Front Cover – Back Cover
Notes from the Publisher>Revised and updated in 2022 with the most current USEF rules and equitation tests, Judging Hunters and Hunter Seat Equitation is the world’s favorite book on how to judge hunter show competitions. It is written not only for judges, but also for competitors, spectators, sponsors, and others who are interested in understanding the national standards for judging hunters and hunter seat equitation. This must-have resource particularly gives anyone competing in these classes the edge, with professionally reviewed and approved sections that examine the following:
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- Conformation: structural composition; physical defects versus blemishes.
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- Hunters Under Saddle and Over Fences: length of stride, frame, and straightness; rhythm, transitions, impulsion, and bending; locomotion and form faults.
- Equitation on the Flat and Over Fences: rider position; cadence, collection, and lengthening; approaching fences and in the air; and the newest slate of USEF tests.
Written with both the aspiring judge and the avid competitor in mind, the book offers invaluable explanations of what judges look for, as well as providing a thorough explanation of how faults of the horse and rider are penalized on a relative scale. More than 100 color photographs with top equestrians in the tack demonstrate correct and incorrect positions in both horses and riders, sharpening the reader’s eyes while also providing an unparalleled foundation of knowledge that makes self-correction in the saddle possible. In addition, readers will find a primer on both understanding and completing the Judge’s Card, with explanations of numerical scoring, terminology, abbreviations, symbols, comments, and general impressions. This remarkably complete reference can be the difference in your success, whether in the ring or in the judge’s box.
Anna Jane White-Mullin made her name succeeding as a junior rider, winning hunter and equitation championships at major shows up and down the East Coast, including the Maclay Finals. Subsequently a respected “R” judge in the hunter, equitation, and jumper divisions, White-Mullin took her unique perspective as both ambitious competitor and discerning judge and developed the consummate guide to the sport she knows so well.
