A hunter is not breed specific, it is a jumping style. The most important consideration when judging a hunter round is jumping style. The horse should jump with his front legs folded high and evenly; head and neck should stretch out and down to insure a well balanced jump. It is important that the horse’s body and legs stay straight while jumping, so that the horse stays in the middle of the jump.

There are several hunter divisions. The divisions are based on different criteria with some being for young or older horses, for children or adults, and for amateurs or professional. Each of these divisions will have three or four jumping classes and one under saddle class. Points are awarded for ribbons earned in each class and the two with the highest points are awarded the Champion or Reserve ribbon for their division

The hunter divisions are: Pre-Green Working, Green Working Hunter, Regular Working Hunter, Green and Regular Conformation Hunter, Amateur-Owner Working Hunter, Adult Amateur Working Hunter, Children’s Working Hunter, Junior Working Hunter, small Junior Working Hunter, large Junior Working Hunter, Pony Hunter, and Green Pony Hunter.