7 expert tips on training your show hunter to thrill and delight the ride judge

For any show horse producer or competitive amateur, the hunter weight classes at any county show or major championships are regarded as one of the most prestigious sections to reign in on the circuit. Training for show hunter classes requires an all-round, mannerly performance, demonstrating comfortable, ground-covering paces and providing a great ride, not just for the producer, but the judge, too.

Hunters are required to excel in three phases – the go-round, the ride and the conformation phase. They must move effortlessly through all four paces, showcasing a ground-covering walk, a workmanlike yet expressive trot, a balanced and forward canter and an impressive yet controlled gallop.

A hunter must perform exceptionally for both its own rider and for the ride judge. The hunter classes are often held in a main ring, too, so the horse must be able to remain well-mannered in a busy atmosphere.

The type of ride the ride judge will favour will depend on their own preferences, however correct schooling, manners, style, balance and obedience will be important irrespective of who is assessing on the day.

Ultimately, a hunter must be capable of performing on the hunt field for the day with its designated weight of rider, though they must also be of a certain quality in terms of conformation, essential for any type of show horse.

Hunters are divided into three weight sections; lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight.

• A lightweight should be able to carry up to 12st 7lb, stand around 16-16.2hh and have about eight and a half inches of bone under the knee.
• A middleweight hunter stands around 16.3hh, can carry between 12st 7lb and 14st and has around nine inches of bone.
• A heavyweight stands around 17hh, has nine to nine and a half inches of bone and is capable of carrying more than 14st.
• There is also a class for small hunters – hunter types under 15.2hh – and ladies’ hunters that are shown in a side-saddle.

Check out H&H’s extensive guide on show hunter classes.

Irrespective of whether you want to compete your show hunter at the very top at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) and the Royal International (RIHS) or at your local county show, you will need to ensure your training and schooling plan is pushing you in the right direction.

Top tips for training for show hunter classes

If you’re struggling to make progress with your show hunter or currently feel unprepared, these tips from two leading show horse producers are sure to help you on your path to success.

Jayne Ross is one of the show horse circuit’s most garlanded riders. She has won the supreme at HOYS and the RIHS multiple times on various weights of hunter. Her most recent star hunter is the heavyweight Twinshock Warrior, who was supreme at HOYS in 2019. She was also supreme at HOYS with the dual lightweight and ladies’ contender Time 2 Reflect.

Robert Walker is the most prolific show hunter producer in the county. He has won the hunter of the year title at HOYS seven times, including with the legendary View Point who won it on four separate occasions. Robert has won the Royal Windsor hunter title a record number of times and he’s also landed multiple RIHS hunter titles. Robert is also joint-master of the Cheshire Hunt.

1. Working with the natural frame

When you first start your show ring prospect out under saddle, Robert advises to initially consider the horse’s natural frame and capabilities. Ultimately, a hunter should move freely forward in an uphill contact. As a rider, aim to “always be looking at the horse’s top plait.”

“This is especially important if you’re working with a bigger type of hunter,” he says. “I always look at the frame and work out what they’re likely to find more difficult in terms of work. For example, some horses are built more downhill so will ride that way initially.

“Therefore, it would be pointless and unhelpful to get on and expect them to naturally carry themselves and lift. The nagging would make them sit in my hand even more.”

Robert is an advocate of letting a horse come together in their own time, a process which is aided by getting the basic training principles right.

“It’s so important to let a horse learn to go forwards, carry themselves, respond to the correct aids and find their own rhythm,” he says. “In time, they develop their muscles, and they strengthen, coming up in front and giving you that light feeling we are aiming for.”

2. Lifting off the hand

Continuing, Robert notes that some young horses, especially those that are “loose goers”, can rely on the rider’s hand for comfort. While it can be easy for a rider to act as a safety net for their horse, the ride judge won’t provide such a support when in the ring.

“A judge isn’t going to hold your horse’s hand like you will,” Robert says. “Therefore, ensuring the horse works in an up, light and balanced contact is important. We do this by giving them an all-round education, which in turn encourages them to move forwards and be happy in their jobs.”

Robert says one of his current top middleweights, former Great Yorkshire champion Greenhall Treasure Island, initially struggled to maintain a consistent way of going when a ride judge would get on.

“He was so active when he was young that he needed you to be with him completely throughout,” Robert explains. “He would find his own stride overpowering and he’d struggle to balance his front end. During the Covid year, we gave him so much time to find his feet by hacking him around the farm and riding him in the fields.

“When schooling, I’d constantly half-halt him so he’d learn to use his hind leg and would come up through his shoulder. I never used my hand to get him to work in a forced shape as this would have only made him lean on me and get anxious.”

3. Learning to embrace sparkle

“One common thing I see riders do, irrespective of being on a hunter, a hack or a pony, is they over-try, often due to nerves,” Robert says. “For example, a combination will be stood for the judge and as soon as they’re asked to walk away they will shorten their reins so the horse instantly gathers and tenses. You wouldn’t expect a car to go forwards with the break on – it’s the same principle with a horse.

