Horsemanship

Horsemanship

Horsemanship is designed to evaluate the rider’s ability to execute, in concert with their horse, a set of maneuvers prescribed by the judge with precision and smoothness while exhibiting poise and confidence and maintaining a balanced, functional and fundamentally correct body position.

The ideal horsemanship pattern is extremely precise with the rider and horse working in complete unison, executing each maneuver with subtle aids and cues. The horse’s head and neck should be carried in a relaxed, natural position, with the poll level with or slightly above the withers. The head should not be carried behind the vertical, giving the appearance of intimidation, or be excessively nosed out, giving a resistant appearance.

All exhibitors must enter the ring and then work individually, or each exhibitor may be worked from the gate individually. When exhibitors are worked individually from the gate, a working order is required. Exhibitors should be instructed to either leave the arena, fall into line, or fall into place on the rail after their work. The whole class, or just the finalists, must work at all three gaits at least one direction of the arena.

Maneuvers. The following maneuvers or combinations of these maneuvers are acceptable in a pattern:

    • Walk, jog, trot, extended trot, lope or extended lope in a straight line, curved line, serpentine, circle or figure 8,
    • Stop
    • Back in a straight or curved line
    • Turn or pivot, including spins and rollbacks on the haunches and/or on the forehand
    • Sidepass
    • Two-track or leg-yield
    • Flying or simple change of lead
    • Counter-canter
    • Ride without stirrups
    • Judges will not ask exhibitors to mount or dismount.

Presentation and Position of Exhibitor

Appropriate western attire must be worn. Clothes and person are to be neat and clean.

The exhibitor should appear natural in the seat and ride with a balanced, functional and correct position regardless of the maneuver or gait being performed. During the railwork and pattern, the exhibitor should have strong, secure and proper position. Exhibitors should sit and maintain an upright position with the upper body at all gaits.

The rider’s head should be held with the chin level and the eyes forward, and may be directed slightly toward the direction of travel. Excessive turning of the head to the inside of the circle, or down at the horse’s head or shoulder will be penalized.

The rider should sit in the center of the saddle and the horse’s back with the legs hanging to form a straight line from the ear, through the center of the shoulder and hip, touching the back of the heel or through the ankle. The heels should be lower than the toes, with a slight bend in the knee and the lower leg should be directly under the knee.

The rider’s back should be flat, relaxed and supple. An overly stiff and/or overly arched lower back will be penalized. The shoulders should be back, level and square.

The rider’s base of support should maintain secure contact with the saddle from the seat to the inner thigh. Light contact should be maintained with the saddle and horse from the knee to mid-calf. The knee should point forward and remain closed with no space between the exhibitor’s knee and the saddle. The exhibitor will be penalized for positioning the legs excessively behind or forward of the vertical position.

The feet may be placed home in the stirrup, with the boot heel touching the stirrup, or may be placed with the ball of the foot in the center of the stirrup. The rider’s toes should be pointing straight ahead or slightly turned out with the ankles straight or slightly broken in. Riding with toes only in the stirrup will be penalized. Those exhibitors that can maintain the proper position throughout all maneuvers should receive more credit.

When riding without stirrups, the exhibitor should maintain the same position as previously described.

Both hands and arms should be held in a relaxed, easy manner, with the upper arm in a straight line with the body. The arm holding the reins should be bent at the elbow forming a line from the elbow to the horse’s mouth. The free hand and arm may be carried bent at the elbow in a similar position as the hand holding the reins or straight down at the riders side. Excessive pumping of the free arm as well as excessive stiffness will be penalized.

The rider’s wrist is to be kept straight and relaxed, with the hand held at about 30 to 45 degrees inside the vertical. The rein hand should be carried immediately above or slightly in front of the saddle horn. The reins should be adjusted so that the rider has light contact with the horse’s mouth, and at no time shall reins require more than a slight hand movement to control the horse.

Excessively tight or loose reins will be penalized.

The exhibitor should not crowd the exhibitor next to or in front of them when working on the rail and should pass to the inside of the arena. When reversing on the rail, the exhibitor should always reverse to the inside of the arena.

Presentation and Performance of Horse

The horse’s body condition and overall health and fitness should be assessed. The horse should appear fit and carry weight appropriate for the body size. A horse which appears sullen, dull, lethargic, emaciated, drawn or overly tired should be penalized according to severity. Tack should fit the horse properly and be neat, clean and in good repair.

