Hunters, dressage, and style...

Allrighty!! Here's a loaded question for you...

What is the true style of an A-rated show hunter horse? I'm beginning to look around and I'm seeing different things....

(When I ask what I'm about to ask, I'm in no way suggesting a horse be forced into a frame, and/or be bitted to look a certain way when he doesn't move that way, setting a "fake headset"... but I am noticing differences in how the horse carries himself in these different shows, and I want to try to understand what to work with Chewie on...I only want the best for him, and I want to show him at something he's naturally already behaving for, rather than force him into a frame, and have an angry horse that runs every time he sees me with a halter...)

I know what the "perfect dressage horse" looks like... all collected up, arched neck, all propulsion from behind, uphill motion at canter, etc... perfectly bent at the poll, nose in, all those things. Rider sits with long stretched legs, nearly level toe to heel, toes facing front of horse, heel slightly aimed downward, sitting straight up & down, weight in the seat, hands elevated a bit off the neck, elbows somewhere between 45 & 90 degrees, fingers wrapped around reins, and I've seen both "thumbs up", and some with thumbs turned in a bit...

What confuses me is the "perfect hunter horse".... Rider style is the same in both - knees bent more or less, depending if it's a flat class or a jumping class, heels way down, toes turned out somewhat, weight mostly in heels, some in seat, 2-point or posting trot, rider bent slightly forward from waist to shoulders, elbows bent, but hands near the neck of the horse, thumbs up, fingers wrapped around reins.

In a hunter/jumper show I went to watch, the horses had steady movement, were quiet, but not much else. Most were neck & head slightly above withers, nose out, but focused on rider and attentive to their task. Trot was big, extended, and the canters were usually pretty large. In an open "AQHA rulebook followed" show, necks were sloping down below withers, heads low, some bent at the poll with noses in, and they were *slow*. Trots were not extended, but faster than a western pleasure jog. Canters looked more like a "little faster than a western lope", again, with low heads.

Is one more "right" than the other? At the jog, Chewie will carry his head really low, and it's quite cute. At a "working trot", it's elevated slightly, but not out of control. At the canter, he's not low & level, at all. He'll accept contact on the reins, but doesn't appreciate "high hands", and instead would prefer my hands to be lightly touching his neck, I think as a reassurance that I'm "up there & paying attention to him". I've actually taken to "quick praise", scratching his neck with a few fingers now & again, and I think that's why he likes low & quiet hands.

Ya'll with the good experience, edu-ma-cate me, please? :)

-Jennifer