Equestrian Jumping – Courses

Jumper classes are held over a course of show jumping obstacles, including verticals, spreads, double and triple combinations, usually with many turns and changes of direction. The intent is to jump cleanly over a set course within an allotted time. Time faults are assessed for exceeding the time allowance. Jumping faults are incurred for knockdowns and blatant disobedience, such as refusals (when the horse stops before a fence or "runs out") and it affects the time required to complete the course. Horses are allowed a limited number of refusals before being disqualified. A refusal may lead to a rider exceeding the time allowed on course. In most competitions, riders are allowed to walk the initial course, but not the jump-off course (usually the same course with missing jumps, e.g., 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 instead of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) before competition to plan their ride. Walking the course before the event is a chance for the rider to walk the lines he or she will have to ride, in order to decide how many strides the horse will need to take between each jump and from which angle. The more higher levels of competition, such as "A" rated shows in the United States, or the international "Grand Prix" circuit, present more technical and complex courses. Not only is the height and width ("spread") of an obstacle increased to present a greater challenge, technical difficulty also increases with tighter turns and shorter or unusual distances between fences. Horses sometimes also have to jump fences from an angle rather than straight on. Unlike show hunter classes, which reward calmness and style, jumper classes require boldness, scope, power, accuracy, and control; speed also is a factor, especially in jump-off courses and speed classes (when time counts even in the first round). A jumper must jump big, bravely, and fast, but also must be careful and accurate to avoid knockdowns and must be balanced and rideable in order to rate and turn accurately. In a jump-off, a rider must balance the need to go as fast as possible and turn as tightly as possible against the horse's ability to jump cleanly with good scope.

Equestrian Summer London Olympics 2012 are scheduled to be held between 28 July and 9 August, at the Greenwich Park venue in London.

Equestrian Jumping - Types of Competition & Horses

Various Types of Show Jumping Competitions include:

Grand Prix is the highest level of show jumping. Run under International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) rules, the horse jumps a course of 10 to 16 obstacles, with heights and spreads of up to 6.5 feet (2.0 m).

Puissance is the high-jump competition in the equestrian sport of show jumping. It consists of a short course of fences, ending in the final puissance wall. After the completion of the course, the horse and rider pairs that went clear move on to the next round, where the puissance is raised.

Six-Bar riders jump six fences set in a straight line. In most places, fences are placed at equal distances apart, the first fence is the lowest and each subsequent fence is higher than the one before. Horses either are penalized or eliminated from competition if they knock down a rail.

Gambler's choice/accumulator is an event where exhibitors choose their own course, with each fence cleared worth a given amount of points based on difficulty. The entry who accumulates the most points within a set time limit on course is the winner.

Calcutta is a jumping event where spectators bet on which horse will win by means of an auction where the highest bidder has the exclusive bet on a given horse. Although the exact mechanism varies by region and culture, as a rule, the spectator who bets on the winner collects all money bet and then splits the purse with the owner of the winning horse.

Maiden, novice, and limit is Jumping classes limited to horses with fewer than one, three, or six wins. Fences are usually lower and time limits more generous.

Match race or double slalom is two identical courses are set up in a split arena, and two horses jump over the courses in a timed competition.

Touch class is a class held much as a normal show jumping class, except that if the horse touches the jump it is considered four faults.

Faults converted is a class in which any faults are converted into seconds on the clock, usually at the rate of 1 second per fault.

A show jumper must have the scope and courage to jump large fences as well as the athletic ability to handle the sharp turns and bursts of speed necessary to navigate the most difficult courses. Many breeds of horses have been successful show jumpers, and even some grade horses of uncertain breeding have been champions. Ponies also compete in show jumping competitions in many countries, usually in classes limited to youth riders, defined as those under the age of 16 or 18 years, depending on the sanctioning organization. Pony-sized horses may, on occasion, compete in open competition with adult riders.

Equestrian Summer London Olympics 2012 are scheduled to be held between 28 July and 9 August, at the Greenwich Park venue in London.

Equestrian Jumping – Types

A showjump fence that consists of poles directly above each other with no spread or width, to jump.

Vertical (or upright) - A showjump fence that consists of poles directly above each other with no spread or width, to jump.

Oxer - Basically the oxer showjump has two verticals placed reasonably close together to make the jump wider.

Square oxer (sometimes known as Box Oxer): both top poles are of an equal height

Ascending oxer (usually called a Ramped Oxer): the furthest pole is higher than the first

Descending oxer (usually called an Offset Oxer): the furthest pole is lower than the closest

Swedish oxer: the poles slant in opposite directions, so that they appear to form an "X" shape when seen head on.

Triple Bar - The tripple bar has three poles placed across to produce a wide spread or oxer.

Cross Rail - not commonly used in sanctioned horse shows, and sometimes called a "cross-pole," two poles crossed with one end of each pole being on the ground and on jump standards so that the center is lower than the sides

Wall - This type of showjump is usually made to look like a brick wall, however the "bricks" are constructed of a lightweight material and fall easily when knocked by the horse.

Hogsback – a type of spread fence with three rails where the tallest pole is in the center

Combination – usually two or three jumps in a row, with no more than two strides between each. two jumps in a row are called double combinations, and three jumps in a row are called triple combinations

Fan: the rails on one side of the fence are spread out by standards, making the fence take the shape of a fan when viewed from above

Open Water - A wide ditch of water. The water can be open or have a jump at the entrance or exit.

Liverpool - A liverpool showjump is simply a ditch of water placed under a vertical or an oxer.

Joker – a tricky fence comprising only a rustic (or unpainted) rail and two wings wherein the lack of filler makes it difficult for a horse to judge their proximity to the fence as well as the fence's height, making it a tricky obstacle usually found only in the upper divisions, and illegal in some competitions.

At international level competitions that are governed by FEI rules, fence heights begin at 1.50 metres (4 ft 11 in).

Equestrian Summer London Olympics 2012 are scheduled to be held between 28 July and 9 August, at the Greenwich Park venue in London.

Equestrian - Debut in Olympics

Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, five equestrian events were contested. Only three are currently considered Olympic by the International Olympic Committee.

It is not certain how many competitors there were, but it is likely that there were between 37 and 64. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping. In each discipline, both individual and team medals are awarded. Equestrian sports are one of the oldest categories of the Olympic Games.

One of the first events introduced was the four horse chariot race. The equestrian events are comprised of three categories – dressage, show jumping and the three-day event. This is sometimes referred to as the “equestrian triathlon” as well. The International Governing Body for equestrian sports is the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), and it is subject to rules made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in regards to Olympic Competition. The 1924 Olympics were the first to be held under the FEI.

Equestrian Summer London Olympics 2012 are scheduled to be held between 28 July and 9 August, at the Greenwich Park venue in London.