We all know that the hunter pleasure divison has seen a huge boom in entries and has become very popular among exhibitors and spectators.  Today we see a lot of saddle seat horses switch disciplines and go into the hunter pleasure division.  A lot of them do so very successfully.

I was wondering what trainers out there look for in a horse when they’re considering changing a horse to a hunter. What are conformation/movement/training,etc aspects that tell you that the horse is a good candidate for hunter pleasure.  When you see english/classic pleasure horses out there, what are some signs that tell you that the horse would be better suited as a hunter or would just make a killer hunter pleasure mount. 

Also, when you do decide to convert a saddleseat horse to a hunter; what are some of the aspects of training that have to go into that? What needs to be done in order for the horse to successfully transition?

I’m just very interested in this subject.  I ride in the hunter pleasure division and absolutely love it.  And I always find myself thinking, “I wonder how that horse would look as a hunter…”