Hunter
Overview
The hunter discipline originated through the sport of fox-hunting, where riders galloped over the countryside jumping natural obstacles such as stone walls, fences, and hedges. Courses are typically quite simple and judged with an emphasis on horse movement, jumping style, and pace. Hunter rounds should appear smooth and effortless, taking long approaches and wide turns. The only exception to this would be handy hunter courses where efficiency and inside turns are preferred. Most hunter divisions consist of a under saddle class and over fences class. Hunter derbies have two over fences rounds with more challenging elements.
Gait Terminology
The following terms are used for all hunter divisions and callouts during under saddle classes.
Down 1 - Back up
Up 0 - Halt
Up 1 - Walk
Up 2 - Trot
Up 3 - Canter
Up 4 - Working Canter
Up 5 - Hand Gallop
Up 6 - Gallop
Turn Out
Dress code, equine level, and equine mood are scored in all hunter divisions except for the hunter pace. Each dress code error error will deduct 2 points out of the total 10 possible points. Equine level and mood are both scored out of 15 points.
Under Saddle
In all under saddle classes, scoring is done in the form of errors with the riders with the lowest scores placing highest. Below is a list of possible errors that may be assigned. Riders who bring an equine that goes against our restrictions will be penalized, such as riding a banned breed or riding a pony in a horse-only division.
10 points - cutting off another rider
10 points - facing the wrong direction in line up
10 points - riding through another rider
10 points - incorrect gait demonstrated
10 points - incorrect equine
5 points - clumping together with other riders
5 points - changing direction to line up
5 points - riding too close when passing another rider
3 points - small circling or curling
3 points - excessively riding the quarter line
3 points - too close to other riders in line up
3 points - late transition
3 points - moving in the line up
2 points - poorly ridden corner, not smooth
2 points - excessive horse head pulling
2 points - taking too long to line up
1 point - talking or gesturing during the class
1 point - riding too close to the rail
1 point - riding through bushes or decorations
Over Fences
All regular hunter courses should be ridden at the working canter in the correct order of jumps displayed on the course diagrams. Hunter courses are judged mainly on straightness and centeredness to jumps and overall smoothness. All over fences courses, with the exception of handy rounds, should be ridden with a preference for long approaches and wide turns. Handy rounds should be ridden with a preference for inside turns and efficiency while still prioritizing straightness over jumps. Over fences scoring is broken down by the following criteria.
20% based on turn out (dress code, equine level, and equine mood)
80% based on the execution of the jumps, turns, and other course elements
Jumps
In over fences classes, each jump is scored out of 10 points. All jumps should be ridden at the working canter unless otherwise noted. If a jump is supposed to be ridden at another gait (trot, canter, or hand gallop) the transition should occur about 4-6 strides before the jump. Riders should then resume the working canter shortly after the jump.
Turns
The quality and type of turning during an over fences round is scored out of 10 for the whole course. All turns in an over fences course should be ridden wide and long with no cutting corners or inside turns. The only exception to this would be handy rounds, which are ridden with a preference for inside turns.
Courtesy Circles
Courtesy circles for over fences rounds are scored out of 10. Circles should only be done if the first or last jump is close to the in or out gate. The course diagram will always indicate if an opening or closing circle is needed. An ideal circle is about one third the size of the average arena. Circles should never be done in a hunter derby. Riders should transition between trot and working canter about halfway through the circle. Riders should always enter and exit the arena at the walk.
Strides
If distances are provided on a course diagram between two jumps, proper striding will be judged out of 10 possible points. The correct number of strides equals the distance in feet divided by 12, minus 1 (to account for take off and landing distance). Below are the stride counts for each distance.
24 feet - 1 stride line
36 feet - 2 stride line
48 feet - 3 stride line
60 feet - 4 stride line
72 feet - 5 stride line
84 feet - 6 stride line
96 feet - 7 stride line
Deductions
Below are additional deductions that may be taken off of the final score. Riders who are off course will be excused from the arena and will be disqualified. Riders who bring an equine that goes against our restrictions will be penalized, such as riding a banned breed or riding a pony in a horse-only division.
Refusal - 40 points off final score
Hitting a jump - 20 points off final score
Other hard stop - 20 points off final score
Incorrect gait - 10 points off final score
Incorrect in or out gate - 10 points off final score
Incorrect equine - 10 points off final score
Off course - disqualified
Classic Round
In a hunter derby, riders are given two over fences courses. The classic round is a longer course given ahead of the show and scored the same way as any other over fences course. The only difference is that courtesy circles should never be done in a hunter derby. The top scoring riders from the classic round will qualify for the handy round. The number of riders that qualify will vary based on the rating of the show.
Handy Round
The handy round is a shorter more challenging course and is released after the conclusion of the classic round. Riders are given at least ten minutes to learn the course and are only permitted to walk the course on foot. The handy round is judged like any other over fences course, expect that inside turns are preferred to show the agility and handiness of the equine.