12.1 Categories
Available in Walk/Jog, Novice Rider, Amateur, Open and all Youth divisions and all horse classes.
12.2 Prohibited Equipment
- Wire curbs regardless of how padded or covered.
- Any chin/curb strap narrower than 1/2".
- Mechanical hackamores.
- Martingales, nosebands and tie-downs.
- Draw reins.
- Crops or quirts.
12.3 Optional Equipment
- Rope or riata. If used, the rope or riata must be coiled and attached to the saddle.
- Protective boots or leg wraps.
12.4 The purpose of the Ranch Riding class is to measure the ability of the horse to be a pleasure to ride while being used as a means of conveyance from performing one ranch task to another. The horse should reflect the versatility, attitude and movement of a working ranch horse riding outside the confines of an arena. The horse should be well trained, relaxed, quiet, soft and cadenced at all gaits. The ideal ranch horse will travel with forward movement and demonstrate an obvious lengthening of stride at extended gaits. The horse can be ridden with light contact or on a relatively loose rein without requiring undue restraint but not shown on a full drape of reins. The overall manners and responsiveness of the ranch riding horse to make timely transitions in a smooth and correct manner, as well as the quality of the movement, are of primary considerations. The ideal ranch riding horse should have a natural ranch horse appearance from head to tail in each manoeuvre.
12.5 Each horse will work individually, performing the required gait manoeuvres and a minimum of three optional manoeuvres. Horses will be scored on a basis of 0 to 100, with 70 denoting an average performance. Each manoeuvre will receive a score that should be added or subtracted from 70 and is subject to a penalty that should be subtracted. Each manoeuvre will be scored on the following basis:
- -1½ extremely poor
- -1 very poor
- -½ poor
- 0 correct
- +½ good
- +1 very good
- +1½ excellent
Manoeuvre scores are to be determined and assessed independently of penalty points.
12.6 The required gait manoeuvres will include the walk, trot and lope in both directions and the extended trot and extended lope in at least one direction, as well as stops and back.
12.7 The optional manoeuvres may include a side pass, turns of 360 degrees or more, change of lead (simple or flying), walk, jog or lope over logs (the use of natural logs is encouraged) or any reasonable combination of manoeuvres that would be reasonable for a horse to perform or encounter during ranch work.
12.8 Posting at the extended trot is acceptable.
12.9 Touching or holding the saddle horn is acceptable.
12.10 When exhibiting in a snaffle bit or hackamore, the exhibitor may switch between two hands and one hand on the reins at any time.
12.11 Ranch Riding Penalties A contestant shall be penalised each time the following occur.
12.12 One (1) point penalties
- Too slow (per gait).
- Over bridled (per manoeuvre).
- Out of frame (per manoeuvre).
- Break of gait at walk or trot for 2 strides or less.
- Wrong lead or out of lead for 2 strides or less.
12.13 Three (3) point penalties
- Break of gait at walk or trot for more than 2 strides.
- Break of gait at the lope.
- Wrong lead or out of lead.
- Draped reins (per manoeuvre).
- Out of lead or cross-cantering more than two (2) strides when changing leads.
- Walking more than three strides when making a simple lead change.
- Severe disturbance of any obstacle.
- Trotting for more than 3 strides in lope departures or when exiting a rollback.
12.14 Five (5) point penalties
- Blatant disobedience (kick, bite, buck, rear etc.) for each refusal.
12.15 Ten (10) point penalty
- Unnatural ranch horse appearance (horse's tail is obvious and consistently carried in an unnatural manner in every manoeuvre).
12.16 (OP) Placed below horse performing all manoeuvres
- Eliminates manoeuvre.
- Incomplete manoeuvre.
- Use of two hands, more than one finger between split reins or any fingers between romal reins.
12.17 Zero (0) score
- Illegal equipment.
- Wilful abuse.
12.18 One of the 15 approved patterns must be used. See the Patterns and Arena Diagrams page for all pattern step-by-step instructions.