Hunter/Jumper

Morgans in theHunter/Jumper Discipline

Morgans always have been regarded as one of the moreversatile breeds because they are highly adaptable to many differentdisciplines. Among the different disciplines that Morgans participate in, agrowing division is the Hunter and Jumper discipline.

The Hunter Division

The hunter show horse recalls the days when horses wereindispensable in an agrarian society. Not only was it necessary for a horse tohave comfortable, smooth, ground-cover gaits, but also needed to have theability to jump any obstacle in its path. Thus, a good steady mount promised asafe and successful ride.

The Horse

The hunter should appear calm, confident, and accomplished.He should have steady, even strides between fences and jump as if the jump ispart of his stride. The pace should be even throughout the ride, being able toeffectively adjust his leads as the course mandates. Cantering the entirecourse is preferable.

The course consists of a minimum of eight obstacles to bejumped in a specific order posted by the show committee. At least two changesof direction are standard. Obstacles simulate what was found in the hunt field:post and rail, brush, stone walls, while board fences or gates, chicken coops,oxers, etc. Many different hunter divisions can be offered depending upon theheight of the jumps, the experience or age of the rider, the experience of thehorse, or professional status. A division usually consists of at least threeclasses: two jumping and an under saddle class.

The Rider

The rider should give the impression of complete control andease in riding the hunter. Hands should be light and supple, held in front ofthe withers and creating a straight line from the horse’s mouth through theelbow. The rider should sit slightly ahead of the vertical, with shouldersback, legs supporting the body with calf in contact with the horse and slightlybehind the girth. The stirrup should be on the ball of the foot with heelsdown. At the posting trot, the gallop, or when jumping, the body inclinesslightly more forward. The method of holding the reins is optional.

Jumpers

When showing in the Jumper division, the two most importantthings are getting over the fences without knocking down any rails and yourtime. Whereas the Hunter division is scored on the fluidity and smoothness morelike a ballet competition, the Jumper division is scored on speed and accuracymore like a track and field event.

To determine thewinner of a jumper class, faults are awarded. These penalty faults are awardedto the horse/rider combination and thus the horse/rider combination with thelowest number of faults wins. For example, if you knock down a rail, youreceive four penalty faults. If you go over a predetermined time, you receive acertain number of faults for each second over the allowed time. If there is atie in the first round, a jump off occurs and then the fastest time with theleast number of points wins. The beauty of the Jumper division is that it istruly a spectacular athletic event that is scored objectively without asubjective evaluation from a judge, which makes it an exciting and fun eventfor newcomers to the sport to watch because the rules are relatively easy tomaster.

The Horse

It doesn’t matter what the jumper looks like as long as theycan do their job effectively. Performance is all that counts. Usually, thejumper is an exceptional athlete who possibly doesn’t possess quite the calmdemeanor of the hunter or the pretty way of moving or in other cases has theability to jump higher fence heights than the hunter ring enables.

Regardless of whya horse is in the jumper ring, they need to possess one key characteristic:adjustability. Horses need to be able to adjust the length of their stride atany given moment, be quick and yet make precise on their feet, and be able tomake tight turns. They also need to be unfazed by the more colorful andintimidating jumps of a jumper course. Courses usually are more complicatedthan a hunter course and include spreads and combinations.

Another differencebetween the jumper and hunter courses is that they need to have a starting lineand finish line because jumper courses are judged on time. As a rider, you needto make sure you know where these lines are and also need to make sure you andyour horse successfully pass through both of them, otherwise your score can bedisqualified. Many timers are now electronic, which reduces the human errorcaused by the conventional stopwatch.

The Rider

The attire of a jumper class is more informal than that of ahunter class, however, the rider should appear neatly dressed. ASTM hard hatsare required for juniors and recommended for all. The horse’s tack should besafe and suited to the purpose. Martingales are allowed, but with somerestrictions. Protective gear for the horse is allowed.