subject: Show Jumps Horses Do Not Get Judged By Their Style [print this page] If you are not sure what exactly show jumps are, then this will help explain them for you. They are generally affiliated with the English style of horse shows or events. The event is generally called show jumping or stadium jumping, these are instruments that the horses are trained to jump over in. Show jumping can be an event on its own or it can be combined with other events such as dressing, hunters and several other events. This type of event is done in horse shows all over the world, you can even find it in the Olympics.
You will find several different classes competing in these English style events, the hunter and jumper classes being the most common. A horse in the hunter class will be judged on appearance, style and the type of manners that it exhibits. On the other hand, the horse in the jumper class will be judged by a number system that includes the different types of jumps the horse completes with as few faults as possible and in the shortest amount of time. Hunters require calm and a special kind of style. The jumper class must be bold, strong, speedy, accurate and have a lot of control.
Faults for jumpers can be given for a variety of different infractions. Knockdowns and refusals are the most commonly issued faults against the horse and rider. When it comes to knockdowns there is an exception to the rule, if the horse does not change the height of the jump and only knocks down the middle or bottom bar, he will not receive a fault.
Refusals are up to four faults and generally occur when there is damage or disruption of the jump area by the horse refusing to make the jump. If the damage interferes with the event it is then they get faulted. The number of faults given depend upon how long that it takes to make the repair during the event.
Time is a factor as well. Should the horse go over the time allowed for the course, the horse and rider will receive one second of fault for each second that the horse goes over the allowed time for that course.
Another fault is called the combination fault. This is when the course happens to have repeat areas during the course and the horse has to go through a particular area more than once. Should this area be an area that the horse refuses to do each time they get to that point, they will be given four faults for each refusal. So if the horse decides to refuse that area two times in a row, he would receive 8 faults.
The type of tack or saddle the horse wears is different for show jumps than for the other types of competitions. It is an English saddle with what is called a close contact design. This gives both the rider and the horse more freedom when they are performing their jumps. They usually have square white saddle pads, the stirrups are shorter. The bridle can be used with any kind of noseband and bits are allowed as long as the official event vet deems that it will not harm the horse.
There are a large variety of events that showcase the horses such as the Grand Prix, the horses are required to complete 10 to 16 different obstacles, with heights going as tall as six and a half feet high. This type of event can even be seen in the Olympics.
Other types would be the Speed Derby, Puissance, a competition where the show jump can get as high as seven feet, Six Bar, riders and horses are required to jump six show jumps that are in a row beginning with the lowest in height to the tallest, Gamblers Choice, the rider picks own course, Maiden or Novice, for horses with only one to six wins, courses are easier and time limits are longer and a lot more.
The show jumps themselves vary as well. The Vertical is one where the horse must jump several different poles place on top of one another and there is no width for the horse to deal with. Another one is the Oxer and what that is, is when they put two Vertical jumps together adding some width to the jump for the horse. The Triple Bar is when they use a fence type jump with three different height bars. They have a Wall jump made up of material to look like bricks and many more types are available.
The horse breeds that generally compete in these events would be Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds with a long lineage behind them. Although at times, there are horses that compete well and do not come from this type of background.
