What's the difference between a hunter and jumper course?

Question

Thanks

Answer 1

In the hunters, you're looking to go around at a nice even pace, make everything look graceful and easy, hit all the jumps at the perfect spot, get all your leads. . . basically make it look perfect. A judge gives you a score based on their perception of your turnout and performance. Most hunter courses consist of a few lines and a couple of single jumps, (and sometimes an in and out in one of the lines), in an easily predictable pattern.

In the jumpers, you're looking to go around the course clean and fast. That means don't knock any jumps down, don't refuse, and get it done as quickly as you can. You are scored based on your speed and the number of faults you obtain. Jumper courses involve turns, single jumps, combinations, a variety of oxers, etc. They are more difficult to learn, as they do not always go where you would think they should. (An in my opinion, WAAAAY more fun!!)

Answer 2

To break it down for you,

In hunters you want to go over the course clean, at a steady pace, and making everything look easy. You're judged more on things like turns, leads, position while jumping, etc. Hunter courses are usually less complex then jumper courses.

In jumping, you want to get over the jumps as fast as possible while keeping a clean round. In jumping the jumps usually get bigger then hunters as well and are often more fancy and colourful.

Answer 3

Hunter Course:   The course of fences a show hunter must jump is usually made up of 8-12 obstacles of natural type material. The fences are not brightly-colored as in show jumping, instead they are mostly brown, green, white, beige, and other natural colors. They do not exceed 4'3" in height. The course may include verticals, oxers, gates, and fences with "natural" fillers, like brush or flowers. Open water jumps and liverpools, common obstacles in show jumping arena, are not used in a show hunter course. Although combination fences may be seen, they are usually only two elements, and have easier distances between them than those found in show jumping. Banks and ditches are not found on the show hunter course, nor are any major changes in terrain, and often the horses jump on level footing in an enclosed arena.

The distance between fences is usually a set number of strides, with each stride 12 feet in length. Unlike a show jumper, the show hunter does not need to go to extreme lengths to collect or extend its stride to meet the distances correctly. The horse must put a certain amount of strides between each set of fences if they are in a line. If the horse and rider don't do this, points will be taken off the overall score.

The show hunter should maintain a good pace throughout the course of fences, but keep an even rhythm, neither speeding up nor slowing down. The horse is judged on its smoothness around the course, its movement, jumping form, and whether it reaches each "spot", or the distance of takeoff in front of a jump, correctly. A poor spot would put the horse too close or too far back from the jump, so that it would either have to stretch and make a great effort over the fence, or have to jump more "up and down" rather than over the fence. A poor spot interrupts the rhythm of a course, and increases the likelihood that a horse will rub or drop a rail.

A good ride over fences will look easy, with the horse jumping from the correct takeoff spot, easily fitting the strides in between the jumps (as opposed to having to really stretch out or collect its stride), and cleanly making the flying changes required. Refusals, knocked rails, or rubs over fences incur a severe drop (faults) in the rider's score.

Show Jumper Course:   Jumper classes are held over a course of show jumping obstacles, including verticals, spreads, double and triple combinations, usually with many turns and changes of direction. The purpose is to jump cleanly over a set course within an allotted time. Time faults are assessed for exceeding the time allowance. Jumping faults are incurred for knockdowns and blatant disobedience, such as refusals (when the horse stops before a fence or "runs out"). (see "Modern Rules" below) Horses are allowed a limited number of refusals before being disqualified. A refusal can also lead to a rider going over the time allowed on course. Placings are based on the lowest number of points or "faults" accumulated. A horse and rider who have not accumulated any jumping faults or penalty points are said to have scored a "clear round." Tied entries usually have a jump off over a raised and shortened course, and the course is timed; if entries are tied for faults accumulated in the jump-off, the fastest time wins.

Unlike show hunter classes, which reward calmness and style, Jumper classes require boldness, scope, power, accuracy, and control; speed is also a factor, especially in jump-off courses and speed classes (when time counts even in the first round). A jumper must jump big, bravely, and fast, but he must also be careful and accurate to avoid knockdowns and must be balanced and rideable in order to rate and turn accurately. A jumper rider must ride the best line to each fence, saving ground with well-planned turns and lines and must adjust the horse's stride for each fence and distance. In a jump-off, a rider must balance the need to go as fast as possible and turn as tight as possible against the horse's ability to jump cleanly.  

Good luck!

Answer 4

Hunter- Its all about pace and rhythm and how the horse looks. The courses are usually a single jumps a diagonal combination a single diagonal and two sets of jump lines. It would look something like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv41gfT7Z... (thats me and my horse in a hunter class.)

The jumps are not brightly coloured.

Jumps- Its all about being timed and not knocking down a pole. These jumps are brightly coloured and are usually very hard. With rollbacks, bending lines ect. They look something like this.

http://www.grandprixdesign.com/images/36...

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=ht...

Answer 5

Best answer to AMY S! :)

Those are two awesome explanations of how hunters and jumpers differ.  Hunters are though a great way to start.  Learn your real technicals, your half halts, your leads and be calm cool and collected - then move up to the jumpers and keep all the technicals but learn to manage them at a higher pace, usually bigger fences, more colorful and demanding of the horse, more technical testing through more complex combonations - and yes ALOT more adrenaline and FUN :)  But hunters are the way to start.  Get the technicals down pat and then go test them in the jumper ring :)

Answer 6

go to dreamhorse.com or horsetopia.com or equinehits.com and check out horses for lease. and just ask if you can lease the horse for like 10.00 a ride or something like that. Or take lessons at a barn.. you will find a way/