An Introduction to Show Jumping

Show Jumping

Introduction to Show Jumping
Show Jumping is one of many equestrian competitions. It is one of the only Olympic events in which men and women compete on equal level. There are generally no age classes which means often a 10yr old and a 50 year old can compete on the same level as each other. This is because the classes are regularly categorized in grades A, B, C and D grade. These grades apply to the horse. This means that as a rider you may enter more horses into the one class and compete with other horses in different grades also. D grade is the lowest grade and the grades go up to A grade and open classes. Open classes are for horses of any grade to compete against each other in Show Jumping.



At official Show Jumping events, the correct attire will be expected. This includes The national safety standard helmet from your country, and riding boots-long or short. Usually you will need light neutral coloured jodhpurs with a white formal blouse/shirt and a tie and jacket. Although you are not graded on turnout in Show Jumping classes you and your horse are expected to be well groomed.

To compete at official Show Jumping events your horse and rider normally have to be registered with the Equestrian Federal Association in your country and your horse will need a grading card. When your horse is first registered they will start in D grade with no points. Each time your horse wins or gets a place he receives points to add onto the grading card and when he earns a certain amount of points he then becomes a C grader. Then you will only be able to ride him in C grade events unless there are Juniors or Six Bars etc. If your horse has already been competing before you buy him you may have to jump him in the grade that he is already in. To downgrade a horse in Show Jumping it may take time and a decent reason, depending on your country's equestrian federation.

Show Jumping- Types of Competition



In Show Jumping there are a few different types of events other than your average graded classes. Some of the more common show jumping classes include the Grand Prix, Puissance, Six-Bar, Top Score/Accumulator,
The Grand Prix is usually the highest paid win in the show. Often this is a combined A and B grade or an Open Class. Occasionally judged on technique but generally judged based on faults and time score.
The Six-Bar is different to most Showjumping events because instead of a course, you jump in a straight line over six fences getting higher and higher. If there is two or more clear in the first round then the fences go up, and same thing happens again. If there is still two or more jumping clear after a number of rounds then the final fence or final two fences are raised considerably. Many Six-Bar competitions at large shows end in 7feet high jumps.
Top Score is a Show Jumping competition where a number of jumps at varying heights and types are all set out in no particular order. Each jump is numbered 1-10 and there is also the Joker. The jumps are numbered 1-10 according to difficulty and the Joker is the highest points. You are allowed to choose your own course in a set time. You get the amount of points that are allocated on each jump each time you jump it. You are allowed to jump any single jump twice in total and you don't have to jump every jump on course. When the bell goes during your course you have to race back to the finish pegs as fast as possible. You do not get penalties for refusals or knocking poles down, that jump will not give you extra score. Who ever has jumped the most and the highest jumps in the time given is calculated and if needed it comes down to who got back to the finish pegs fastest if people tie.
The Puissance is a normal jumping course where in the jump off the course is narrowed down to around 4 jumps. Each time two or more go clear there is another jump off round in which the jumps are raised. The last two jumps in particular are raised if there are numerous jump offs. The last fence has often come to heights of 7 feet.

Show Jumping The Basic Jumps



At Show Jumping competitions the jump poles, wings and fill are often brightly coloured. At the larger Show Jumping events they can be very extravagant and detailed. It is wise to practise over different brightly coloured jumps at home to accustom your horse before hand. There are a number of different types of jumps that you will find in a Show Jumping course some of the main ones include; vertical, spread, triple bar, oxer, water jump and the wall.
A vertical is just a simple fence with poles building it up vertically with no spread. A Spread (or an oxer) is a vertical with an extra set of wings placed behind and another pole to convert it into a wider jump. A triple bar is similar to a spread only with three sets of wings and poles ascending. The first wings having low poles the second wing having medium height and the third wing having the highest pole. With a water jump, there should be no poles above it then it is an actual water jump and the horse will be penalised for landing in the water. If it is just a spread (with poles/planks) and water below the jump as fill then penalties will not apply for landing in the water below. The wall is usually painted to look like a brick wall with a roll top, penalties apply if you knock one of the top blocks off. These are just a basic description of what is on the course, there are more different types of jumps.

Show Jumping- The Saddlery



Saddles designed specifically for Show Jumping are available, as generally you shorten your stirrups a bit compared with pleasure riding. However a general purpose saddle also works effectively. Avoid Australian stock saddles and western saddles altogether, speaking from experience you can end up with very sore legs or are to busy avoiding the horn to concentrate on the horse and the jump. Any bridle is fine to use though most jumpers tend to use a noseband and also a running martingale(aka rings) is most common in this equestrian event.

Show Jumping - The Rules and Guidelines



The rules and guidelines for Show Jumping vary depending on the country and the show. In general these are the ones I have always ridden by.
Refusals- a horse can stop in front of a fence then go on and jump the fence with no penalties, however if the horse takes one step backwards then it is classed as a refusal and you will receive a four point penalty. If the horse is approaching the jump and pulls off and back tracks to jump depending on the judge but usually is a refusal. After two refusals in one round you get eliminated.
Knockdowns- when a horse is jumping and the rail actually gets knocked down and alters the height then for that fence you will receive a four point penalty. If a rail or plank in the lower levels fall off and do not alter the height of the jump then no penalty occurs. A refusal inside a combination means that you have to ride out and jump the whole combination again,
If you fall off or dismount your horse you will be eliminated.
Time Penalties- in some classes there is a limited amount of time you have to complete the course, if you exceed this time you will generally receive a 1 point penalty per 1 second. So if you were over by 5 seconds you would have 5 faults added onto your penalties.

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