JUDGING THE PERFORMANCE HORSE

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JUDGING THE PERFORMANCE HORSE
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Western Pleasure

• Western Pleasure is one of the most popular show
  events.
• A top western pleasure horse should be as the
  name implies
• a pleasure to ride

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Western Pleasure

• Contestants compete simultaneously
• Travel around the perimeter of the arena
• Walk, jog and lope
• Both directions of the arena.

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Criteria used to evaluate performance horses

• Functional correctness
• Quality of movement
• Consistency
• Willingness
• Brokeness

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Functional correctness

• Horse picks up and maintains proper gait
• Each gait is correct and true
• Horse maintains a desirable head carriage
• Proper upward and downward transitions
• Maintaining a proper rate of speed

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Quality of Movement

• Gaits must be performed with proper cadence and
  balance
• Softness
• Horse maintains a level top line
• Horse maintains a collected frame

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Consistency

• Willingness/Broke-ness
• Attitude and temperament
• Prompt response with no resistance

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Western pleasure will be judged on

• Performance
• Condition conformation

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A good pleasure horse

• has a free-flowing stride of reasonable length
• in keeping with his conformation
• should cover a reasonable amount of ground with
  little effort

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A good pleasure horse

• should have a balanced, flowing motion
• will exhibit correct gaits that are of proper
  cadence

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THE QUALITY OF THE MOVEMENT AND THE CONSISTENCY
OF THE GAITS IS A MAJOR CONSIDERATION
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A good pleasure horse

• should carry his head and neck in a relaxed,
  natural position
• poll level with or slightly above the level of
  the withers
• face should be level with his nose slightly in
  front of the vertical
• has a bright expression with his ears alert

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A good pleasure horse

• should be shown on a loose rein
• should be responsive and smooth in transitions
• should extend in the same flowing motion

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MAXIMUM CREDIT SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE FLOWING,
BALANCED AND WILLING HORSE WHICH GIVES THE
APPEARNCE OF BEING A PLEASURE TO RIDE
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Terminology the Walk

• The walk is a natural, flat footed, four beat
  gait.
• The horse must move straight and true at the
  walk.
• The walk must be alert
• The stride must be of a reasonable length in
  keeping with the size of the horse

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Terminology the Jog Trot

• A smooth, ground covering two beat diagonal gait
• Horse works from one pair of diagonals to the
  other pair
• Square, balanced, straight forward movement of
  feet
• Extended jog shows same smoothness

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Terminology the Lope

• The lope is an easy rhythmical three beat gait
• Horses moving to left should be on left lead
• Horses moving to right should be on right lead
• Natural stride should appear relaxed and smooth
• Ridden at a speed that is a natural way of going

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Extended Walk, Extended Trot, Back

• Horse maintains frame and topline
• reaches further with shoulder and hock
• Back straight, picking feet up off ground, shows
  no resistance

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Disqualification

• Changing hands on reins
• More than index finger between reins
• Head too low more than five strides

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Excessive speed
• Wrong lead
• Breaking gait

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Excessive slowness, loss of forward momentum
• Failure to take the appropriate gait when called
  for
• Touching horse or saddle with free hand

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Head carried too high
• Head carried too low
• Over flexing or straining neck in head carriage
  so the nose is carried behind the vertical

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Excessive nosing out
• Opening mouth excessively
• Stumbling
• Use of spurs forward of the cinch

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Sullen, dull, lethargic, emaciated, drawn or
  overly tired
• Quick, choppy or pony strided
• Reins draped to the point that light contact is
  not maintained
• Tail excessive movement/ dead tail

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Organizing Notes

• Active vision!
• description of horse
• colors
• markings
• Correctness
• Movement
• Consistency

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Oral reasons

• students can verbalize what they understand
• make use of notes
• start with written reasons

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Hunter Under Saddle

• A popular show event
• Used to be called
• Bridle Path Hack
• English Pleasure
• Similar to Western Pleasure ONLY in that the
  horses should be a pleasure to ride

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Hunter Under Saddle

• SUITABLE to purpose
• follow hounds cross country
• Preliminary class for English riding disciplines

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Hunter Under Saddle

• Contestants compete simultaneously
• Travel around the perimeter of the arena
• Walk, trot and canter
• Both directions of the arena.

