Rule Book Rundown- How Many Times Have You Made This Mistake in Western Riding?
How far is 15 feet, exactly? Photo courtesy of Cody Parmenter.
By: Brittany Bevis
Each year, breed associations gather at conventions to review, discuss, and approve or deny proposed rule changes. But, sometimes, it isn’t a new rule that’s added, but an amendment that’s made to clarify some confusion in an already existing rule.
Picture this. You’re next on deck to compete in Western Riding, waiting at the start cone in anticipation. You cue your horse to walk forward a few steps before jogging off and heading towards the pole. After navigating the pole successfully, you pick up the lope and ride a beautiful pattern- complete with perfectly placed changes, consistent pace, and smooth maneuvering. You head towards your trainer with a big smile on your face, only to discover you’ve made a small, but critical, error that will certainly affect your placings in the class. BAM! 3 point penalty.
What did you do? #1- You either walked too far before you started jogging, or #2- You didn’t walk far enough before you started jogging. Many Western Riding competitors will admit they’ve done the same thing during some point in their careers. What’s the reason for the confusion? It had to do with vague wording in APHA SC-255 and AQHA SHW-542 of the Western Riding rules.
Let’s take a look at the description for APHA Pattern #1, as it read in the 2017 Rule Book.
1. Walk at least 15′ and jog over log.
Hmmm, so how long is 15 feet exactly? How many walking strides is in a foot? What does walk at least 15 feet mean? Does that mean you should walk 17 feet or 19 feet? Looking at the actual pattern didn’t provide much guidance either with the vague “walking dots” ending somewhere around the first cone. That’s where the confusion came about, especially for those unfamiliar to the discipline.
Therefore, a clarification to the rule was made at the 2017 APHA Convention and became official on January 1st of 2018. It’s a small change, but an important one, in a game that’s often decided by the smallest of half-point margins.
In Western Riding Pattern #1, walk at least 15′ from the start cone to the first marker. Start jogging at first marker and jog over log.
That’s better.
In addition, another change was made to SC-255.G.2.e.f.- Hind legs skipping or coming together during a lead change and a non-simultaneous lead change is now a 1-point penalty instead of a 1/2 point penalty.
Ouch. That may hurt a few horses with lazy hind ends.
