U.S. Open Hunters
Gates open at 9am. VIP access opens at 1:00 PM.
U.S. Open Hunter classes start at 1:30pm, in the following order:
– $50,000 Duchossois Cup for Professionals, presented by The Gochman Family
– $1,000 Small/Medium Pony Hunter Classic
– $2,500 Junior/Amateur Hunter Classic

Guide to Watching Hunters

Hunters are the beauty pageant contestants of the horse show industry. Judged on their conformation, gaits, appearance and grace, hunters navigate flowing courses and receive a score out of 100 for their performance. The horse and rider with the highest score wins. Hunters range from ponies to seasoned horses jumping up to 4′. Courses are simpler than in jumpers and are designed to emulate classic “fox hunts” with fences that resemble natural terrain. Horses that compete in this field are trained to specifically excel at having good form navigating a course instead of having the raw speed and power necessary for the jumper discipline. The rider’s form is not judged during a hunter class.