HorseWise: Switching to Hunter Under Saddle
Q I’ve been showing fairly successfully in Western events and would like to try English if I knew my horse had the talent for it. She’s not as big as some of the horses that I see in the Hunter Under Saddle classes. How can I evaluate her to see if she’s suitable for this event?
A Horses are evaluated in most disciplines according to talent, training, and temperament. The emphasis in each category will be different in every discipline. Let’s take at what the judges are looking for in Hunter Under Saddle (HUS).
Talent. The HUS horse is to have the ground covering stride that would be suitable to jumping a course of fences. Generally bigger horses have longer strides but this is not necessarily true. At the trot, the front legs should travel fairly flat rather than having much action or bend, and should appear to swing from the shoulder and point the toe. The trot should have a moment of suspension where the horse appears to be off the ground. Horses that are “slow legged” are preferred to those with quick, choppy strides. In the canter you will also see suspension or “air time”. The hind legs should also appear to swing rather than lift and bend, with the inside hind leg reaching up under the horse with each stride.
A graceful horse with a pretty, smooth profile will always catch the judge’s eye.
Training. No matter how great a mover a horse may be, he won’t get any prizes if he’s not disciplined and steady. Every stride should look the same as the horse travels around the ring — the same long,