“The performances can also lack any sort of sparkle or presence as riders generally choose to ride a very safe show, pulling the horse into an outline and not taking any risks.”

Robert believes the marking system is partly to blame for lack-lustre showmanship.

“It creates a belief that you need to play small and safe as riders don’t want to get anything wrong in the fear they will lose marks,” he says. “Therefore, many performances lack expression.

“Our show animals should be expressive as well as light and forward, on the edge of boiling over. In my opinion, I’d rather see something go wrong for two seconds than watch 20 seconds of boredom.

“Try to ride in a positive way. Look up where you’re going and in turn the horse will do the same. Loosen your contact for the first few strides so the horse can move off forward. You can back off by half-halting as you progress.”

Robert adds: “This lack of expression was less of an issue when I was growing up as not many people had arenas and most of the rings were big outdoor park spaces.

“The lightweight Royal Flush was a horse who had exceptional presence. He wasn’t the most quality horse of my career in many ways, but he was so expressive and outdoors he would use his natural rhythm to outclass everything else in the ring.”

4. A smooth gallop

Robert believes that show riders shouldn’t take the word “gallop” so literally, in training this important pace for show hunter classes.

“It should be a lengthen of the stride, not just going fast,” he says. “It’s a reach and a stretch of the canter, not going from nought to 90 in a few seconds. If you come off the corner too quickly it can look like a scrambling scuttle.

“It also looks untidy when you pull up right in front of the judge suddenly and some riders pull with their outside hand at this point, causing the horse to swap legs. You should begin to encourage the extension as you come around the corner, so the horse pushes from behind, comes up in front and smoothly lengthens. Then, using your voice or your seat you can progressively come back to a rhythmical canter.”

5. Not just going through the motions

Both Jayne and Robert have officiated in the amateur finals at London International Horse Show (LIHS). Jayne says that these are ideal classes for those looking to enter the showing scene, but if you’re looking to step up to the higher levels, then refinements will be essential.

“If you’re hoping to compete your hunter at the RIHS, even in the amateur hunter finals which are seriously hotly contested these days, you need to present the horse correctly; be aware that if you’re riding a hunter then it must go like a hunter,” Jayne says.

“It’s brilliant to play around over winter with dressage outings and some jumping, but you need to get back into show mode once you’re looking to get back in the ring.”

To Jayne, presenting your hunter successfully includes showing the horse working well in all four paces.

She continues: “Your horse must go like a true hunter, travelling forwards while looking through the bridle with interest. This doesn’t mean bouncing around the place, but they must cover the ground and show themselves off to their full potential. Don’t just go through the motions.”

5. Walking with purpose

Jayne says the walk is often the most overlooked pace in most classes, though a hunter’s walk is one of the most important gaits.

“Even when schooling, many riders don’t do enough in the walk; they push straight into trot just looking to crack on and get the job done,” she says. “A walk is the horse’s most natural gait, though people are so obsessed with moving into trot. A strong, quality walk, though, can make such a difference. The walk should be interesting, enthusiastic and swinging.”

For training the walk for show hunter classes, Jayne maintains that variety in their work helps all her horses.

“We walk up hills and on rougher terrain so the horse learns where to put his feet independently,” she says. “If you want to lengthen the walk a little, walk over poles on the ground so the horse is encouraged to lower and work through the back.”

Jayne adores Twinshock Warrior’s walk, though she makes use of all her horse’s walks at every opportunity, as she explains: “He is the posiest walker around and I always show his walk off as much as I can. If I’m in a supreme, I make such a big deal of the walk. It’s so lovely, as a judge, to see a horse really swinging through their shoulder while showing off in the walk.”

6. Forward and flowing transitions.

“Consider moving forwards in all the transitions, not just once you’re in the pace,” Jayne says. “You’ve got to let the horse travel up through and into the pace with a forward and enthusiastic attitude.

“We always ask to move ‘forwards’ into trot and ‘forwards’ into canter, and also ‘forwards’ back to trot and canter – it’s always move forwards, never back. You need to allow the horse to move through those gears without restrictions.

“To encourage this, try to sit up in the saddle without getting hold of the reins too much. Don’t get too wound up about the stopping and steadying bit!”

7. Ride it like you stole it

Both Jayne and Rob are two riders who display exemplary showmanship in the ring. Their riding style is effective, yet looks totally effortless. Having confidence in the ring can make a huge difference to the overall picture.

“When a rider gets nervous, they can tip forward a bit and grab hold of the reins; my advice is to consciously think about how you’re sitting in the saddle,” Jayne says. “Use your weight, not your hand, to steady the horse.

“I always tell my clients to allow yourself to melt into the saddle like chocolate; feel yourself soften and let the horse absorb you. In trot, slow your rising rather than block with your hand. The horse will wait for you as they’ll feel you’ve gone quiet in your leg and have slowed your seat.”

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