Hunting Handbook

Can you help me with my confusion of hunt seat equitation?

So I have been showing for years and years, and one of the classes I do at shows is hunt seat equitation, not the type with the pattern, the "roundy round" type where there are a lot of people just riding around with a judge. I lean forward a little to give the impression that I am in a jumping class, like my coach taught me to for hunt seat equitation. There are some riders who just sit up straight for this class and they get first. I get first sometimes too with my style of riding. Are some judges unaware that this is what you are supposed to look like in a hunt seat position? I don't get how the riders who sit up straight as a plank or whatever who couldn't survive in a jumping class win this class sometimes! It is a different judge each show. It doesn't depend on the judge, does it? Cause that really stinks if it does. So how should I ride my hunt seat equitation classes? Any info/tips are great. Thanks

Public Comments

1. I'm going to base this off of what I see in the Arabian show ring, because that's where I show... The judges we have in our regular flat classes ("roundy roundy", if you want to call it that) are not jumper judges. They judge regular flat hunter classes, western classes, country classes, etc. We have seperate judges for judging hunter position over obstacles. What this means is that there is a different style of riding for both. In the flat class, you ride as if you are just out riding, in which case you would sit up taller and straighter. In the over-obstacles class, you would ride as if you were going to go over a jump because you are. The flat-class judges don't want to see you riding as if you were going to jump because, in that class, you are not going to.
2. Hmmm.... Good question. I would say that a flat class should be ridden in full seat, just because you're not really doing anything too intense. However, sometimes I will canter in halfseat, all depending on how energetic my horse is on that particular day. I don't know if there's a "right" approach to riding a flat class. Full seat does look a little neater, and it will show the judges that you have a strong seat and whatnot... Whichever works better for you and your horse.