# Jumping/hunter



## Dream*Rider (May 5, 2007)

hi...im not sure if this is right...but, i think jumper is like the fancey show jumping with flower pots and painted rails, etc. then the hunter is more natural..like logs, brush jumps, maybe water jumps, a bit like cross country...at our agricultual show, we had hunter class, they had 80cm to 1 meter jumps set up around a football oval, and the horse and rider with the best round...eg. good taking off and landing positions, nice forward canter...etc.

and i would not have a clue what short sturrup class is...

hmm. some one corresct me please! if it needs to be corrected....lol

Dreamer


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## 3days3ways (Feb 23, 2007)

hey,
jumper are scored by speed. 1st round you mainly try to go clean around a course (no rails knocked over). then there is the jump off where a few jumps from the course are selected and sometimes raised where your try to go as fast and clean as possible. winner is the one w/ the shortest time

hunter is realllyyy different. basically your judged on how pretty and perfect you can be  (this is why i can't do it!!!) you have a course of jumps which you do and try to maintain a steady pace, get good distances to jumps, and basically make everything look clean and effortless....

as for short stirrup i think its just a division for greener riders/horses but i definetly don't know for sure... someone correct me please


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## futolympeventer327 (Mar 6, 2007)

short stirrup is for horses or ponies ridden by children 12 years old and younger fence height is between 18 inches and 2 feet.


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## VivaLaGlam[182] (Jun 21, 2007)

Yep everyone pretty much covered it! If you want some more stuff on the hunter vs jumpers I can help you out!

Jumpers
Your main goal is to go clean and go fast. Appearance, manners or way of going are NOT scored. So if your horse were to say buck in the middle of a course and continue on its way you would not be marked down. In jumpers you can get faults by knocking a rail, refusal (two results in elimination) and time. You are allowed a certain amount of time (depending on if is just a clear round score or not) to ride under. If you go over the time allowed you gain faults.
Welcome to use pretty much any tack you want and can wear less conservative colours! The courses tend to be longer and more complicated... and the jumps are A LOT different. They will have much tigher turns and wider spreads. They usually tend to be a lot more tricky to the eye to judge distances as well as brighter in colour with more creativity used.

Hunters
VERY political. The horse is judged on their way of going, style and safey over fences and manners. The ideal horse should look easy to ride and float along finding each distance effortlessly. The horse should appear to be balanced all of the time and have the correct lead (or an immediate flying change) The horse should be in amazing condition - groomed to perfection, look happy and content, braided and over all well looked after! When going around the course you want to have a consistant pace. If you horse is a bit speedy then keept that pace the whole way through, not speedy half way and slow the rest of it! The courses are all natural looking jumps that a horse would be likely to see out on a hunt. Usually there are nice easy going lines, simple turns etc. 

Any questions feel free to send me a message!


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## Classical_Hand (Jun 26, 2007)

Jumpers is based on speed. You see how fast you can get around a corse in an alloted time with the fewest faults. One rail down = 4 faults. First refusal = 4 faults. Second refusal = disqualifacation.

Hunters is based on looks. You go around the course at a even/controlled pace and try and get the best distances to each jump. Equitation plays a big factor in how you place. Also, depending on the level of showing, you can get points taken off for silly things such as the horse pinning its ears or swishing its tail. :roll: 

Short Stirrup is for children 12 and under riding their horses and ponies jumping about 18 inches to 2'. Long Stirrup is the same thing, except it's for 13+. I've ridden against adults in my long stirrup classes. :lol:


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## Jumpit007 (Jul 2, 2007)

In a hunter class, the goal is to have good form, both you and your horse, and to get around a set course at a collected pace. My coach describes them as "Sitting Pretty". You usually have an Equitation over fences and a Under Saddle class.

In Jumpers, there are two rounds. You have a single jump course, then if you get under a certain time you are called back to the jump off. The point of jumpers isn't equuitaion, but to get around a course, usually full of sharp turns, as fast as you can getting a clean round (meaning, no poles down or chipping, or off course). Basically, get over all the jumps as fast and as precisely as you can. 

The attire is a little different too. In Hunters you wear a show shirt and a hunt coat, and in jumpers you can wear just a show shirt, or a polo depending on the show.

The horses in Jumpers are usually alot more high strung than those in hunters. The hunters are usually more pretty movers.


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## twinkle_toes (Dec 29, 2007)

jumpers:
based on speed with faults
very difficult and tight turns and "scary" jumps
have done a few schooling shows but I mostly do hunters

Hunters: 
all about how pretty and how well the horse moves
style over fences
usualy fairly simple course trying to be natural
horse also judged on how nice they look so groom, bathe, and braid  

Short Stirrup:
for kids 10 and under, long stirrup for anyone over ten
do courses 18" and 2 ft.
very cure to watch can even become very competitive
there is also mini short stirrup for kids who cannot canter


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## anrz (Dec 21, 2008)

Just wondering (sorry if this is a VERY stupid question, it probably is) is short stirrup actually short stirrups and the long stirrup class is longer stirrups, or does it just refer to the age or something (like 'Rusty Stirrup' or whatever)?


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## horsegirl123 (Jan 7, 2009)

At the horse shows that I have been to, the short stirrup classes just refer to the age of the rider, not the length.


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## juju (Oct 8, 2008)

Not much more i can say about hunter vs jumping but i will add that hunters generally ride more out of their tack and in a half seat. This allows the horse/pony's movement to be judged more. Just to add and make it a little more confusing there is Equatation or Eq which is based on the rider. The jumps are generally more colorfully and the horses are ridden in more of a frame. The courses are also more challenging with rollbacks, slices, bending lines, combinations, etc. Hunter courses are generally just outside line to diagonal line to outside line to diagonal line. My trainer has all of his kids do both divisions and are lessons are always "Equey" courses so when we do the hunter stuff its really easy! 
Short Stirrup or "SS" is great for beginners. All the girls at my barn start with SS or Long Stirrup. The jumps may not be higher then 18 inches. At most barns they are just x-rails and at finals they are verticals. There is normally a hunter an eq division with in the SS division. 
I wen to a show this past weekend and it had the cutest white small pony with a mohawk mane. The girl was like 6 and had HUGE pink bows. She rode really well and placed great. It was the cutest thing to watch! She had this huge grin the whole time!


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## IrishRider (Aug 7, 2008)

Yes, the "Stirrup" classes are dependent on age. We have a medium stirrup class for the teenagers and the long is mostly adults. At some shows there is also a Rusty Stirrup class for a little older age group. There is also a crossrails class for children and adults that aren't comfortable at 2 feet yet, which is what the stirrup classes are.


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## EquitationStar (Mar 3, 2009)

In our circuit we have 3 different classes at that level. 

Short Stirrup Pony 
- beginner riders on ponies (they're usually under 10) 
- jumps are 2'3 with no oxers

Short Stirrup
- beginner riders (juniors - 18 and under) 
- jumps are 2'3 with oxers

Long Stirrup 
- beginner riders (amateurs - over 18 )
- jumps are 2'3 with oxers

The distances are also set shorter than they would be in regular divisions.


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