Sport Horse Breeding Class - What is it?
It’s basically a fancy halter class, except:
If your horse is 2yrs or older, s/he wears a snaffle bridle w/ a throatlatch (noseband is optional) w/ reins attached to the bit, you can carry a dressage whip or a regular length lunge whip, and you go in the arena one at a time.
Horses under 2yrs wear a halter.
Braiding the mane is optional.
The handler wears conservative sport attire. An assistant handler is allowed.
If your horse is calm, you first stand the horse in front of the judge for conformation. Your horse needs to stand in an “open position” which means that the judge should be able to see all 4 legs from both sides, so one front foot needs to be back and one back foot needs to be forward. If your horse is too excited to stand still, the judge might tell you to move on to the walk and trot part, and do the conformation at the end.
When the judge says you can walk your horse, you walk your horse (clockwise, so your horse is between you and the judge) around some markers that are placed in a smaller triangle area.
When you get back to the point of the triangle by the judge, you trot your horse and go around markers placed in a bigger triangle area.
If you get mixed up or don’t know what to do, you can ask the judge to explain what they want you to do.
And last, when you’re done trotting and back by the judge, the judge might ask to see the conformation again (or if your horse was too excited to stand still in the beginning, this is when the conformation judging happens), you stand your horse for the judge again.
The judge may also ask for a repeat of the walk &/or trot. You can’t repeat unless the judge asks you to.
When the judge dismisses you, you can leave.
After all the horses in your class have been seen by the judge, the judge might ask everyone back into the ring as a group. If this happens, just follow directions J
Here are some tips: Try to walk and trot your horse out smartly, with energy, you are trying to show off how well your horse moves. You can tap your horse with the dressage whip if needed. Try to avoid breaking into a canter, this is difficult sometimes, do the best you can J Practice running alongside your trotting horse at home so you can both get used to doing this.
The big triangle is 30meters by 30meters by 30 meters. The small triangle, which is part of the big one, is 15meters by 15meters by 15meters, it’s basically the big one cut in half. The judge stands at the point. You & your horse walk and trot starting from the point going in a clockwise direction so the judge can see the whole side of the horse without you in the way.
Western Dressage Classes:
Regular dressage tests are ridden but on western style horses in western tack. Snaffle bridles are allowed for any age horse and are ridden two handed. Curb bits are allowed and must be ridden one handed. Western horses are judged using the western goals for horse movement.
Quadrille: A fun way to ride with friends! With 4 or more riders using one of the USDF quadrille tests!
Gaited Dressage Classes:
Gaited horses ride the Gaited Dressage Tests and are judged according to Gaited guidelines.
Go here for the tests: http://www.nwha.com/programs/Dressage.html