Judging the Riders

After a yearlong selection process based on points, the Professional Division riders were narrowed down to the top four who then rode off for the title. Similar to a World Championship, the riders competed over a 3'6" course on each of four horses provided by the show.

In hunters the horses are judged on form over fences and when they jump from a comfortable distance their form is shown off the best. So, as the riders go around the course their goal is to bring their horse to the optimal distance for each fence. However, unlike other hunter classes, the winner in this class was the rider and not the horse.

The five judges scored by the open numerical system. The rider with the highest cumulative total was the winner. The four riders who qualified were being judged by Ronnie Beard, Wellington, FL; Jim Clapperton, Columbia, MD; Brian Lenehan, Southern Pines, NC; Matt Collins, Culpeper, VA and Patrick Rodes, Argyle, TX.

"The key to scoring this class is you don't score each round, you score how each rider does on each horse," commented Lenehan. "Peter showed he could ride all four horses well and that was the clincher, whereas the others had trouble with at least one," noted Clapperton.

"There was no on in that class that on any given day couldn't win that class," added AHJF Executive Director Michele Perla.