Adult Equitation

Posted on October 9, 2008 by jns767

I was just reading a post about adult showmanship, and it got me to thinking about adult equitation. To me equitation is more than just looking good on a horse, it also provides the rider with the proper placements to ride any horse to its best abilities. Not only that, but I miss my equitation days. Does anyone else wish there were adult equitation classes at the A shows, or am I just crazy?

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16 Responses to Adult Equitation

  1. Anonymous says:
    October 9, 2008 at 2:34 pm

    i do think equitation would definetly be beneficial for alot of adults. some showy show horses (think pleasure and park horses) can be way too hot for some timid adult riders. equitation would give them a place to show off their own skills, this would also give them a chance to do well against those amateurs who might as well be trainers.

  2. wctigger says:
    October 9, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    I am definitely all for having adult equitation classes. I miss my equitation days a ton, if there was an equitation class offered for my age group I would be entered in it. It would be fun to have an opportunity to do patterns on my hunter some where other than at home and to see how well I could do in an eq. class after 4 years of not working hard on my equitation skills :)

  3. Leslie says:
    October 9, 2008 at 5:15 pm

    I always showed adult eq on the local circuit. I’m pretty terrible at it these days, but I enjoy the challenge and it’s nice to have another class to enter besides just the classic pleasure qualifier and championship. My horse is older, so being able to work on my position rather than focusing strictly on his performance is good for both of us.

    As I understand it, in some parts of the country adult equitation is fairly competitive on the Saddlebred circuit. I’d think there’d be enough ammy riders on the Morgan circuit to make it work as more than just a novelty class.

  4. JK says:
    October 9, 2008 at 5:18 pm

    I would love to ride in adult equitation… I do miss my eq. days! I think getting to go out and do patterns in the show ring keeps things exciting and really helps you have a deeper connection to you horse. I’d enter in them if they were offered!

  5. Anonymous says:
    October 9, 2008 at 6:39 pm

    Well, if anyone gets to NY to show the WNY show in Elmira, NY (Memorial Day weekend) offers the Adult eq.

  6. JC says:
    October 9, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    I would enter adult eq. classes after a winter’s worth of work. What a shame it would be for me to have to find the perfect horse for the job. Any excuse to horse shop! Count me in. -Joanna

  7. parksaddle1024 says:
    October 9, 2008 at 9:34 pm

    Bravo – I’m so glad to see the support for the adult equitation! I am fortunate to be able to show at local shows that offer Adult equitation, and even Adult Medal classes – so I get to do patterns, and I wish the Morgan circuit would do the same! Mass. Morgan used to have it, but I guess they didn’t get the entries they needed to continue to offer it.

  8. your_starr says:
    October 9, 2008 at 11:47 pm

    ps. they would definetly need an open eq division also. i would love to see some of the trainers really show off what they learned when they were younger

  9. denu220 says:
    October 10, 2008 at 6:54 am

    I love the adult eq. classes and wish they were offered much more frequently. I think show committees would be pleasantly surprised at how quickly they’d fill…

  10. jns767 says:
    October 10, 2008 at 4:41 pm

    YAYYY! I’m glad everyone seems to agree. I recently competed in my first adult equitation class, and it was a blast. It really gave me a work out too, I forgot how much sucking in and sitting up it involves – phew! I think that not only would it give the ammy’s something else to work on, it would provide jobs for horses who have lost some of their show ring luster :) .

  11. picante247 says:
    October 10, 2008 at 5:25 pm

    Being a “late bloomer” to the inside of the show ring(daughter did jr. exh. eq/pl then am) I too think it would be a blast. I could be very rich if I had a nickle for every eq lesson/class I have watched in the past. You always silently “do” the pattern with them from the rail:-) The “seniors” in the home ring have been known to have tons of fun playing around with it. Not sure how well I’d fair in the big ring but sure would be fun trying!

  12. Anonymous says:
    October 11, 2008 at 12:16 am

    I would love to have have adult eq like the saddlebred shows, medal classes and finals at the bigger shows. So that all the eq lovers can finally get in the ring ad do it themselves!

  13. EdanaLL says:
    October 12, 2008 at 9:54 pm

    Absolutely! Adult Eq would be a wonderful thing… not all of us got into this game as youngsters.. we had to wait until we were well past 18 to be able to afford a horse! But, we still try to ride our horses the `right’ way and not just be a passenger up there. Or, at least that’s the way I look at it and try to do it. Plus, show committees might just find that they can attract some more entries that way – and that would definitely help a show’s bottom line. And breeders and trainers may find a new market for their horses – adults with extra income and no children, who are just dying to show off their newfound riding skills. All in all, it would be a very positive thing.

  14. Susan Overstreet says:
    October 12, 2008 at 10:10 pm

    Oh boy, I could not agree more. I live in the SF Bay Area and there are essentially no Morgan SS/PD barns around me or within a range of reasonable driving distance. I would jump at the chance to go in Adult EQ or in a modified Academy class. It would be terrific and a wonderful marketing ploy.

  15. JK says:
    October 14, 2008 at 4:06 pm

    Just a thought, but it would be cool to try to start an adult eq. class at shows that ties into the UPHA Pink Ribbon classes. I don’t know if it would be allowed, but it would be so fun to ride for a cause and I think it would attract entries. Not everyone has a horse they can ride against trainers in the ladies class!

  16. GR says:
    October 14, 2008 at 9:19 pm

    I totally agree I think thats an awesome idea!
    We should have an adult eq class at Oklahoma for sure i think it would be really popular

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