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With this past week's severe weather and torrential rains in the Southeast, I had to adjust my riding and training goals—and it turned out to be a change for the better.
Although the footing in our ring is quite nice, it just couldn't handle the 4+ inches of rain we received. So, with the Francis Marion National Forest in our backyard, I took the opportunity to spend time out on the trails, where the well-maintained, sandy roads were rideable.
I'm fortunate that my horse, Sunny, grew up at Julie's Maplewood Stables in Nevada, living his formative years out in a large field with a stream. He loves water, so my challenge isn't getting him to go into water; instead, it's preventing him from stopping to splash and play. He's also brave and loves an adventure, so we can explore at will. By our third day out, we'd found a new road that was flat and wide, perfect for lateral work and practicing canter transitions.
The silver lining to these storm clouds turned out out to be better than riding circles in a wet ring. And, sure, shoulder-in wasn't exactly what he was expecting to do while hacking out. But, in the end, it was a great compromise and fun for both of us to enjoy a little work and play all at once. We're now fit and ready to resume preparing for next week's horse show, where I hope the sun will shine!
As always,
Tricia
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Julie Winkel: On Adding a Stride in a Line
Tammy Schwarz, a member of our Judging WTF Private Group, asked:
Striding for a large pony 14.1+ hands—Her stride is really between a horse and a pony, so sometimes she gets the horse stride count...other times she adds. How much of a penalty is there if she gets some lines in horse strides and some lines she adds a stride within the same round?
Judging WTF Co-Author Julie Winkel: If you're showing in the rated Pony Hunter section, striding is part of the test. If your pony doesn't have the stride length to do the prescribed strides in the line, then she would fall behind the pack at the end of the day out hunting. In a Children's Pony class, the lines are set shorter, so you might think about showing in that division where you would still need to get the correct number of strides but the lines are easier. No matter what, she needs to be consistent in the lines—an even hunting pace is the first criteria in how hunters are judged.
At a less competitive show, if you added in every line (except in the combination where you must do the correct number) it's still possible to come out toward the top of the class if no one else did the correct striding well.
If you're talking about showing your pony in an open hunter class, not a class limited to ponies, you could probably get away with adding a stride, but it would have to be the same in every line. Hopefully, the judge will believe she is a Medium Pony rather than a Large. I hope this answers your question!
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This week's Did You Know? was an eye-opener for some readers! But our side-saddle gurus jumped in with more details and a great story.
Devon Zebrovious - You can ride aside in any USEF/USHJA class other than equitation classes restricted to juniors.
Cathy Hare - Exhibitors can ride side-saddle in other hunter classes and jumpers, too. Jaye Younkers and her wonderful Gentleman Jim, aka Mikey, “taught” a few lessons on jumpers' inside turns aside to some ringside naysayers - I always enjoyed the look on their faces when her time was announced!
Lauren Schweppe - Cool! Wonder if they have to check the sandwich and beverage in an EQ class or if that’s just for the side-saddle division?
Good question! It's not in the EQ section of the USEF Rulebook, so most likely having the judge check the sandwich case (to make sure the sandwich is white meat, without crusts, cut diagonally and in wax paper) would be just for the side-saddle division, since those riding astride would not be required to carry one.
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Do you have any judging questions? Hit the button and let us know!
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Julie & Tricia Out and About
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Julie just returned from teaching a clinic and doing a book signing in Vermont on Monday, and she will be attending the Paso Robles Spring Classic Horse Shows in Paso Robles, California, from April 13-24, where she will have books for sale and be available to sign them. You can find Tricia showing at the Aiken Highfields Masters, April 20-23 in South Carolina, where she will also have books available to sign and sell.
To learn more about Tricia's and Julie's upcoming clinics and book signings, please view their calendar on judgingwtf.com and Julie's clinic schedule on maplewoodstables.com.
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This newsletter is based on the book Judging Hunters and Equitation WTF? (Want The Facts?) by Julie Winkel and Tricia Booker.
We're thrilled to have you join us as we spend time together talking about judging, the history of the sport, scoring, tips to improve your show ring performances, judges' pet peeves, and show ring strategies, and best of all answering your questions! Something on your mind? Email us: info@judgingwtf.com
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