Select World Tip of the Day- Read the Rulebook!

EC Blog by: Brister Shum

Hint of the day…Read the rule book!

Day 5 of the 2015 AQHA Select World Show offered an exceptionally beneficial Ride the Pattern clinic on Horsemanship presented by AQHA judge and Professional Horseman Terry Cross. He dissected the pattern, explaining what judges look for in each element.

Seeing a balanced rider who exhibits control of the horse is what he, personally, looks for. He also stressed the importance of reading the current AQHA rule book regarding Horsemanship. You should know what the rules say concerning penalties on spins, etc.

For example, Horsemanship runs are scored from 0-100 and one-half point increments are allowed. 

On a basic scale, a score of 90-100 indicates an Excellent performance, 80-89 is Very Good, 70-79 is Good, and 60-69 is Fair. Minor faults include a break of gait at a walk or jog, up to 2 strides, or an over/under turn of up to 1/8th. A major fault might be a break of gait at the lope, not stopping within 10 feet of a designated area, exhibitor looking down to check leads, horse’s head carried too high or low, or an over turn of more than 1/8th but not over 1/4th. 

To view the Horsemanship Preliminaries pattern that competitors will be tackling this afternoon, click here. Interestingly enough, the way this particular pattern is drawn the route makes a giant S for Select!

1. Walk 15 feet, 1 1/2 turn to the right

2. Jog, extended jog

3. Lope left lead, change leads

4. Lope with speed, collect

5. Stop, 1 1/2 left turn

6. Lope left lead, increasing speed before collecting

7. Stop, exit at a walk or jog.

Patty Carter, AQHA’s Director of Shows and a Professional Horsemen, says the Ride the Pattern clinics are a win-win situation. The Professional Horsemen wanted a way to “pay it forward” and came up with the free clinics given before all World Show pattern and rail classes.

This benefits the exhibitors by eliminating any questions regarding what the World Show judges will be expecting from contestants. During the clinic, a bucket is passed around for donations. Contributions are used for the AQHA Trainer’s Crisis Fund. This fund assists trainers who are suffering form devastating events such as injuries, illnesses or fires. At this year’s Select World, exhibitors have donated almost $1,000. Nutrena is kind enough to match those donations.

On Tuesday evening, AQHA hosted the 75th Anniversary Hall of Fame party at the AQHA headquarters. Food, drinks, desserts, and camaraderie were enjoyed by all. Touring the museum is always a highlight of anyone’s visit to Amarillo!