Hunter / Jumper

While I had promised you a look at English riding in general, I’m finding that describing one discipline (hunter/jumper) within the world of English riding has taken longer and involved more detail than I expected, so what I’m going to give you here is a brief history of the origins of English riding along with a focused look at the discipline of hunter/jumper within English riding.

The world of English riding has its roots, as its name suggests, in England. At the most basic level riding “English” means you use an English saddle which is lighter and smaller than a Western saddle and has no saddle horn. The English saddle itself developed from the practice of fox-hunting which often required horse and rider to negotiate fences and other obstacles. Saddles with higher pommels (front of the saddle) and cantles (back of the saddle) became painful for the rider, hitting him in the stomach and back each time his horse took off and landed over a fence. The low profile of the English saddle’s pommel and cantle made it ideal for riding over fences. Today, English riders, in training and showing focus primarily on the gaits of walking, trotting and cantering. Most English disciplines, though not all, also include jumping.

Hunter/Jumper: Perhaps closest to the roots of English fox-hunting describes a style of riding English focusing on maintaining an even pace at the three gaits and negotiating fences smoothly without knocking rails down and while remaining obedient to the rider. Very popular in New England, Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and most of the eastern U.S. hunter/jumper shows happen somewhere almost every weekend of the year, though primarily in the spring, fall and summer. Most hunter/jumper show classes take place in a riding ring or an indoor arena.

• “Flat classes” show off the horses work in the three gaits. Sometimes an extended canter or “hand gallop” is also required to be shown. The announcer or judge will ask all the participants to enter the ring at the same time and be judged at the walk, trot and canter in both directions. Riders may also be asked to show a halt or perform other specified tasks, but for the most riding as part of a group on the rail makes up the majority of hunter flat classes.

• Hunter “over fences” classes judge horse and rider while negotiating a specific pattern of obstacles. Riders enter the ring one at a time and perform the prescribed jumping course. Most of the time, riders can choose between trotting or cantering between fences (hunter classes are not timed). Failing to negotiate the fences in the correct order, knocking down rails, refusing jumps or horses being unruly or horse or rider poorly turned out can all result in loss of points. Some special hunter over fences classes take place over an outdoor course of fences in an open field, but these are not as popular or prevalent as hunter classes in the ring.

When choosing hunter classes to enter, the rider can decide to enter an equitation class (judging the rider's performance) or an under-saddle (judging the horse's performance). "Equitation" or "under-saddle" will be part of the name of every class on the list so entrants can always choose in which type of class they'd like to compete.

As much as hunter classes focus on an even pace and smooth performance, jumper classes are all about agility and the clock.

• Classes at a jumper show all take place over fences and are timed. Instead of being judged on turnout, cadence and style, horses and riders in jumper classes are concerned with only two things – getting around the course cleanly (without refusals or knocked down rails) and as quickly as possible. Jumpers must be fast and nimble, listening to their rider to direct them to the next fence, minding that neither their front nor back legs hit the rails of the fences, negotiating turns quickly, etc.

What I've written here is far from a complete look at the disciplines of hunter and jumper. It should be taken more as a brief overview. Perhaps some die-hard hunter/jumper folks can fill in details in the comments section.

Tune in next time for a study of Dressage and Combined Training another focused discipline within the world of English riding. Until then Happy Trails!