Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity.
This week’s question posed is: What are the three most important characteristics of a winning equitation horse?
Here are their answers:
“Balance. Athleticism. Attitude.”-Traci Brooks
Read more from Traci and listen to her on the Plaidcast here.
“The best equitation horses have a big stride, a lot of elasticity, and must be brave. Being able to use both leads evenly and having an easy lead change are also important for the best of the best.” -Geoff Case
Read more from Geoff and listen to him on the Plaidcast here.
“While the equation is primarily judged on the rider, make no mistake–the whole picture of style, including the horse’s jumping style, adds to the competitive picture. That being said, the three most important qualities of a finals-level equation horse are:
1. Length of stride on both leads and bravery. A long stride, adjustability, steady rhythm, and experience or confidence all contribute to the relaxed, smooth picture of rider and horse on course.
2. Ability to complete lead changes in both directions on straight lines or galloping inside turns. Side to side or lateral balance has to be automatic. The finals-level courses will ask riding questions of the rider’s aids to communicate with the horse regarding directions and leads. It is most helpful to have a very well schooled horse regarding leads. Clean changes prevent deductions on course from the overall scoring of the round.
3. Balance…Referring to a correct front end (jumping style) for deeper distances and jumping cleanly, avoiding deductions for balancing errors or -4 points for rails in the equation. This also refers to the match required for horse to rider conformation.”-Diane Carney
Read more from Diane and listen to her on the Plaidcast here.
“A winning equitation horse is comprised of so many important components, it’s hard to narrow it down to just three! However, my top three “must haves” when searching for a star in the equitation ring would have to be:
1. Adjustability. Every equitation course you’ll encounter is full of so many questions that ask the horse to showcase adjustability. Your horse needs to be able to extend and compress their stride easily, often, and without hesitation or resistance to be able to navigate these questions flawlessly.
2. Confidence. You can school different types of fences as much as you want at home, but in a show atmosphere your horse has to be able to walk into the ring with a brave attitude in any scenario. The one thing we can’t school at home is show day nerves. This takes a bold horse (and rider) to accomplish.
3. Style. This is harder to define, but the “it factor” of a winning equitation horse is one that a judge sometimes picks up on early in the course or in a flat test. It’s an ease in motion, a clean, balanced jumping style… simply a commanding presence! The type of horse that allows a rider’s talents to shine.”-Ariel Univer
Read more from Ariel here.
“In my opinion, the three most important things for an equitation horse to have would be adjustability, smoothness, and bravery.
If I have a horse that is super adjustable and helps make each jump look the same, I will have a rider that has a much easier time winning in the equitation.
The second component is a smooth jump. As a junior rider, I always had a hard time staying with a horse who had a very hard jump, as opposed to some of the eq horses whose jump didn’t rock me quite as much. It was easier to hold my position on a horse with a smooth jump. Lastly, it’s important to be on a very brave horse in the equitation, especially in the finals when the courses are designed to be extra spooky. It’s nice to be able to ride into the ring on a horse who you know you can rely on and trust to jump around without throwing you any curve balls.”-Alex Arute-Kacheris
Read more Trainer Tuesday responses from Alex here.
