Ranch Riding

This is a brief description of our Ranch Riding class. Ranch Riding is a two part event. A pattern being ridden individually and a group rail class. The individual pattern truly shows how broke and responsive your horse is to your queues. (See attached for the current pattern).

In the rail class, horses will be asked to walk, trot and lope in both directions of the arena. You will be asked to change directions while on the rail and to stop and back. The ranch horse is expected to perform these functions at working speeds, therefore you may be asked to extend 1 or all 3 gaits. The judge is looking for smooth transitions between gaits, keeping the correct lead and maintaining the correct speed until the judge asks for a change.

A rider must show his horse with only one hand on the reins, unless the horse is five years old or younger and is being shown in a snaffle bit or hackamore (bosal).

See the NVRHA’s score sheets for all 5 classes for the scoring system. The pluses and minuses as well as major and minor penalties are clearly described. Also, for further information on this category, please refer to the current AQHA Handbook of Rules & Regulations. (www.aqha.com) Or, contact us for any clarification of this event www.nvrha.org.

The following is the current riding pattern.

(Click Here to Download a Printable Version)