Competitions

TAMING THE TRIANGLE

How to Show Sport Horses In-hand
By Patti Schofler

Do you have a hunter horse? Is your breeding program on the right track to produce dressage horses? Is your 2-year-old a prospect for three-day eventing? Or endurance? The answer may lie in the score sheet your horse earns in a sport horse in-hand class signed by a judge who specializes in one of those sports.

As a section of the Arabian Sport Horse Division (see USA Equestrian Rule Book, page TK), the in-hand classes are designed to evaluate competitors in dressage, working hunter, eventing, endurance and jumping. Last year, before the classes were AHSA recognized, 16 Arabian shows offered sport horse in-hand classes. Because the preparation for these classes takes light, but consistent handling, young horses shown in hand are introduced to the show world without the pressures of performance or halter. "These are very people friendly classes for horses and handlers. Amateurs and professionals alike do well in them," explains Molly Stanley, former chair of the IAHA Sport Horse Committee. "For owners and breeders this is another arena for them to market the fruits of their labor."

The playing field is either a triangular or V-shaped arena, formed by ground poles. There, a judge from the dressage or hunter/jumper world evaluates horses according to movement, conformation and general impression. Individuals are viewed for their suitability as sport horse breeding stock or performance horses. Groups gathered according to family are judged on the sire or dam’s ability to produce quality breeding stock.

According to the 2003 USA Equestrian Rulebook, Article 1649F.1 horses are to be judged on, "way of moving, conformation and general impression, to include overall breed standard, expression, manners, masculinity, femininity, development related to age and suitability as a sport horse." The percentages break down as follows: "40 percent Movement; 40 percent Conformation; 10 percent Expression, Manners, Willingness; 10 percent Quality, Balance and Harmony, Suitability as a Sport Horse."

Form to Function

Each horse has his own time before the judge. He stands for conformation evaluation and walks and trots the triangle or V for movement judgement. Each horse receives scores and comments on movement, conformation and general impression. The horse with the highest percentage wins the class.

To do well in these classes takes an understanding of the process and practice on the part of handler and horse. Dressage and hunter/jumper judges look for good sport horse conformation with minor differences. For instance, for dressage the judge looks for a higher set on neck with a more upright stance than the classic hunter position, which will be lower, but not so low that the horse's balance looks downhill. When the exhibitor approaches to stand for conformation judging, the judge will ask in which discipline the horse is used or in the case of a younger horse, in which discipline he will be used.

Peter Lert, U.S. Dressage Federation (USDF) sport horse breeding judge, member of the USDF L judges faculty and California Dressage Society president, has judged a number of Arabian sport horse classes. He pays particular attention to a strong loin connection. "This will influence how they perform," says Lert. "They also have to have the hind legs built under the chaise. Beyond that, each judge is different. I worry about horses that have their elbows set in tight. And I like to see good width between the branches of the jaw. Horses that don’t have that width have a hard time carrying the bit well. A sport horse also needs a little more substance, a little heavier bone, than those in other disciplines.

Hunter/jumper judge Janet Stratton-George, who also has judged the Arabian sport horse in-hand classes, emphasizes that "good conformation is good conformation. I like a horse whose front end, midsection and back end look like they belong together, a horse that has a nice sloping shoulder and a long hip. Horses with this type of conformation will be better movers and performers."

Following the conformation evaluation, the judge asks the handler to move onto the smaller triangle for walk work, and then to the large, outer triangle for trot work. Horse and handler travel to the right, clockwise around the perimeter of the triangles. As the horse moves away from the judge, straightness is evaluated. On the long side of the triangle, parallel to the judge, use of the back, overstep, elasticity, suppleness and length of stride are evaluated. The judge looks at the freedom, purity and quality of the gaits. As the horse moves towards the judge, correctness and evidence of winging or paddling are appraised. The handler finishes at the starting apex for further conformation evaluation or to repeat any movement at the judge's request.

"The quality of the movement is the most important thing I look for. All the conformation in the world won’t help if they can’t move, though we make assumptions that correct conformation also will produce good movement," says Lert.

