American Hunter classes?

I wish mine would make jumping look as effortless as the first :(

The third looked pretty effortless, too, but also like they might fall asleep in the middle of the fences.. ;)

Still, both many many times better than I could manage. Sigh.
 
Floxie said:
I wish mine would make jumping look as effortless as the first :(

The third looked pretty effortless, too, but also like they might fall asleep in the middle of the fences.. ;)

Still, both many many times better than I could manage. Sigh.
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Sadly, there's a lot of doping involved in US hunter classes. The NY Times ran a front-page article last week. (Not saying the horses in the videos are doped--merely stating that it's a huge problem.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/28/u...ice-to-drugs-in-show-ring.html?pagewanted=all
 
Quite honestly it is more interesting watching paint dry than watching their 'Hunter' classes.

Showing in the USA is diabolical.

Watch a Western Pleasure class and I could walk backwards faster than those poor horses are going forward. The English Pleasure is the same.
I have asked numerous times as to why the horses are going so slowly and I was told because when working, like going out to mend a fence, they wanted the horse as comfortable as possible. My answer was that it would take them all day to get to the fence if it was more than 4 miles away!

The horses are never stripped off, ridden by the judges or closely examined.

I would love to see them out hunting, the riders would need a laundry change if the horses went forward into a fence and most would certainly be out the front door at the slightest drop.

As said, there is a lot of doping involved and bute is allowed. No dope testing at all.
 
Actually there is testing. People get caught. Fact checking helps. Thing is with Humble it was probably IV Mag. Not going to trace. Or very hard to tell. Might want to hop on over to COTH before you yet again tar and feather everyone with the same brush.

For some reason Foxhuter you really think nobody is capable of doing anything right with horses in America. You obviously hunt so are superior.

Hunters isn't my thing either. But no point in bashing because of that fact. Not everyone drugs, most do not. But look its easier to bash so work away.

Oh and WP and Hunters are completely different disciplines. You know like trotting on the road in a sulkie and people who chase animals across the country.

Terri
 
Equilibrium Ireland said:
Actually there is testing. People get caught. Fact checking helps. Thing is with Humble it was probably IV Mag. Not going to trace. Or very hard to tell. Might want to hop on over to COTH before you yet again tar and feather everyone with the same brush.

For some reason Foxhuter you really think nobody is capable of doing anything right with horses in America. You obviously hunt so are superior.

Hunters isn't my thing either. But no point in bashing because of that fact. Not everyone drugs, most do not. But look its easier to bash so work away.

Oh and WP and Hunters are completely different disciplines. You know like trotting on the road in a sulkie and people who chase animals across the country.

Terri
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Agree, and it's why I ride western, but things are improving since we took notice of how the germans train!! twenty or so years ago british dresage riders were at the bottom , and the idea the english hunting people have any fineness is a joke, its Kick on and whip if the horse wont go and pull like mad to stop, you dam well make that horse do it!! this has been the english way for years for all disaplines but things are changing people are learning to work with the horse and realising breeding for temprement not just speed or looks is important ,we can learn a lot from the Americans not all good but they know what a relaxed responsive well broke horse is...Have a nice day.,
 
Equilibrium Ireland said:
Actually there is testing. People get caught. Fact checking helps. Thing is with Humble it was probably IV Mag. Not going to trace. Or very hard to tell. Might want to hop on over to COTH before you yet again tar and feather everyone with the same brush.

For some reason Foxhuter you really think nobody is capable of doing anything right with horses in America. You obviously hunt so are superior.

Hunters isn't my thing either. But no point in bashing because of that fact. Not everyone drugs, most do not. But look its easier to bash so work away.

Oh and WP and Hunters are completely different disciplines. You know like trotting on the road in a sulkie and people who chase animals across the country.

Terri
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I rarely agree with you, but when I do, I really do.

I breed horses for the US hunter jumper market, mostly, though 2013 will be my last season.

Personally, I'd rather see a horse going round in a slow, controlled manner, always going off the right stride, demonstrating correct changes than galloping round and going off flyers. I know not all SJ horses do this, but I've never seen a horse fall in HJ, but due to speed and striding you do see SJ horses sadly go down.

If it is an EQ class, the horse will also be judged on conformation as well as how they jump, the lines taken between fences, taking off correctly, and rider style. For many, this provides the foundation for a career with horses, with then later going on to event or SJ more successfully due to the skills picked up in the hunt ring.

I' not going to discuss WP, because frankly it is not the subject of the initial post nor is it of any interest to me.
 
i didn't mean to start an argument, because if i'm honest i don't know any thing about hunters in america i just do find that it looks a little dull and though the horses look sound what i see in it that the riders over jump so throwing themselves onto the horses shoulders so the horses flatten over the jump.. i don't necessarily see anything wrong with what there doing i just find that the riders are weighing the horses take off point...
does anyone see my point?
 
I was told by a fellow livery that my style of riding (dressage?!) looked "American." Flummoxed, I asked what on earth she meant by that, and she said that my horse and I look very relaxed and was "very different" from the way they ride in Britain. Huh? Admittedly, I should probably ride my horse "sharper" than I do, as she often asks if she can have a cup of tea before a transition or movement and I usually say, "All right." On the other hand, there was me thinking that relaxation was one of those fundamental building blocks of dressage. Not American, but part of the German training scale. My horse can have days where she's too relaxed ("Dude, I'll get to that half-pass") but generally she can be convinced to go in front of your leg if you know how to ride in a sympathetic and encouraging way.

Ever since I had this conversation with this livery, I've been trying to figure out what she was saying about British riding.

As an aside, I have never done hunters. I initially learned to ride at age 7 in a western saddle but switched to "English" as they say at age 12 and started focusing on dressage at 14.
 
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I loved that first one, presumably he won the class. OK, in the UK we would go up a gear, but the last working hunter class I watched was a disaster with no clear rounds at all and most of the horses refusing and demolshing the fences. They were quite a lot bigger than the ones in the video though.

For USA classes it is supposed to look easy and smooth - and it was! Even in a hunter class you do not gallop, extended canter is the fastest. Manners and going on the correct leg are very important.
 
I don't have a problem with the American Hunter classes - their country, their style but do have an issue with what they call English classes.
 
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