Hunter + Jumper Shows

What types of competition will I see at a hunter/jumper show?

There are three main divisions at a hunter/jumper horse show: hunter, jumper and equitation. In all three, a rider guides a horse over a set course of obstacles in a ring. However, each is scored differently. The jumper discipline is scored based on the objective speed and accuracy the rider has over the course. Hunter and Equitation are based on a subjective judge of form over the course, with hunter classes focusing on the form of the horse and equitation classes focusing on the form of the rider. The main professional events in show jumping, such as the Olympics or Grand Prix events held at WEF’s Saturday Night Lights events are the jumper discipline.

How are jumper events, such as those held during Saturday Night Lights, scored?

Jumper events are based on two measures: the speed at which the horse and rider complete the course and how many jumps they successfully clear. If horse and rider successfully complete the course under the time allowed set by the course designer and also do not knock down any rails on the jumps, then they often move on to a second “tie-breaker” round, called a jump-off. In the jump-off, the riders who went clear in the first round go around a shortened course, and the fastest rider with the fewest rails down wins. (https://pbiec.coth.com/page/horse-show-101)