Judging Horse Events – Working Hunter

Jan 29, 2020 | Horse Judging, Horses

The working hunter horse is representative of the type of horse used on the hunt field. The working hunter horse should possess manners, jumping ability, style, pace, and quality. They must be able to demonstrate their ability to furnish the rider a smooth, comfortable, and safe ride.

Working Hunter Course

  • The working hunter course must include a change of direction and a minimum of four obstacles and jump a minimum of eight fences.
  • The obstacles that may be used include fences shall stimulate obstacles found in the hunting field, such as natural looking post and rail, brush, walls, coops, and ascending oxers (not square).
  • The top element of all fences must be securely placed so that a slight rub will not cause a knockdown.
  • The distance between fences is recommended to be in 12 foot increments, with the exception of some combinations.

Judging

Working hunter is judged on manners, way of going and style of jumping. Horses shall be credited with maintaining an even hunting pace that covers the course with free-flowing strides.

Pace

  • The pace should remain consistent and even at the same speed throughout the beginning, middle and end of the course with a 12-foot stride.

Strides

  • Determined based off a 12-foot stride.
  • 6 feet for take-off and 6 feet for landing.
  • 60 feet = 4 stride line
    • 48 feet for strides + 6 feet for landing + 6 feet for take-off = 60 feet.
  • Eliminating strides and adding strides will be heavily penalized.

Change of Direction

  • The horse should land on the lead in the direction the course takes, or it changes a lead with a flying lead change without disruption

Quality of Jump

  • A horse should show an athletic ability by pushing itself into the air:
    • Rounding its back
    • Lowering its head and neck
    • Raising its knees above horizontal in the air
    • Hitting the perfect arch over the top of the jump
  • The horse’s hind end and body should be straight and in the center of the jump.
  • The horse should land softly and effortlessly on the landing side of the jump, demonstrating a fluid movement.

Scoring

The working hunter class is scored on a basis of 0 to 100.

  • 90-100: An excellent performer and good mover that jumps the entire course with cadence, balance, and style.
  • 80-89: A good performer that jumps all fences reasonably well; an excellent performer that commits one or two minor faults; smooth.
  • 70-79: The average, fair mover that makes no serious faults, but lacks the style cadence and good balance of the scopier horses; the good performer that makes a few minor faults; out of rhythm riding (minor miss/”chip”), additional minor faults (light rub/rubs).
  • 60-69: Poor movers that make minor mistakes, fair or average movers that have one or two poor fences but no major faults or disobediences. Cross canter or no change (60), extra stride in a measured line (61-64), multiple distance mistakes, rail on lip of cup/displaced rail.
  • 50-59: Trot, poor manners, dangerous jumping, extra stride in and out, and elimination of a stride in a measure line, hang a leg or drop a leg.
  • 30-49: Disobedience
  • 10-29: A horse that avoids elimination but jumps in such an unsafe and dangerous manner as to preclude a higher score, 2 disobediences.

Minor Faults

Suggested 2-5 point deduction per occurrence.

  • A jump out of rhythm jump (minor miss/”chip”)
  • Obvious pace changes
  • One step of missed lead (1 point for each stride up to 4 strides, additional cross canter strides is a major fault)
  • Landing on cross canter for one stride (2 points)
  • Swap lead in front of jump
  • Wrong lead once competition round has begun (5 points_
  • Ahead of behind motion at jump

Major Faults

Suggested 10-20 point deduction per occurrence

  • Canter trot jump more than one stride (70-75)
  • Cross cantering within the line up to two strides (10 point penalty per occurrence)
  • Missed lead change 4 strides or more
  • No lead change (60)
  • Trot on course (55)
  • Kicking out (50)
  • Dangerous jumping (50)
  • Using stick on horse in ring (50)
  • Knockdown (45)
  • First disobedience (40)
  • Second disobedience (30)
  • Third refusal elimination
  • Manners
  • Major out of rhythm (major miss/”chip”)

Elimination

  • Jumping an obstacle before it is reset
  • Three disobediences instead of refusals
  • Failure to trot the horse in a small circle on a loose rein for soundness, after jumping the last fence, while still mounted and prior to leaving the arena

The video below shows of an example of a working hunter course.

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