Judging School Handbook - American Morgan Horse Association

5. The order of running a class in which a patternis to be performed is to do the rail work first, followedby the lineup for inspection, reading of thepattern and any questions, and finally the patternwork. Judges are prohibited from conferringwith riders individually in the lineup but theymay answer questions regarding the patternwhere the entire lineup can hear the questionand answer. Judges may not speak to any rider inthe lineup even after they turned in their cards.Reining Seat Equitation DivisionPosition of Rider/Suitability of Horse(Refer to Current USEF Rules)1. Maintaining center of balance: Riders shouldalways be centered, not behind or in front of vertical.The rider’s back should be flat with theshoulders directly over hips. The saddle shouldalways be straight and the stirrups even. No daylightshould be seen between seat and saddle orbetween legs and saddle. Proper and even weightshould be placed in stirrups so that daylight cannotbe seen between foot and stirrup. Any loss ofstirrup is a major fault.2. Arms and Hands: Arms are to be in a straightline with the body. Rein arm should be bent atelbow showing a soft smooth line to hand.Shoulders should be kept square, neither tippedforward nor backward. The rein hand should bequiet and soft, and should not be constantlybumping the horse’s mouth. Rein hand is to becompletely around the reins. No finger isallowed between romal reins. When split reinsare used and ends of split reins fall on the sameside as reining hand, one finger (index finger)between reins is permitted. Rider can holdromal or end of split reins to keep them fromswinging provided it is held at least 16 inchesfrom the rein hand. Split and romal reins areequally acceptable.3. Legs and Feet: Legs should hang naturally fromthe hip without being excessively flared awayfrom the horse. Heels should be slightly lowerthan toes, and knees should face straight ahead.Toes should also face straight ahead or turnslightly outward.4. Refer to the current USEF Rule Book for specificrules regarding reining seat position and suitability.Refer to the current AMHA MorganHorse Judging Standards for procedures.Attire of Rider/Tack of Horse1. Riders shall wear Western hat; long-sleeved shirtwith collar; a necktie, kerchief or bolo tie;trousers or pants. Chaps, shotgun chaps orchinks and boots are required. A vest, jacket,coat, and/or sweater may also be worn.Protective headgear with harness is optional inall classes; not required to be of Western style.Spurs are optional.2. The saddle must fit the rider. It may be slick orswelled fork, have a high or low cantle but mustdefinitely be sized to the rider. Nothing thatwould prevent the stirrups from hanging freelyshall be added to or deleted from a standardwestern saddle.3. There shall be no discrimination against anystandard western bit.4. Curb chains and leather chin straps may be usedbut must be flat and at least 1/2’’ in width, andlie flat against the jaws of the horse. No wire,rawhide, metal or other substance can be usedin conjunction with or as part of the leatherchin strap or curb chains. A light lip strap ispermissible.5. Hackamores, snaffle bits, tie-downs, runningmartingales, draw reins, bosals and cavessontypenosebands are prohibited. Silver equipmentmay be used, but shall not be given preferenceover good working equipment.6. In all Medal classes, it is mandatory for the judgeto have bits dropped and inspected on all finalistsbeing considered for an award. Riders mustbe dismounted for this inspection.7. Bandages and boots of any type are prohibited.In Reining Equitation classes where a pattern isrequired, the use of shin, bell boots and/or protectivebandages on the front legs and standardsliding or rundown boots on the rear fetlocks arepermitted.Patterns and Tests (Refer to Current USEF Rules)1. In the Morgan Reining Seat EquitationDivision, only AMHA Medal classes require apattern. The pattern for AMHA Medal classesmust be posted at least one hour prior to theclass, not the session in which the class is held.It is recommended that work orders also be madeavailable. Patterns are not required in either agegroup or championship classes. However, in anyclass in which a pattern is used, it must be publiclyannounced prior to being performed.38