At first glance, hunters and jumpers might seem like pretty similar disciplines, especially if you're from a country where there are no hunter classes. To help clear things up for all confused riders out there, we asked US-elite show jumper Alise Oken to help us understand the differences better. She started off in the hunters herself, and switched to show jumping when she was older. Read all about it here.

You started off as a hunter but then switched to show jumping. What are the differences between those two disciplines?

– Competing in the hunter ring means jumping a course that is judged and given a score or rank based on how the horse completes that round. Show jumping is different in that it is not rated by someone but scored based on time and faults within the round. Basically, hunters are subject to the opinion of a judge and jumpers are all about the numbers.

So the key difference is subjectivity vs. objectivity when judging the disciplines? 

– In the hunters, a judge will score a hunter round based on a number of criteria, from the appearance of the horse, its technique over fences, and how smooth or gracefully the rider completes the course. A show jumping round is scored by faults at each fence and seconds gone over the time allowed. 

Any other differences, such as appearances?

– Appearance-wise, hunters will mainly have their mane and tail braided for judging, while jumpers’ manes can be braided or not. Also, jumpers tend to be more fit than hunters (as they do jump longer and faster courses as well).

In show jumping, faults include knocking down poles or taking longer than the time allowed to complete the course. What could faults in a hunter class look like?

– Faults in a hunter round could be missing a lead change (cross cantering behind), changing the lead in front of the fence, knocking down a pole, or not getting the correct (smoothest) stride to the fence.

Why did you personally switch to show jumping?

– I competed in the hunters until I was 21, but at that time I really wanted to leave behind the subjectivity of the sport and focus solely on show jumping. But I had a lot of fun competing in the hunters and I’m so grateful for the incredible horses and experiences.

Scroll down to learn more about the acceptable attire for hunting shows. 👇