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Criteria used to evaluate performance horses

• Functional correctness
• Quality of movement
• Willingness
• Brokeness

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Functional correctness

• Horse picks up and maintains proper gait
• Each gait is correct and true
• Horse maintains a desirable head carriage
• Proper upward and downward transitions
• Maintaining a proper rate of speed

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Quality of Movement

• Gaits must be performed with proper cadence and
  balance
• Softness
• Horse maintains a level top line
• Horse maintains a collected frame

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Willingness/Broke-ness

• Attitude and temperament
• Prompt response with no resistance

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Hunter Under Saddle will be judged on

• Performance
• Condition conformation

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A good hunter

• Long, low strides
• reaches forward smoothly
• lengthens
• relaxed, free-flowing movement
• correctness in gaits
• cadence

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THE QUALITY OF THE MOVEMENT AND THE CONSISTENCY
OF THE GAITS IS A MAJOR CONSIDERATION
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A good hunter

• obedient
• bright expression
• alert ears
• responsive to light hand/leg contact

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A good hunter

• responsive and smooth in transitions
• extend in same flowing motion
• poll level with or slightly above withers
• face slightly in front of or on the vertical

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MAXIMUM CREDIT SHALL BE GIVEN TO THE FLOWING,
BALANCED, WILLING HORSE
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Terminology the Walk

• Natural, flat footed, four beat gait
• Moves straight and true at walk
• Alert
• Stride of reasonable length in keeping with size
  of horse
• LOSS OF FORWARD RHYTMIC MOVEMENT SHALL BE
  PENALIZED

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Terminology the Trot

• Two beat gait
• long
• low
• ground covering
• cadenced
• balanced

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Terminology the Trot

• Smoothness is more essential than speed
• Knees should remain relatively flat
• knees exhibit minimal flexion
• SHORT, QUICK STRIDES AND EXTREME SPEED SHALL BE
  PENALIZED
• definite lengthening during extension

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Terminology the Canter

• Three beat gait
• smooth
• free moving
• relaxed
• straight
• long
• low
• ground covering

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Terminology the Hand Gallop

• definite lengthening of the stride
• noticeable difference in speed
• horse under control
• hand gallop to halt in smooth, balanced manner

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Quick, short, vertical strides
• Wrong lead
• Wrong diagonal
• Breaking gait

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Excessive speed
• Excessive slowness
• Failure to take the appropriate gait when called
  for

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Head carried too high
• Head carried too low
• Over-flexing, straining neck with nose behind
  vertical
• Excessive nosing out

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Faults to be scored according to severity

• Failure to maintain light contact with horses
  mouth
• Stumbling
• Sullen, dull, lethargic, emaciated, drawn, overly
  tired
• Tail excessive movement/dead tail

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Reining

• Ten approved patterns
• Each contestant performs individually
• Horses are judged from the time they enter the
  pen until they complete the last maneuver

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• To rein a horse is not only to guide him,
• but also to control his every movement.
• The best reined horse should be willfully guided
  or controlled with little or no apparent
  resistance and dictated to completely.

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• Any movement on his own must be considered a lack
  of control.
• All deviations from the exact written pattern
  must be considered a lack of or temporary loss of
  control, and therefore faulted according to the
  severity of deviation.

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• Credit will be given for smoothness, finesse,
  attitude, quickness and authority in performing
  the various maneuvers while using controlled
  speed.

