Working Hunter??

[marinitagsd]

I have been recently thinking of doing a working hunter class as one of my friend's thinks my girl would do very well, another said not as she is a full TB. Any info on what the judges would be looking for would be a great help.
Thanks
Anita
x

 

[ossy]

Generally there is no reason a full TB can't do a working hunder class. Working hunters can be from any of the hunter weight classes (ed, lightweight/medium weight or heavy weight) and depending on your horses bone may fall into the lightweight section. If it would do well really depends on its conformation and style over the jumps.

IMHO though when out doing working hunter I rearly see a full TB winning the working hunter classes, but there are some pretty decent TB working hunter horses about.

 

[saraho]

I would give it a go, your mare looks lovely in your pics.

 

[marinitagsd]

Thanks for the info. Here is a pic taken at the weekend and also a link to some I posted the other day, she is quite a chunky TB with nice paces, its just that I have no idea where to start! lol What would I need to do?

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=400306

 

[ossy]

She looks pretty nice I would give her ago. Just remember the show jumping bit is judged on a fair hunting pace style rather than show jumping so keeping an even rythme not getting in too close/stadning off is the best thing to do. He looks like he has a good technic with his front legs, the only thing I would be looking for would be a bit more rounding over the fence, specifically lowering his head carriage over the fence.

basically your marks in working hunter are built up by seperate style marks for you and the horses jumping, conformation and ridden marks both in a group and individually, including a good gallop.

 

[posie_honey]

i do workers on my mare when she's not headshaking we won supreme show champion from doing it too (only at local level though )

def give it a try - as above really - marks are mainly won or lost inthe jumping section and in a small class there could only be a few clears

and ditto agian about a good gallop - essential for a worker i try to incorporate an extension or gallop somewhere in my jumping - and a really good one in my individual show - oh - if there is a ride judge - make sure your horse is used to other ways of riding and goes sweetly whatever - and make sure breaks are good - mine stops on body and judges seem to like that

turnout - pref no martingale - snaffle is fine for novice level - after then a double/pelham is best. bridle must be same for jumping and showing - boots can be used for jumping - taken off for showing. pref discrete saddle coloured numnah or none.

my pics below are all from workers - i can post more if you want?

ETA - WH saddle is preferable but more and more jumping saddles are seen nowdays

 

[Bug2007]

To put it simply the judge is looking for something they would like to spend the whole day hunting on.....so nice paces, good jump clearing it nicely but not cat leaping.....good hunting pace over the jumps.....obeident, stands still in the line up.

Just the basics.

 

[ossy]

i do workers on my mare when she's not headshaking we won supreme show champion from doing it too (only at local level though )

def give it a try - as above really - marks are mainly won or lost inthe jumping section and in a small class there could only be a few clears

and ditto agian about a good gallop - essential for a worker i try to incorporate an extension or gallop somewhere in my jumping - and a really good one in my individual show - oh - if there is a ride judge - make sure your horse is used to other ways of riding and goes sweetly whatever - and make sure breaks are good - mine stops on body and judges seem to like that

turnout - pref no martingale - snaffle is fine for novice level - after then a double/pelham is best. bridle must be same for jumping and showing - boots can be used for jumping - taken off for showing. pref discrete saddle coloured numnah or none.

my pics below are all from workers - i can post more if you want?

ETA - WH saddle is preferable but more and more jumping saddles are seen nowdays

Those pics are loverly, nice horse, the last one along shows what I was meaning about the head carriage over the fence.

 

[Billsmam]

give it a go, i think your horse will do fine. I do it with my HW show cob and we have won overall hunter championships through doing the workers, they dont like him in ridden hunter classes (understanably as hes not a hunter) but seem to really like him in the workers, must have somthing to do with his technique etc (god my spelling is terrible today sorry!)

so what im trying to say is even if your horse doesnt conform with the traditional hunter criteria doesnt mean that he wont make a good worker

sorry for rambling

 

[posie_honey]

Those pics are loverly, nice horse, the last one along shows what I was meaning about the head carriage over the fence.

thank you she has her sublime moments... and her ridiculous ones lol!

true about Workers can be less typey than hunters - mine has won at ridden but only because the others didn't go well for ride judge - so she won on manners rather than confo etc - shes too short for MW and too stocky for LW so really does not fit nicely into any of them - she also has true hunters legs with scars etc so again doesn't do great pure showing - but they seem to be more over looked in workers

 

[CAH7]

She looks great to me, I'd say give it a go! IME, at local level, as long as your horse jumps a nice clear, is well turned out and nicely schooled, she should do very well. I've had some success this way (locally!) on all sorts. Best of luck!