How do riders, trainers and judges account for the difference in horse abilities in a competition based on catch rides?

Students who compete on an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association team know the drill. This weekend, the horse that you show makes equitating a bit difficult. It drags you down the lines but has a stride the size of a postage stamp and jumps like a deer. Lead changes? No thanks. To put it nicely, you don’t exactly “click,” and who could blame you?

The next weekend you draw the most well-schooled horse in the class. He finds his own distances and clocks around like a metronome, leaving you to concentrate entirely on your position.

While IHSA classes are judged on the riders, the horses certainly factor into the equation. Whether the horse is difficult, easy, or somewhere in between, smart riders can capitalize on the chance to show off their skills.

On show day, the hosting school provides riders with a horse list. At most shows this list includes the horses’ names and a brief description or bits of advice, such as advising the rider that the horse has a hard left drift or a bouncy sitting trot. The rider can prepare and plan accordingly.

Do Your Homework

Riders can learn a lot by watching the horses school before the show starts. Arrive at the show early and bring your eye for detail.

Cory Kieschnick, head coach at Delaware Valley College (Pa.), follows a set routine to prepare her riders. Upon arriving at the show, they have a quick meeting, then break to watch horses school. Kieschnick encourages her riders to take notes and discuss what they observe, and they share impressions on the type of ride best suited to specific horses.

Liz Webb, a sophomore at the University of Wyoming, placed first in the Cacchione Cup standings for Region 1 this year. Beyond just observing the horses during schooling, she makes note of the type of ride the horse is getting.

“I’ll watch what works for others. Sometimes I’ll think, ‘She did that really well,’ ” she said. “I think that it’s exciting to watch all of the horses and not know yet which you’re going to be riding.”

University of Wyoming coach Kari Randle has her riders watch the warm-up intently, also taking notes. Once they’ve drawn a horse, the team members will convene to form a plan. Randle also pointed out that her riders can learn what kind of ride a horse doesn’t like by observing the schooling session.

“If the warm-up rider didn’t put in the best ride, you need to figure out how you’re going to make it better,” she said.

Terence Prunty, a senior at Delaware Valley, topped Region 2’s Cacchione Cup standings in the 2009-10 season. Prunty uses his four years of experience showing in IHSA to his advantage, as he often sees the same horses year after year.

“I’ve ridden a horse [my senior year] that I also rode as a freshman, and it was the same horse,” he said.

As his team’s co-captain this year, Prunty sometimes has to forego watching the warm-up so that he may attend the coaches’ meeting. When this is the case, he relies on his teammates, who can give him a quick brief on how his horse is going before he heads into the ring.

Sandra McCarthy, head coach at the University of Findlay (Ohio), encourages her students to continue observing even after schooling stops and the show begins. If they’re not showing right away, they can learn about the type of ride the judge prefers based on the outcome of the first few classes. The judge may favor a slightly deeper seat, and the riders can tailor their form accordingly.

McCarthy’s students also start their studying long before they arrive at the show. “They’re very proactive,” said McCarthy, whose students often view information about a school’s horses on their websites prior to the show.

Re-Rides: Sometimes Inevitable

IHSA horses put up with a lot. Even if they receive relatively good rides, the number of rounds and differences in riding styles is sometimes taxing for them. And while they are largely tolerant, the word “re-ride” is bound to come up sooner or later.

The coach asks the show steward for a re-ride on behalf of his or her rider. At regular season shows, the stewards are three individuals—usually school coaches—rotated each show; Zone shows require four stewards while the national championships call for seven. While it varies on the situation and the show, sometimes the judge is consulted.

The jury is split on whether or not the judge should weigh in when a re-ride is at stake. For Kieschnick, it’s done on a case-by-case basis. “Sometimes, if I’m stewarding, I’ll consult the judge and say, ‘Are you going to take that into account?’ ”

Michelle Morosky, Revere, Pa., has judged IHSA regular season shows, Regionals and Zones, as well as the IHSA Tournament of Champions. “I appreciate being consulted,” she said. “[The stewards and I] have a little pow-wow in order to make the right decision.”

Morosky has asked for a re-ride for a rider before and believes that open lines of communication between coaches, stewards and the judge is key. Together, they’ll form the best verdict regarding the re-ride.

“It might not always make the rider happy, but it will be the right decision,” she said.

But the decision depends on the preference of the judge. Wendy Chapot Nunn, Florham Park, N.J., judges IHSA and U.S. Equestrian Federation competitions. She said she’s been asked for a re-ride before, though she prefers not to have to weigh in.

“It’s unfortunate because it’s not the judge’s responsibility to ask for a re-ride. It’s the coach’s responsibility to bring it up to the stewards,” said Nunn.

McCarthy reported that her region usually settles the re-ride question without conferring with the judge. “We’ve had judges in the past that started excusing horses,” said McCarthy, who said that the coach and stewards usually have a meeting without needing to involve the judge.

Because the stewards are critical in determining whether a re-ride is granted, Randle said it’s imperative that they understand how the horse had been going previously, prior to the ride that’s being contested.

“Stewards have to watch the horses warm up. It helps determine if it’s the horse [at fault]. I’d be more willing to give the re-ride if the horse was having a similar problem in schooling,” Randle said.

