Horses have different conformation and will have a different look according to the way they are built. In order for horses to be able to do athletic maneuvers that are required for many classes including the horsemanship, the horse must use their back and it must be lifted up. When their back is lifted, their neck will drop. Look at the hunter horses--when they jump a fence--their back is rounded and their head drops lower than their withers. Are horses heads sometimes too low in the pattern classes? Yes, they are! Do I sometimes get them too low, yes! But there is a reason--some horses, especially young horses, need extra help to get through the maneuvers. When judging, I am not going to kill a horse that is slightly behind the vertical or their head is below their withers. I like to see a rider ride the horse into their hand--I dont think we want everyone to have a loose rein and have all them trained to spur stop. If I find a rider showing their horse with an offensive headset, then I hurt them. But I dont think as judges we need to be told what is offensive. It appears we are taking all the subjectivity out of judging. I dont think it is smart or good for the industry to have the same winners. Judging is a matter of judgement. I believe the equitation and the horsemanship involves the riders ability to communicate to the horse and that horses ability to accept that communication. While headsets of the horses should be taken into consideration; it is not the most important aspect in my mind, and, if the best rider rides their horse with their head slightly below level, then I will still let them win. Jan Hoskins Hay--I agree with rule SW437.2 being a major fault. Especially over flexing or straining neck in head carriage, nose behind the vertical - it is a very undesirable appearance in the show pen and should be more than a minor fault; I feel it borders on the line of intimidation. We see riders that try to be the over achiever when preparing their horse at the show, and probably always will. Now with the scoring system for the pattern classes, it gives judges a place to assess a fault and evaluation for each maneuver for the horse that is presented to them with an overdone appearance. Outside, our AQHA Stewards and Professional Horseman are doing great work at keeping the over achievers in check. We are seeing pattern classes that are highly competitive for both youth and amateur. I feel the judging for these events has advanced in part due to the scoring system and the accountability of it. Gayle Lampinen--I dont have a problem supporting this rule for the pattern classes. Most classes sort themselves out by the level of riders. I have found riders experiencing these faults are happening for many reasons--mainly ineffective riders caused by lack of legs, seat and too much hand. Personally Im hard on riders who present their horses behind the vertical in an intimidated manner. I see this more in trail where riders are trying to get a handle on their horse to perform an obstacle. Its very hard for me to zero the maneuver when a horse is presented in this manner. Usually for me, its a minus half maneuver. Overall, I feel exhibitors have been great and are truly showing their horses to the best of their ability in accordance to the rules. Bonnie Miller-- As a judge, I believe that part of horsemanship is showing your horse correctly at all gaits. A horse that is over bridled or intimidated is not going to do the gaits correctly and the pattern will lack the positive qualities of cadence, rhythm, smoothness and efficiency. Most judges I work with have opened the patterns up to encourage forward movement. Personally, I like to use patterns that incorporate an extension at the jog or lope. I also try to use transitions from the lope to the walk instead of the lope to the stop to encourage smoothness and flow within the pattern. I want to reward the rider who executes the pattern with precision and smoothness. The horse that carries his head too high, or too low, or is straining with the nose behind the vertical will exhibit negative characteristics in his movement which will, in turn, negatively impact the score on the pattern. I have not witnessed any major problems with how the horses are prepared for the pattern classes. The negative characteristics result in a lower pattern score. As an AQHA judge I am compelled to follow the guidelines that the rulebook dictates. A minor or major fault is noted on the horsemanship scoresheet and is excellent feedback to the exhibitor. Personally I add comments, both positive and negative when possible. For example, if a rider was exhibiting his horse incorrectly I may comment: poor quality lope if I felt the riders presentation at the lope did not allow the horse to lope correctly, not if the horse was a poor mover. All horses have an optimum pace where they look best at the gait; the best rider will know what that pace is and show their horse to its best ability. Stephanie McAlexander--One of the basic fundamentals of the pattern classes is connection between horse and rider. When this connection is established properly, the pattern becomes poetry in motion, and headset is not an issue. I think the rule will help to stop intimidation in these classes if it is used properly by the judges. It has been my experience that riders with connection to their horses tend to rise to top, so I dont see a problem. That being said, I do appreciate the leeway they have given to the novice classes, as this connection comes after they have learned rhythm and relaxation. I do hope the process of learning to ride and show continues to be the forefront of the industry. Related Articles We Ask The Judges: Need More Forward Motion in Pattern Classes?
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:58:45 +0000
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