I thought that in XC you had to wear xc coluors and in hunter trials you had to were your hunter/hacking jacket? Might have heard wrong though? not sure?!
Years ago people used to wear their usual hunting attire (tweed or hunting jacket) for hunter trials, but nowadays everyone wears cross-country colour. I haven't seen anyone in hunting attire at hunter trials in the past few years, and when I was a spectator when I was a lot younger I didn't see many either from what I remember.
I thought they were the same too we all wear colours at our ht down here and its a whole timed course with no timed section in all the ht ive ridden in.
I thought a hunter trial was more spaced out, ie a large stretch between each jump, as if you were hunting? Yet XC the fences are pretty much closer together?
depends where you are in the country and who is organising the competition.
a true XC competition is timed all the round just like the XC phase of a ODE.
a True HT competition has a timed section traditionally including a gate and you must wear either hacking jackets or a plain black sweatshirt.
BUT nowadays you see a mixture of the two. Here in devon a HT means an XC with a short timed section in one field as far easier for the organisers with no gate and wear whatever you like.
on the other hand friend competed in Notts i think it was this weekend where her HT had gate and someone was actually eliminated for not wearing a hacking jacket as they turned up in XC colours!
This is why it is best to read the individual competition rules. True HTs are most commonly run by pony clubs I have found.