For instance, a horse may have stopped a few times at a certain jump in schooling. While the strategic IHSA rider would approach the jump with that fact in mind and ride accordingly, if the horse stops for the rider in this class, the stewards might be more likely to allow a new ride on a new horse if they saw the horse behave this way in warm-up.

When Findlay is hosting a show, McCarthy does everything in her power to minimize the chance of re-rides. “You want your horses to go really well for everyone. We hate re-rides more than anything!” she said. “[But] if it’s one of my horses being a nitwit, I’ll be the first to say that they deserve a re-ride.”

Judging Justly

Per the IHSA Rulebook, “If a re-ride is granted, it shall be judged as if the first ride never occurred.” While the concept sounds simple, can judges really put the past behind them?

Nunn said she starts from scratch and completely disregards the prior ride.

“You are literally seeing the same horses over and over,” she said, noting that this makes it easier to put the past behind and view the re-ride as a fresh start. The rider will be on a different mount for the re-ride, which Nunn advised is “a second chance to shine.”

When asked how she adapts her judging system and applies it to IHSA rides, Morosky shared her four-prong approach.

1. “The first impression is huge,” said Morosky. Breeches should be clean, boots polished, hair neatly tucked in. “Turnout is important.”
2. Display your horsemanship. Morosky pays attention to the finer horsemanship details, like making sure that the rider is holding the pelham rein correctly. Another favorite for Morosky is her “bag of tricks”—she’ll bring a bag of bits, bridles, training aids and horse shoes along with her if she needs to test riders in order to determine a winner.
3. Strength over the jumps is the third factor that Morosky looks for in IHSA over fences classes. She looks for the rider who stays forward and maintains her position around the entire course. For flat classes, a strong position throughout the class is just as important; Morosky is known for splitting the flat class to canter if there are more than eight riders. “I want to give them more time with my attention,” she said.
4. Show that you can make decisions. If a rider jumps into a line a bit short and is riding an old school horse, Morosky wants to see that the rider is thinking on his or her feet, making a decision. Would the horse open up and get the stride? Is it capable of getting the step? Or would it be a smarter decision to sit up and ride conservatively, adding a stride in the line? A rider who makes a decision and commits to it has this judge’s respect. 

So You Want To Succeed In IHSA?

Riders, coaches and judges share advice for riding the variety of horses in the IHSA:

•    Terence Prunty, rider: “Have an open mind coming into it, especially if you’ve been riding only your own horse. Be humble and ride the horse that you have.”
•    Wendy Chapot Nunn, judge: “From the judge’s perspective, it matters most that you do something. If you don’t get the lead change, fix it immediately, not after five strides.”
•    Katie Hurrell, rider: “Communicate with your team members. If you’re just starting out and unsure about the horse you drew, ask some of the team members who compete in the open [division].”
•    Kari Randle, coach: “Make the judge remember you.”
•    Liz Webb, rider: “The most important thing is to have fun. Traveling with the team and having the whole team’s support is great.”
•    Cory Kieschnick, coach: “IHSA will not always be ‘fair.’ Sometimes you have to learn to be proud of yourself and for that to be enough.”
•    Sandra McCarthy, coach: “Have a very strong work ethic and a great attitude, and even if you ride well remember that the first year will be a learning curve. Take it for what it’s worth, not necessarily an indicator of your riding ability.”

Hypothetical Situation: Who Wins?

The following hypothetical situation was presented to a combination of judges, coaches and riders.

Rider #1 draws the best-schooled horse in the class. Horse maintains a steady, even stride and does its lead changes automatically without missing a beat or changing its rhythm. In short, the horse makes it easy for Rider #1 to keep impeccable form and ride extremely well.

Rider #2 has comparable form and exquisite equitation. However, Rider #2’s mount in this round is short-strided and doesn’t do its changes. Rider #2 brings the horse back for well-executed simple changes as needed, adds one stride consistently in the lines, and overall, rides very well, though the ride isn’t as smooth as Rider #1’s. This round clearly does not give the same seamless impression.

So, who wins?

Judge Wendy Chapot Nunn: “I would place the girl who demonstrated that she could ride over the one who just sat there. I would give more credit to the rider who had to work for it.”
Delaware Valley College Coach Cory Kieschnick: “I love to see a rider take a difficult horse and do a great job with it. But this is why testing is so important in IHSA. Having the two riders switch horses is a great way to deal with it.”
University of Wyoming Coach Kari Randle: “It completely comes down to the judge. Some judges will reward the harder ride. Others, though they’re not supposed to, get influenced by the more huntery ride. Personally, I would like to see the person who had the harder horse do better.”
Judge Michelle Morosky: “It happens a lot. To me at this point, they’re completely equal. Now it comes down to real execution of style over the jump. Some judges just look at how pretty the rider is. Sometimes I have to sit and think; it comes down to who I would want to ride my first year green horse.”
University of Findlay Coach Sandra McCarthy: “If my kid rode great on the hard horse, I tell them, ‘You did fantastic.’ But I’m not sure what the judge would do. Hopefully, there will be something that is a deal-breaker. One twisted a bit in the air, someone jumped over their hand a bit. Maybe one rider did a pet peeve of the judge, like drop the reins on the way out of the ring. I’d imagine that if all else were even, the kid who had the good horse would win.”

If you enjoyed this article and would like to read more like it, consider subscribing. “The Luck Of The Draw In IHSA“ ran in the April 2, 2010 issue. Check out the table of contents to see what great stories are in the magazine this week.