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Maneuver scores

• Scored on 1/2 point increments
• Resistance, unwilling, lacks smoothness
• MINUS (-1/2) OR (-1) OR (-1 1/2)
• Controlled speed, authority, aggressiveness,
  willingness
• PLUS (1/2) OR (1) OR (1 1/2)

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Maneuver Scores
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Maneuver Scores and Penalty Scores are NOT the
same!
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Reining

• Scoring will be on the basis of 0-Infinity
• 70 denotes an average performance

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No Scores

• Abuse of animal in show arena
• Evidence that abuse has occurred prior to
  exhibition
• Use of illegal equipment
• wire on bits, bosals, curb chains
• illegal bits, bosals, curb chains
• tack collars, tie downs, nosebands
• whips, bats

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No Scores

• Use of any attachment which alters movement of or
  circulation to the tail
• Failure to provide horse and equipment to the
  appropriate judge for inspection
• Disrespect or misconduct by the exhibitor

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Excess rein

• Rider may untangle excess rein
• if it prevents the rider from completing the
  pattern
• if it can be straightened without affecting the
  performance of the horse
• ONLY during hesitations

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Scores of 0

• More than index or first finger between reins
• Two hands or changing hands
• Improper use of romal reins
• Failure to complete the pattern as written
• Performing the maneuvers other than in specified
  order

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Scores of 0

• Inclusion of maneuvers not specified
• (including but not limited to)
• backing more than 2 strides
• turning more than 90 degrees
• equipment failure that delays completion of
  pattern
• Balking or refusing command
• running off or failing to guide

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Scores of 0

• jogging in excess of
• one half circle
• one half the length of the arena
• overspins of more than 1/4 turn
• fall to the ground by horsed or rider

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5 point penalties

• Spurring in front of cinch
• Use of free hand to instill fear
• Holding saddle or touching horse with free hand
• Blatant disobedience
• kicking
• biting
• bucking
• rearing

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2 point penalties

• Break of gait
• Freeze up in spins or rollbacks
• On walk in patterns, failure to stop or walk
  before executing a canter departure
• On run in patterns, failure to be in a canter
  prior to the first marker
• Missing markers on stops

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Starting or performing circles or eights out of
lead

• 1 point penalty each time out of lead per 1/4
  circle
• 1/2 point for a delayed change of lead by one
  stride

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Departures and Rollbacks

• 1/2 point penalty for starting circle at jog up
  to two strides
• 2 point penalty for more than two strides but
  less than 1/2 circle
• 1/2 point penalty for exiting rollbacks at a jog
  up to two strides
• 2 point penalty for more than two strides but
  less than 1/2 arena length

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Spins

• 1/2 point penalty for over or under spinning 1/8
  of a turn
• 1 point penalty for over or under spinning
  1/8-1/4 of a turn

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Rundowns

• 1/2 point penalty for failure to remain 20 feet
  from the fence
• when approaching a Stop or Rollback

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Changes of lead

• (where a change of leads is specified prior to a
  run to the end of the arena)
• 1/2 point penalty for failure to change by one
  stride
• 1 point penalty for failure to change before next
  maneuver
• 2 point penalty if lead is not changed prior to
  next maneuver

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Changes of lead

• (in patterns requiring a run around)
• 1 point penalty for failure to be on correct lead
  when rounding the end of the arena
• 2 point penalty for failure to be on the correct
  lead prior to the center part of the arena

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Faults against the horse (do not cause
disqualification)

• opening mouth excessively
• excessive jawing, opening mouth or head raising
  on stops
• Lack of smooth, straight stop on haunches
• bouncing or sideways stops

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Faults against the horse (do not cause
disqualification)

• Refusing to change leads
• Anticipating signals
• stumbling
• backing sideways
• knocking over markers

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Faults against the rider (do not cause
disqualification)

• Losing stirrup
• unnecessary talking, petting, spurring, jerking
  of reins, etc

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Markers

• failure to run circles or figure eights within
  the markers is not considered a fault depending
  on arena conditions and size
• failure to go beyond markers on rollbacks and
  stops is a fault

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Sources

• AQHA Rulebook, Color charts, judging videos
• PO Box 200, Amarillo, TX 79168
• Phone [phone]
• www.aqha.com
• Kansas State University 4-H Judging Guide
• Visual Ed Products Pipkin judging videos, State
  Judging Contests
• [phone]
• www.cev-inc.com