Primarily the railwork section functions as a tie-breaker, therefore no points can be earned from the section, but based on the rider’s performance, their points and placing can increase or decrease.
Once the individual section has been finished and all riders’ points tallied up, all riders – including those who got a 0 in the individual section – will be called into the arena in starting order. The judge will indicate the initial direction the riders should ride in, after which the first rider will ride on the rail, stopping once they reach the gate. Once all riders are in the arena, the railwork can begin.
During the class the judge will indicate the required gate by for example asking “Ratsukot, oikea laukka, kiitos. Riders, right lead lope, please.” The main focus during the railwork is in showing tidy, quality gaits instead of reaction time, therefore transitions don’t have to be immediate. Passing riders is allowed, however please ride on the inner ring when you do. When passing others, do make sure that you’re not in anyone’s way and that you’re not running the judge or ring secretary over.
The class ends in a lineup in the middle of the arena, so that all riders are facing away from the judge’s table. Once the results have been verified by the judge, the top five riders will be asked to stay in the arena for the award ceremony.
