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‘The hardest class to master’: how to achieve the calm perfection judges want to see in a sparkling show hack
As part of this exclusive series for Horse & Hound subscribers on winter training for different types of show horse, it’s the turn of the show hack experts, who give their advice on challenges ranging from creating that all-important picture of elegance to priming the horse for the ride judge
The show hack is the most refined type of show horse. Training the show hack to demonstrate its elegant movement, while providing a comfortable, mannerly and super smooth ride, is the ultimate in schooling for the show ring. The picture of a hack and rider should be one of calm perfection, with contained sparkle and the all-important presence that all successful show horses possess.
According to the British Show Horse Society (BSHA), the ideal show hack is of thoroughbred type and should be capable of carrying an average adult. The hack must be a pleasure to ride and have excellent manners. The hack should perform in self-carriage and be light and soft to ride – it should also have correct conformation with the emphasis on quality and elegance. The latter stems from a well set-on head and neck combined with a good length of shoulder. The movement should be smooth and graceful with a true pointing of the toe. To achieve these qualities the hack must be extremely well-schooled.
Hacks are shown in either small or large divisions depending on their height. In some classes, such as novice and amateur, small and large hacks will be judged together. The small hack should exceed 148cm, but not exceed 154cm. The large hack should exceed 154cm, but not exceed 160cm.
Hacks are judged on type, ride, manners and conformation. Judges are recommended to use the following percentages when judging: ride 40%, conformation 40% and individual show 20%. The compulsory individual show should not exceed 1½ minutes and should include walk, trot, canter, rein-back, halt and obedience to the leg. Judges should penalise lack of manners.
The hack is arguably one of the hardest types of show horse to master given the refinement that is required in each phase. However, when presented correctly, a quality show hack is exceptionally hard to beat in mixed show horse fields and in supremes.
Training the show hack to impress the judges
H&H speaks to some of the showing world’s most successful producers to find out how to prepare your prospective hack for the ring this season.
1. Encouraging lightness in front
Danielle Heath is a leading show horse producer who has been hack champion at both Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) and the Royal International (RIHS). She was supreme at HOYS in 2023 riding Guy Mears’ large hack Forgeland Hyde Park, with whom she was also champion at Windsor and Hickstead on multiple occasions.
Balance and lightness: Guy Mears’ Forgeland Hyde Park, who has been crowned champion at many major shows.
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
Danielle says that the hack must give a light ride. If the horse is leaning on the hand, he will be penalised by the judges.
“The schooling of a hack needs to encourage them to work lightly in front while maintaining balance,” Danielle begins. “A hack should not be heavy in the hand. This can impact the judge’s ride as well as your own show as you will struggle to get that even collection and to nail key elements such as the canter serpentines.”
Danielle says that being mindful while schooling is essential: “I do lots of lateral work and circle work on the 20m, getting the horse to sit back onto his hocks so he doesn’t run through his bridle. It can be very tempting to just put your head down and ride the whole way around the school constantly, but the horse will only get lower and lower and heavier and heavier. Pop on the 20m circle, half-halt and get him sat back on the hocks so he’s really using himself and learns to balance.”
2. The right bit for training
“To achieve lightness in front I would avoid gadgets,” Danielle continues. “If you give a horse something to lean on, he will lean on it, so keeping it simple is always better in the long run.
“When training the show hack, I tend to ride my horses in Tom Thumb or three-ring Happy Mouth bits at home. You can put the rein on the most suitable ring, moving it up or down as needed.”
3. A picture of elegance
“A hack must be elegant,” Danielle says. “Consider everything about the picture; the hack needs a finer bridle compared to other types. Don’t use an overly thick numnah under the saddle – show the horse off as much as you can. I also don’t like to see a heavily bitted hack – there’s nothing worse than seeing a pretty hack with a big, strong bit in its mouth. This is off-putting as a judge, too, as you should be able to ride a hack one-handed.”
Danielle says that it’s important to be open-minded about type, too. Just because you bought a horse with the intention of showing it as a hack doesn’t mean that it will stay in the category for the duration of its career.
“Our three-time RIHS riding horse champion and 2024 HOYS winner Times Square III was shown as a hack during his four-year-old season before he matured into a small riding horse,” Danielle days. “He matured in both his way of going and conformation; you must be open-minded when working with these youngsters. There’s a fine line between a hack and a riding horse; the hack is light on its feet and elegant, the riding horse still attractive but more forward and ground-covering.”
The prolific champion riding horse Times Square III started his competitive career as a hack – it’s a fine line between the two types.
(Image credit: Peter Nixon)
4. Keep it simple
Hannah Horton is a show horse producer who has ridden several RIHS and HOYS winners during her career and she also ride judges.
“Simple really is best,” says Hannah on training the show hack. “I was always taught that if you can’t pull something off to perfection, then don’t even attempt it. You’re better doing a simple yet perfect show, rather than trying to do something fancy and not pulling it off perfectly.
“Rein-backs are an example. Riders ask for a rein-back in the middle of the ring and the horse goes all crooked, or it looks like the horse is having its teeth pulled out. To practise a rein-back, I would always start by standing between two poles, before progressing to asking for a rein-back by the wall of the arena. If starting from scratch, I would also ask someone to stand in front of the horse. They’d ask the horse to back up and I’d give the correct aid. I’d start with just one step, then two, and so on.”
“My hack Imagine FW, BSHA supreme hack of the year, has a brilliant rein-back. He’s as straight as die, though Richard Ramsay and I have spent a very long time working on it. He never used to do it well, then one day it just clicked, as we were consistent with his training.”
5. Preparing for the ride judge
“People often forget that the horse needs to feel different riders on his back before a judge gets on,” Danielle says. “I’d ask at least three people to sit on your horse prior to his first ride judge experience so it’s not totally alien to him. Ask your trainer to have a ride at the end of your lesson or ask your friend to have a sit on. The judge only has two minutes to assess your horse, so they don’t have time to let the horse settle. A new jockey getting on needs to be a natural, commonplace experience for your horse.”
6. The finer details
Hannah advises that you must focus on the detail when training the show hack for his competitive appearances. The extra effort will pay dividends as there is little margin for error in this section.
“Make sure your horse will stand for the judge while they get on,” Hannah says. “So many horses swing away from the judge while they’re trying to get legged on. It can be because riders don’t practise getting legged up and always use a mounting block at home, but when you’re in the ring the judge will always have a leg-up, so your horse must be used to it.
As the hack will be ridden by a judge, practise leg-ups at home so that your horse can be relied on to stand completely still in the ring.
(Image credit: Emma Herrod)
“When I’m ride judging, I can tell which horses have been schooled leaning on the arena fence,” Hannah continues. “If a horse is crooked, it will get marked down so to fix this I would make sure that I’m riding away from the track when in the school. I would also ride lots of leg-yielding exercises off the outside leg and not just off the inside, so they learn to move off both legs. Don’t just go round and round!”
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Former H&H showing editor and deputy features editor
Born and raised in the Lake District, Alex has grown up on the showing scene. She has qualified and competed ponies at the Royal International, Horse of the Year Show and Olympia and has first-hand knowledge of the current issues in the showing world as well as the horses, ponies and riders who compete in the sport. Alex joined H&H in January 2018 as showing editor, cementing its place as the leading equestrian publication for both showing reports and current showing news in the UK. She moved on in October 2024 to pursue other opportunities, but continues to write for us on a freelance basis.
