Show jumping is one of my very favorite equestrian events. Between the elegance of the horse and the amazing patterns that the horses and their riders are asked to perform is just amazing. Show jumping is judged based on whether or not a horse clears the jump, nicks it with his hoof, drops a rail, and the time in which the horse completes the pattern in. There is a course that the horse is supposed to perform.
Within this course there is different types of jumps that the horse is supposed to be able to perform. Some of these jumps include: verticals, spreads, double and triple combinations, and many turning of the direction. All this needs to be completed in a certain amount of time.
If there were two horses that completed a pattern perfectly, the time would be the determining factor. The fastest horse takes home the trophy. Before competing in a course, the riders are allowed to walk the course. This allows the rider to get a feel and know what to expect before jumping right in.
With higher level courses, the difficulty is increased. The width of the jump is decreased as well as the height of the jumps. There turns that the horse is required to do may be tightened so that the turn is harder.
The attire for a jumping class is very similar to that of an English class. One of the exceptions is that horses are allowed to wear protective leg gear. This is to make sure that the horse is not going to hurt its leg if it accidentally kicks a pole.
Jumping can be seen in the Olympics and is a highly competitive sport. Many warmbloods are also used for this event as well.
Show Jumping Video
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