From The Judge's Box: Hunters With Geoff Teall

In this occasional series, top riders in each sport evaluate our readers’ submissions.

The first thing I notice as a judge about this photograph, whether it is for the hunter or the equitation division, is the “plainness” of this picture. The horse has a bit of a plain head, which is not always the best starting point.
   
Certainly, if the horse moves and jumps well enough, or the rider in the equitation class has the best round of the day and demonstrates the best understanding of the course, it is easy to get by the plain head. But in either division, special effort has to be taken to dress the picture up.
   
I would do two things right off the bat that I think would make a big difference. The first thing I would do is go to either a very pretty D-ring type snaffle, or a nice full cheek. The loose ring snaffle in this context is not appropriate and detracts from the overall picture. It is almost always possible to have a functional and stylish bit.
   
The second thing I would do would be to try to always show this horse with a braided tail, in addition to the braided mane. This would also help to make a better overall impression.
   
As a hunter the thing I like best about this horse is his scope. He is obviously capable of easily jumping whatever he might come across in the show ring. But the down side of that scope is that he does not have to make much of an effort over this fence, and that shows up in his jumping style. His front end is both loose and uneven, and his back is very flat in this photo.
   
His expression is also what I would call “lackluster.” Although his ears are not back, they are certainly not forward and interested in what might be coming next. There is not really too much terribly wrong with this horse’s jump, but it’s not particularly impressive. It also looks as though his rider has gotten him a bit deep, or close to the jump, for the take-off.
   
As a rider, I think this girl is very tight and secure but lacks polish. I think her toe is turned out too much, her knee has pulled away from the saddle slightly and—for me—her seat has moved too far out of the saddle. Her release is a bit too high and too far up the neck with a very short rein. I love her eyes looking up and forward, and I get a very powerful and determined feeling from her. Like her turnout and her horses jumping style, there isn’t really too much terribly wrong, but there just isn’t yet quite enough right.