Ashley's Equestrian Pin Fever

All About Riding

WHAT IS SHOW JUMPING?

A discipline sure to test that all your heart arteries are working properly & part you from a whole lot of money.

Horse & rider are required to jump 15-20 obstacles w/in an allotted time in correct sequence & at the proper height & distance & speed.

The horse is not allowed to see the jumps before it enters the ring but the rider can "walk the course" beforehand to determine how best to ride it. The course is generally designed to challenge the horse/rider combination w/series of jumps which can provide for a lot of excitement & the occasional bout w/nausea if you are watching your child ride it.

Jumps include the Vertical, a straight up & down fence w/no spreads (distance between the jump elements). It is the most simple but usually the most difficult for horses to assess. Another type is a Wall, solid looking but actually made up of individual blocks, easily displaced. Oxerx are 2 jumps in one w/a spread between the 2 pieces. Parallel oxers are the most difficult.

There's the triple bar, a spread fence w/elements of 3 heights. The most demanding is the Combination, a series of fences only one or two strides apart. It can be 2 or 3 fences of any type. It requires the correct stride & speed between each one & the ability to jump each element. A refusal of any portion requires a rejump of the whole thing. There's the Water Jump, a low hedge fence combined w/water to create an obstacle often 12 to 16 feet. The horse must clear the entire jump or get penalty points. Finally is the Gate, a vertical obstacle which appears solid but is make using planks, gates, brush or balustrades.

All jumper classes are scored the same. Horses must complete the course in a designated sequence & complete in a given time. Style is not important but finishing on your horses' back IS. Penalties are accessed for refusing a jump, knocking down an element of the jump, the horse or rider falling & failing to make the time allotted.

If more than one horse completes the course w/o faults, they proceed to a "jump off"...a shortened course w/less time allotted. The horse/rider w/the fewest faults & lowest time wins.

The sport tends to become more dangerous at this point when you are asking a horse to jump something he just may not like! But it is simply a wonder to watch and do! There is nothing like the shear thrill of jumping a horse over a show jumping course. My 12 year old has been jumping for several years & thinks it is the greatest sport ever invented. My cardiologist wishes she would take up Dressage.

Still too sedate for you, click on the Eventing Link. Have a heart condition, click on the Dressage Link.