the aids showing more adaptability, sympathy and control with her hands
Was softer and more sympathetic with her hands, and maintained a straighter line from her elbow to the bit
Had a more secure leg that maintained closer contact with the sides of the horse, which allowed her to be discrete with her aids
Stronger, more effective leg with more angulation to the heel
A more solid heel
Carried more weight with her heel
More correct rotation of the leg to allow the toes to be pointed straight ahead
Maintained more contact with her upper leg, showing more angulation to her heel with the toes pointed forward
Easier and more fluid posting at the trot
More effortless and rhythmic posting at the trot
More functionally correct, maintaining correct diagonals at the trot and correct leads at the canter
Was quieter with her hands and lower leg at the posting trot
Was smoother at the posting trot
Maintained a smoother and more controlled ride throughout the class
Posted more correctly with the motion of her horse
Stayed with her horse and sat transitions more smoothly
TERMS TO FAULT A RIDER
Was a sloppier rider with less control of her leg
Was round shouldered
Carried his leg too far forward
Failed to maintain contact with the knee and thigh
Was rough and unsteady with her hands
Exhibited less balance and control
Took the wrong diagonal (lead) when trotting (cantering)
Was rough and behind her horse's motion at the posting trot
Was loose and uncontrolled in her lower leg and failed to keep her weight in her heels
Lost her stirrup at the canter
Hung on her horse's mouth when posting
Had to look down to check her leads
Lacked control and confidence
Carried her hands too high and with her wrists broken
Continually kept her heel in her horse's side
Was loose in her elbows at the canter
Turned her toes out too far
Gripped with the back of her calf
Showed no control of her lower leg at the posting trot
Leaned forward and hunched her shoulders at the canter
The following is a sample set of reasons for western horsemanship.
I PLACED THIS CLASS OF WESTERN HORSEMANSHIP 4-1-2-3
I placed 4 at the top of the class because she appeared to have the greatest control and most correct riding position of any rider in the class.
In the top pair, I placed 4 over 1 because 4 had more complete control with a more correct riding posture. 4 showed more alertness keeping her head up and eyes forward. She carried a correct arch in her back and appeared to be more relaxed in the saddle, being more relaxed in the back and riding with her arms by her side. She showed good leg position; having her heel down and angle relaxed. Evidence of her control was given throughout the class as she was prompt and smooth in all transitions. Her horse backed the most corr6ct of any in the class.
In the middle pair, I placed 1 over 3 because 1 had a more relaxed and pleasurable ride. 1 showed better form in the upper body; riding with her shoulders back and sitting straighter in the saddle. She also sat more relaxed in the saddle and rode with a softer hand.
I grant 1 kept her head up more and showed stronger leg contact. In the bottom pair, 1 placed 3 over 2 because the girl on the dun horse had better control of her horse. She was a more alert rider and was more relaxed in the saddle and rode with a quieter, softer hand. She was more correct in the position of her lower body, by having stronger leg contact and position. She demonstrated her greater degree of control both on the rail and in the back.
I grant 2 sat more erect in the saddle.
I placed 2 at the bottom of the class because the girl on the sorrel had difficulty controlling her horse at all times and gave the most in consistent go of any rider in the class. She was rough in transitions, heavy handed and incorrect in her leg position, carrying her leg too far back.
For these reasons, I placed this class of western horsemanship 4-1-3-2
Chapter Nine: CONNECTIVE TERMS
To distinguish your reasons and make them unique, it is helpful to use terms that are different from everyone else's and are very descriptive. Again, learn to use a Thesaurus. Following are lists of terms you may use. Be creative, but do not deviate from good, sound livestock terminology.
GRANTS
I realize
I allow
I concede
I recognize
I fully realize
I appreciate the fact I am aware
I am conscious of I do respect I admit
Indeed,
I do not disregard the fact I acknowledge I agree
I do honor the fact I noticed and admit I saw
I certainly credit
I realize and appreciate the fact
It was obvious and I am aware of the fact
It was also very apparent
He combined to a higher degree
CONNECTIVE TERMS
In addition Moreover
Plus
Besides this ...
Also,
Furthermore
Additionally
Over and above
Aside from this
Beyond this
In accordance with
Supplementing
It was also very apparent
He/she had the advantage being
Accompanying
Accordingly
Analogous to this
Goes hand in hand with
Nevertheless
However, at the same time ...
ACTION WORDS
Exhibited Displayed
Showed
Demonstrated
Performed
Possessed
Executed
Presented
Accomplished a greater degree of ...
OPENING PAIRS
In reference to the middle pair
Coming to the bottom pair
Proceeding to
Moving to
Drawing your attention to
In regards to
In discussing the middle pair, I favored
In analyzing the top pair,
In closing, I preferred to leave 4 at the bottom
Focusing your attention on
In the top pair, 2 excelled to the top of the class
Being the heaviest muscled and nicest balanced, it's 2 over 4 in the top pair
With emphasis on manners and way of going, one is placed over 2 in the middle pair
Continuing to the bottom pair
In discussing the middle pair
Moving to the middle pair Finally, in the bottom pair
Concerning the top pair
In the final and bottom pair
In justifying my middle pair
After closely analyzing the bottom pair
Now, in closing