The horse should perform all maneuvers in the pattern willingly, briskly and readily with minimal visible or audible cueing. Severe disobedience will not result in a disqualification, but should be severely penalized, and the exhibitor should not place above an exhibitor that completes the pattern correctly. Failure to follow the prescribed pattern, knocking over or working on the wrong side of the cones, excessive schooling or training, or willful abuse by the exhibitor is cause for disqualification.

The horse should track straight, freely and at the proper cadence for the prescribed gait. Transitions should be smooth and prompt in the pattern and on the rail, and should be performed when called for on the rail. The horse’s head and neck should be straight and in line with their body while performing straight lines and slightly arched to the inside on curved lines or circles. Circles should be round and performed at the appropriate speed, size and location as requested in the pattern. The counter-canter should be performed smoothly with no change in cadence or stride unless specified in the pattern.

The stop should be straight, square, prompt, smooth and responsive with the horse maintaining a straight body position throughout the maneuver. The back should be smooth and responsive.

Turns should be smooth and continuous. When performing a turn on the haunches, the horse should pivot on the inside hind leg and step across with the front legs. A rollback is a stop and 180 degree turn over the hocks with no hesitation. Backing during turns will be penalized severely.

The horse should step across with the front and hind legs when performing the sidepass, leg-yield and two-track. The side pass should be performed with the horse keeping the body straight while moving directly lateral in the specified direction. When performing a leg- yield, the horse should move forward and lateral in a diagonal direction with the horse’s body arced opposite to the direction that the horse is moving. In the two-track, the horse should move forward and lateral in a diagonal direction with the horse’s body held straight or bent in the direction the horse is moving.

simple or flying change of lead should be executed precisely in the specified number of strides and/or at the designated location. A simple change of lead is performed by breaking to a walk or trot for one to three strides. Flying changes should be simultaneous front and rear. All changes should be smooth and timely.

Position of the exhibitor and performance of the horse and rider on the rail must be considered in the final placing.

Faults can be classified as minor, major or severe. The judge will determine the appropriate classification of a fault based upon the degree and/or frequency of the infraction. An exhibitor that incurs a severe fault avoids elimination, but should be placed below all other exhibitors that complete the pattern correctly. A minor fault can become a major fault and a major fault can become a severe fault when the degree and/or frequency of the infraction(s) merits.

Minor Faults

    • Break of gait at walk or jog/trot up to 2 strides
    • Over/under turn up to 1/8 of turn

Major Faults

    • Break of gait at a lope, out of lead or missing lead for 1-2 strides
    • Not stopping within 10 feet of designated area
    • Incorrect gait or break of gait at walk or jog for more than 2 strides
    • Over turn of more than 1/8 turn, but not more than 1/4
    • Exhibitor obviously looking down to check leads
    • Failure of bottom of boot to be in contact with the pad of the stirrup
    • Head carried too high
    • Head carried too low (tip of ear below the withers)
    • Over flexing or straining neck in head carriage so the nose is carried behind the vertical
    • Excessive nosing out

Severe Faults (avoids disqualification but should be placed below other exhibitors who do not incur a severe fault)

    • Loss of stirrup or rein
    • Missing a lead for more than 2 strides
    • Touching horse
    • Grabbing the saddle horn or any other part of the saddle
    • Cueing with the end of the romal
    • Spurring in front of the shoulder
    • Kicking at other horses, exhibitors or judge
    • Severe disobedience or resistance by horse including, but notlimited to, rearing bucking or pawing

Disqualifying Faults (should not be placed)

    • Failure by exhibitor to wear correct number in visible manner
    • Willful abuse
    • Knocking over the cone, going off pattern or working on wrong side of cone
    • Excessive schooling or training
    • Fall by horse or rider
    • Illegal use of hands on reins
    • Use of prohibited equipment
    • Failure to follow pattern correctly including failure to ever execute correct lead or gait where called for
    • Overturning more than 1/4 of prescribed turn

Faults scored according to severity, which will be cause for disqualification:

    • Head carried too low (tip of ear below the withers consistently)
    • Over flexing or straining neck in head carriage so the nose is carried behind the vertical consistently

Exceptions in Horsemanship Classes as per WHSA

Entries in Novice WalkTrot Horsemanship will not be asked for gait extensions or to lope and will not be penalized for touching the horse or saddle, for two-handing the reins, or for the substitution of a safety helmet for a western hat