CROSSING LINE By Charlene Strickland
A SUCCESSFUL HUNTER WILL JUMP BEAUTIFULLY, BUT IS UNLIKELY TO FIND SUCCESS AS A SHOW JUMPER. AND A COMPETITIVE SHOW JUMPER USUALLY DOES NOT MAKE A GOOD HUNTER. DESPITE THE FACT THAT MANY PEOPLE BLUR THE LINE BETWEEN THE TWO DISCIPLINES, THERE ARE DISTINCT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM AND WHAT IS EXPECTED OF THE HORSES COMPETING IN THEM.
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TWO JUMPERS FIND HUNTER SUCCESS John French, the USHJA’s leading lifetime money-earning
rider, says of Ultime Espoir, “He has a rhythm to his canter that it is so easy, that he jumps off and is so adjustable. You can gallop forward, and then if you want to wait, take a little and he waits. He is just so nice to ride.” David Nelson of Flintridge Riding Club, La Canada Flin-
tridge, California, summarizes the career change of SVS Care- munde Z (whose barn name is Mickey). “In Mickey’s case, he is a jumper that became a hunter, and a really good one at that.”
enerations of breeding horses to jump obvi- ously produces athletes with both the talent and desire to clear fences—a requirement for both hunters and jumpers. But then the two types be-
gin to diverge. If a horse has the inherent ability to jump in the “classic bascule”—i.e. a gently rounded arch—he may be a better candidate for the hunter ring. A hunter must flow through a course with smooth turns,
flawless lead changes and consistent jumping efforts. Judges look for an even pace and they reward a horse showing scope and technique over the fences. The horse should make the jumps look effortless. By contrast, speed and accuracy are paramount in the jumper ring—and style matters little. There are some constants between the two disciplines, however. One example is that both the jumper and hunter should re- spond to the rider to lengthen or collect his stride. Sometimes horses that are started in the jumpers, where
accuracy and speed are as important as technique, are later found better suited to the requirements of hunter classes. We found two Zangersheides (a Belgian breed developed specifically for show jumping) that started in the jumper ring before crossing over to the hunter classes with great suc- cess. Ultime Espoir and SVS Caremunde Z have both earned championships on California’s competitive HITS Desert Cir- cuit in AA hunter divisions.
All photos by Charlene Strickland
SVS CAREMUNDE Z Imported as a jumper prospect by David
Hopper of Amenia, New York, Mickey is a 2001 bay gelding (Caretano Z x Hans Anders Z). Caretano Z (Caretino x Reichsgraf) sires champions in all the traditional sport horse disciplines: jumping, dressage and eventing.
Mickey’s dam Almunde Z has a Hannoverian sire (Acord II x Cor de la Bryere) and she also traces to Landgraf I and Almé. Mickey’s SVS prefix represents Sonoma Valley Stables,
Penngrove, California. “He found his niche. Jumper prospect, no. Equitation, no. Now he is the best hunter,” says SVS train- er Hope Glynn, who was the top-ranked rider in the 2013 USHJA list of emerging pros for money earned. She recalls how she and her husband Ned Glynn were jumper shopping in New York. “We were looking for a Grand Prix prospect for my husband for a reasonable amount of money. We found Mickey at a young age—he was five. He clearly had a lot of scope. He had a lot of spunk as well at that point in time. It was managing that spunk
TOP: Hope Glynn on SVS Caramunde Z at HITS Desert Circuit. ABOVE: Hope Glynn on SVS Caramunde Z with ribbons won in the 2013 East Meets West Challenge.
Warmbloods Today 31
Flying Horse Photography
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