Equestrian Jumping and Show Jumping

Equestrian jumping is a specialized form of riding that involves the use of a horse to clear different obstacles, with or without the aid of the rider. The rider can help a horse clear the obstacle more easily by developing proper technique in their ride and also using correct timing. For example, if a horse is too early or too late with their approach to a jump, they may hit it or knock it over, which will incur faults.

The equestrian sport of show jumping is a very demanding and exciting one. It requires a great deal of practice, patience and training to develop the correct riding technique and help the horse become a natural jumper. A skilled rider will be able to keep their horse’s rhythm and balance consistent, even over fences of differing heights. They should be able to anticipate how many strides are needed before each fence and can easily follow the horse’s neck movement in the air.

In a show jumping competition, the competitor with the lowest number of faults wins the class. If a rider is tied with another competitor, they will then participate in a jump off to determine the winner. The jump off is a shortened version of the regular course where the same six fences are set up in a straight line, each fence higher than the last.

Riders are often required to take time to walk the course before competition in order to get a feel for the terrain and what the obstacle layout is like. The riders can then plan how many strides they will need to make to the next jump and what speed they should be going over it at. It is important that a rider has the ability to judge how long it will take for their horse to clear each fence and can also predict how high each fence will be so that they can plan accordingly.

There are a wide variety of different types of obstacles that can be used in a show jumping course, including verticals, oxers (wide jumps), wall bricks and water elements. In the case of a water fence, horses can receive penalties if their feet touch the surface of the water or land on top of the raised block in front of it. However, if the water fence is a ‘Liverpool’ (a pool of water that does not cover the entire fence) then no faults are given.

One of the most common mistakes that a rider can make is to hit a jump or knock it over by incorrectly anticipating the distance of each fence in the course. This can be due to the height of the jump, its location and its design or a horse that is not suited to that type of obstacle. The best way to avoid this mistake is by practicing on a low fence and gradually increasing the height of the obstacles as your horse becomes more comfortable with them.