hunter-jumper confusion--please help!

[Roheryn]

Please help--I am confused about hunter-jumper riding! I've been told it's an American style of riding, I think it's also called hunt seat. Most of the college and university equestrian teams here (US) compete, I think, in hunt seat or western, not dressage or combined training; but the Olympics have dressage and combined training, not hunt seat or western.
What I'm confused about is, why do colleges and universities compete in a style of riding in which the riders can't go on to do international competition?
And, why are dressage-combined-training people and hunter-jumper people so critical of each other's riding styles?
I'm not taking a stand either way here--I first learned hunt seat, I've done some dressage, I'm not saying one is better than the other--I'm just confused! (I ride western these days and enjoy it.)
Any replies from people more knowledgeable than I am would be welcome!:confused:

[Glider]

Western riding has been incoporated into the World Equestrian Games in the last few years, so maybe soon it will become an olympic sport.

Perhaps universities compete in hunt seat etc because it's historical (ie it's been going on for years and years and hasn't changed), but that's only speculation.

[kedwards]

Hunter/Jumper is shorthand for a number of different jumping disciplines (hunters, hunt seat equitation, and show jumping). Jumpers are, indeed, competed at international and olympic levels. Hunt seat equitation is intended to be a means of judging rider against rider (i.e., judging the riders rather than the horses). It was started as a means of developing young riders. The skills that are rewarded in eq riders are intended to be those that will serve them well if they eventually move on to the big jumpers. Most of the USET international level showjump riders were equitation competitors when they were younger.

Colleges and Universities (IHSA) compete in hunt seat equitation, as well. This provides the training advantages noted above. Also, it levels the playing field to some degree, in attempt to compete rider against rider, rather than horse against horse. In IHSA, riders do not compete on their own horses, but "draw" for horses at the competition.

[Roheryn]

It certainly sounds fair, the way you describe it, kedwards. Seeing how a rider does on an unfamiliar horse. And I guess it's fair too for the riders who don't have "made" horses, push-button rides.
What you said about the USET riders having started out as equitation riders reminded me of seeing one adult showjumping competitor and realizing he had been one of the children pictured in one of my childhood books on equitation over fences!
Glider--so western riding is in international competition! I think that's great--I'd love to see it in the Olympics too someday.

[jUmPingIsLifE]

hmmm, a lot of colleges have Dressage teams around here. (on the east cost). its called IDA (intercollegaite dressage association). Not all of them have combined training though however some have a cross country cource and have event clubs and sometimes colleges do have combined training shows i dont believe it counts for anything though. My college holds one in the spring time. (we have both dressage and huntseat).

Not many schools around here have western teams though. I know of some in New York that have one but off the top of my head thats all i know that have western.

In the olympics you have Showjumping and those SJ riders all learned the basics in the hunter and equitation ring. The hunter ring is a steping stone to the equitation and equitation to the jumper ring. so collegiate huntseat teams most definatly have their place in preparing a rider for a future in the showjumping ring.

[Liquorice]

So, what do you have to do in hunt seat equitation and hunters? I hear people talking about it all the time on here but I don't actually get what you do.