Lert likes a pure, loose, marching and reaching walk, balanced from front to rear and with overstep. "Generally, I’ve noticed that Arabs show a very good walk, good regularity and pretty good activity," says Lert. At the trot, he would like see more reach and power.

"Hunter/jumper horses are different movers than saddle seat or western," says Stratton-George. "We like to see less knee action and less animation than an English pleasure horse. In the hunter world, the length of stride is very important because the bottom line is the fence. We want horses that really cover ground, utilizing the whole stride, moving close to the ground."

Dressage judges emphasize impulsion and spring. "They want horses to move from behind more," says Stratton-George. "And travel up hill because it’s easier to get them to carry the hind end under. They don’t mind a little knee bend as long as the horse is pushing from behind. These are small differences though. You’ll still have the same top horses, maybe in slightly different order."

Those are the basics. How, then, do you work the triangle well?

Working the Triangle

For conformation testing, the handler stands the horse parallel to the apex with the horse’s right side at the apex, the left side to the judge. The horse should stand calm, yet attentive, well-balanced over four legs in an "open position" which lets the judge see all four legs from the side. The handler stands in front of the horse with loose reins or line. As the judge moves around the horse for the evaluation, the handler moves out of judge’s line of vision.

"Many horses, because they’re showing with their necks very erect in halter, don’t show enough topline; they show too much of an underline," says Lert. "A judge likes to see horses with their hind legs under them. Front legs shouldn’t be tucked under the body. The head shouldn’t be shown to the ground, but it shouldn’t be high-headed like in halter classes."

A handler has an advantage if the horse is well mannered, says Stratton-George. "It’s very hard to judge a horse that won’t stand. Sometimes even the straightest horse will stand cow hocked. The handler needs to pay attention and teach the horse to stand so as to diminish those faults."

In theory, showing begins when you reach the triangle. The judge, however, does see your horse approach the triangle. So even then, the walk should be at its best. To get a big walk, the handler must also walk big, keeping the horse long, low and forward, and at the handler’s shoulder. When starting the trot triangle, the horse should move off instantly. "It’s not the promptness we’re looking for, but the engagement, the step off in the first few strides," says Lert.

The side parallel to the judge is where the handler really shows his stuff by running with long, bold strides, keeping shoulder to shoulder with the horse, encouraging the horse to maintain self carriage and stretch. If the handler has a good trot going, the horse should keep moving past the end of the triangle, so as not to interrupt the tempo. On the other hand, when traveling towards the judging apex, it’s a good idea not to run the judge over.

"We’ll be happy to see just a few good strides. If the horse breaks, it’s not a big deal. But the judge doesn’t like to see the horse yanked down to the canter. If the horse canters, most judges will say to go again," says Lert. "The judge will give the handler all the breaks he can to show the horse to the best advantage."

All along the journey around the triangle, the judge instructs his scribe to fill in a score sheet, rewarding points from 1 to 10 on conformation, movement and general impressions. At the end of the class, after awards are calculated, exhibitors receive a copy of their horses’ sheets.

Showing successfully means training at home. Horses that weren’t taught the program at home are the ones that don’t go forward, don’t steer, show short, hurried movement, drag the handler, run past the handler, push into the handler and run high headed.

With proper training a horse can move at whichever speed or gait the handler chooses by responding to the handler’s body language. The handler never has to use the reins or lead shank and allows the horse compete head freedom. If the horse is very well trained, he will even round himself "on the bit" in hand.

The USDF’s training video, "Showing Your Sport Horse In Hand," recommends a training regime that begins with a halter, leather lead or cotton rope and chain over the nose at first (depending on your horse’s knowledge), then when your horse is more trained, under the chin. Later you can add a show halter or bridle, depending on the horse’s age.

The grip on the line or reins should be shorter rather than longer to allow the handler to make small adjustments to the horse’s head, though not too tight as to restrict the horse’s head. The right hand sits below the horse’s chin or high on the neck.

