JUDGING CRITERIA

GENERAL JUDGING CRITERIA

• Equine should proceed at rider's cue without hesitation.
• Any form of spooking, disobedience, stepping away, or refusal is considered lower quality.
• Equine may regard obstacle for a moment, but prolonged hesitation is considered lower quality.
• Rider should have a centered and balanced seat, straight posture and eyes forward.  Heels, hips, and shoulders all in alignment. Heels down.
• Rider should have soft hands, seat, and legs.
• Performance should exhibit consistent cadence for all gaits.
• Subtle/refined cues is considered higher quality than obvious cues or harsh use of aids (reins, bit, spurs, whips, sticks, voice).
• A calm, patient, willing equine is more desirable. Anxious, nervous or rushing is considered lower quality.
• A good attitude of the equine is considered higher quality including no excessive swishing of the tail, pinning ears, pawing, kicking, or bucking.
• Rider is expected to exhibit behavior consistent with the ETS Participant Pledge.

SPECIFIC MANEUVER JUDGING CRITERIA (general judging criteria applies)

• Gate - maintain control of the gate at all times by keeping one hand on the gate.
• Mount - Mane and saddle may be used as a point of contact for 'gentle' balance.  The reins and saddle may not be used with any use of force or leverage. Rider is to land softly in the saddle.
• Uphill - rider should be balanced and have a forward position parallel with the tree-line. Rider's hands should be forward giving the equine his head for movement. Grabbing mane is not a perfect score.
• Downhill - rider should be balanced and have a vertical position parallel with the tree line. Rider's hands should be forward giving the equine his head for movement.
• Sidepass - sidepass should possess good lateral movement with hips and shoulders moving simultaneously with crossing feet (not a shuffle). 
• Using Ropes - always hold rope in a figure 8, not coiled around your hand.  Keep rope a distance from your equine so they avoid getting tangled up in them. Never dally rope on the saddle horn.  A half dally providing leverage is acceptable.
• Jump - rider should have eyes forward, seat raised forward out of the saddle, heals down with feet under them (not swayed back), and hands forward giving the equine his head.
• Forward movement - penalty for loss of cadence or broke gait, gait should be calm and controlled rather than rushed, correct gait or transition should be immediate, gaited equines can gait accordingly but must canter/lope if instructions ask for a canter/lope.
• Back - equine should back with soft neck and poll. Rider may glance backwards but a penalty will occur if balance is compromised.
• Turn on Haunches (Yield Fore) - a hind hoof should remain relatively in place as the front end of the equine maneuvers around.
• Turn on Forehand (Yield Hind) - A front hoof should remain relatively in place while the hind end maneuvers around.
• In Hand
  • penalty for equine pushing into handler.
  • penalty for handler standing in front of equine or an unsafe position.
  • penalty for equine not going where handler is sending them.
  • equine should move freely on leadline and stop with ease, no pulling.
  • handler should have good leadline management with lead in hand(s) at all times.
  • leadline should be in a figure 8, not coiled around the hand.
• Use of aids (reins, bit, spurs, whips, sticks, and voice)
  • soft or minimal use of aids is optimum .
  • penalty will occur if use of reins/bit causes equine to raise or throw head up, gaping mouths, hollowed-out back etc.
  • rider should allow horse full use of his head, neck, and eyesight to negotiate obstacles, especially over hills, ravines, down-fall, etc.
  • using one hand on a leverage/shank bit is considered higher quality when using the reins to stop, turn, or back.