aqha.uk.com - The Disciplines

The Disciplines

Western Trail Class

This class will be judged on the performance of the horse over obstacles, with emphasis on manners, response to the rider and quality of movement

Credit will be given to horses negotiating the obstacles with style and some degree of speed, providing correctness is not sacrificed. Horses should receive credit for showing attentiveness to the obstacles and the capability of picking their own way through the course when obstacles warrant it, and willingly responding to the rider’s cues on more difficult obstacles.

English Classes

Hunter Hack is the transitional English class between Hunter Under saddle and Working hunter, and requires a Quarter Horse to move freely and easily while jumping small fences. Horses are required to jump 2 fences, ranging in height from 2’ to 2.9’. After completing the jumps the horses are then shown at a walk, trot and canter along the rail in both directions. Horses are judged on manners and way of going, both on the flat and over fences.

Hunter under Saddle is the preliminary class for English riding disciplines and judges evaluate the way of going of a hunter type horse on the flat, at a walk, trot and canter. Exhibitors in this event must wear traditional English attire consisting of a hunt coat, breeches, high English boots and hunting cap. Horses circle the perimeter of an arena, performing each gait called, at the judges discretion. Particular emphasis is paid to the smoothness of gait, free flowing stride and a willingness to perform.

Hunt Seat Equitation is an English class designed to test the equitation of amateur and youth contestants and not the performance of the horse. As in western horsemanship, contestants must individually work a predetermined pattern consisting of manoeuvres such as changing gaits (walk, trot, canter); travel in a figure-8 pattern and back up. Top riders return to the arena as a group and are judged on the rail, performing gait changes at the judge’s discretion. Emphasis is placed on the rider’s ability to sit in the saddle correctly, hold the correct riding posture and control the horse.

Reining

To rein a horse is not only to guide him, but also to control his every movement.

In reining, a rider is required to negotiate one of a set number of 11 patterns which include prescribed manoeuvres of stops, spins, rollbacks, lead changes and circles at a lope.

Each contestant will perform the required pattern individually and separately. All horses will be judged immediately upon entering the arena, and judging will cease after the last maneuver. Any fault incurred prior to the commencement of a pattern will be scored accordingly.

The horse should be wilfully guided with little or no resistance. The horse is judged on movements, mastery of pattern and attitude and is scored 0-100 with 70 denoting average.

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