To determine the horse’s degree of responsiveness, run the whip quietly over his body. This will desensitize him, so that the handler can make him more responsive to the whip without being afraid of it. Then teach him to move back from an easy tap of the whip butt on the middle of the chest. Repeat patiently and consistently until he responds. Then rub him with the whip. This is a way to avoid anxiety about the whip, which in sport horse classes is an aid, an extension of the hand.

Next, teach the horse to lower his head on command. This comes in handy if he hits the triangles high-headed and inattentive, causing him to give the appearance of bad conformation and restricted movement. A jiggle of the reins or half-halts, taught in a casual, slow manner, without jerking, giving him time to figure out what the handler’s asking, does the trick. Done well, the horse will lower and arch his neck, a great way to approach the judge on that last leg of the trot triangle.

Teaching the horse to move his shoulder and his hindquarters upon request will not be asked for in competition, but these movements are tools that establish a respectful relationship. Again, after rubbing the horse with the whip to desensitize him, move his shoulder over with a tap of the whip butt on the shoulder and move his hindquarters over with a tap with the lash end on the hindquarters. Casual, calm, repeated requests with rewarding rubs of the whip keep the horse relaxed, thinking and open to learning. Allow him to experiment and reward the right answer.

To teach that immediate "move off" that the judges like to see, put your reins in the left hand, whip in right hand and tap the top of the croup while at the same time using a clear voice commend. A "cluck" works. Eventually the handler uses the whip on the side of the barrel, like riding, along with the voice command, and the horse understands.

An assistant can help teach the horse to trot off by standing a safe distance behind with a longe whip. Rarely, is it necessary to actually use the longe whip. (In classes, the handler may carry a whip that has a maximum length of six feet.) The handler should use voice and whip, with an assistant only as a back up.

When trotting a horse forward, a raised left hand keeps the horse straight. This is also an important tool in teaching the horse to make the right hand turns on the triangle. If the horse respects the handler’s space and the handler has mastered a clear body language, turns are a snap. Start training at the walk and work slowly. When approaching the corner, give a soft half-halt with the reins and boldly lean into the horse’s shoulder and raise the left hand and whip to the height of the outer eye. If the horse is inattentive, a slight tap on the neck with the whip butt end should suffice.

Some handlers nearly stop before turning, especially if the horse is tense. This works well to get horse back on his hindquarters, providing the slow down is done from the handler’s body, not the reins. Others shoot past the corners if a trot is going well. Try not to circle.

Appearances

Of course horses should be nicely groomed, but not oiled and greased. Mane braiding is nice, but optional. Hunter judges are used to seeing tails braided; dressage judges aren’t. If you do not want to shorten and thin your horse’s mane for hunter braids, you might want to French braid or basket-weave the mane. Snaffle bridles are mandatory on 3-year-olds and up and optional for 2-year-olds who may be shown in a plain leather stable halter.

"Whether the mane is braided or not doesn’t bother me," says Lert, "but they need to have correct feet. I’ve seen horses with far too much toe on their feet and, as a result, contracted heels. These horses are not really presented as sport horses."

"A well turned-out horse, spotless, trimmed, tidy with excellent bloom on the coat--all that helps show quality," says Stratton-George.

The handler should dress in neat, comfortable inconspicuous clothes so that the judge’s attention is on the horse. According to USA Equestrian Article 1649.C.3.2, Conservative casual attire is recommended for the handler, which shall consist of white, beige, black or khaki pants and white shirt (short or long sleeved) with a collar, breeches are acceptable, hunt style or dressage boots, and jacket. Gloves and hat are optional. Dressage or Hunter attire is also appropriate. Gloves, hat, vest, jacket are optional." Think wisely about the choice of shoes. After all, the bigger you move, the bigger your horse will move.

"A person should be neatly attired. It won’t sway me, but I'm always impressed when the person is turned out perfectly. I think I’ll have to look at that one," says Stratton-George.

These techniques should allow the horse to present a good impression on the judge. They can also start him off in a sport horse career whether he’s never had a saddle on his back, is an old hand over fences or in the dressage arena or is looking for a new job.

Patti Schofler, a freelance writer from Petaluma, California, has written for Arabian Horse Times, Arabian Horse World, Practical Horseman, Chronicle of the Horse and Dressage and CT.