Show questions?

Question

I just discovered these cool one-a-month shows in my area that I would like to do. I've never done these events though, so I was wondering if anybody could tell me what they are and what I would need? I have western tack/attire and I have english tack (no attire). Also, I have experience riding english and western (so if I know what these events require I may be able to do them) and if any of these are jumping (which I hope) I've jumped up to 3ft 6in so that's no problema either. Thanks!

Hunter Hack

Stockseat Equitation

Showmanship Pattern

Horsemanship Pattern

Bareback Equitation

English Equitation

English Riding Skills

English Pleasure

Western Pleasure

Trail

Thanks again!

Answer 1

Trail is where you have a pattern of poles and obstacles that you have to lead your horse though.  You ride in a western saddle and you get points taken off if your horse bumps the poles.  It's really neat, but your horse needs to be really careful to do it.

Western pleasure is where you ride in a western saddle and they judge the horse at the walk jog and lope.  You want to pass no one.  If you can get your horse to lope in place, you have a good chance of winning.  No forward motion!  I'm exaggerating, but only a little.

English Pleasure is where you ride in an english saddle and they judge the horse's movement.  You want your horse to stay in a nice frame and move forward easily.

English Equitation is judging you on your riding in an english saddle.  You'll have to walk, trot, canter, and they'll likely ask you for both a posting and sitting trot.

Bareback equitation is judging your riding bareback on the horse... how you hold your body and your legs and still get the horse to do things nicely.

Horsemanship pattern is like equitation except that you're in a western saddle and you'll have a pattern with cones and you'll have to walk to one, trot to another, canter in a circle... things like that.

showmanship pattern is you put a bridle on your horse and make him look all pretty, then you lead him through a pattern.  you'll have to walk to a cone, trot, and stop and turn him in circles.  When you're turning, you want his back leg to stay in place and have all his other legs pivot around the one that stays and doesn't move.

I'm not entirely sure what they mean by Hunter Hack because I've heard the term used a couple different ways.  Typically when you hear the word hunter in show terms, it means they're judging the horse's movement.  I've heard of calling a flat class (walk trot canter with a group of horses in the ring) a hack.  But I've also heard of a hunter hack being a combination class of flat and jumps... like you'll have 3 jumps and a flat class.  Check the showbill... it should have definitions of the classes.

Stockseat Eq is probably a western flat class... a group of you in the ring, judging your riding not the horse, at the walk jog and lope.  I've never heard it called stockseat eq before though... i've always heard it called horsemanship.

English Riding Skills is probably a pattern that you have to do while riding english, but I've never heard of that as a class before.