Sports Realm

There are many different kinds of horse jumps and jumping. The three best known are show jumping, cross country and hurdles racing. Each one requires dedication and years of training and practice to reach the top levels of competition.

Eventing is a competition that requires the entrants to perform in dressage, show jumping and to ride across country. Cross country courses have solid jumps placed around an uneven course in the open. It takes a very fit horse and rider to win on one of these courses. A mount can fall more easily when running and leaping over barriers on an uneven surface than a flat soft surface.This is especially true when the barriers are solid. The horses though seem to be more aware of this and take more care.

Some steeple chase barriers used to be solid but because of safety concerns most are now made of brush which gives if not cleared. The solid part of the jump at the bottom is rarely set at more than eighteen inches high. This type of jumping requires a greater focus on safety because there is more than one equine jumping at the same time. Basically, it is like a gallops race with obstacles at intervals around the course.

Show jumping competitions are fun to watch and even more fun to ride. Vertical jumps require the horses to jump high tucking their feet underneath them to make sure they do not bump the poles. The poles sit on cups held by standards and if they are knocked hard enough will roll off and hit the ground. Even though they sometimes look solid all obstacles in the ring are designed to knock down if they are hit. This reduces the chance of injury.

An oxer is an obstacle in the show jumping ring that is a spread. This means they are more than one pole width. To get over the obstacle the equine has to lift itself both vertically and stretch to make it over the length. A rising oxer is usually constructed of at least three sets of standards with the front pole being the lowest, the middle a little higher and the back the highest of all.

Course designers do their best to challenge the rider and their mount to be brave and think about how best to ride the course. The riders get to walk the course first and they count the number of strides between each barrier. Sometimes there is only one stride between two obstacles. This is called a combination and requires a lot of concentration to successfully clear.

All horses and ponies can jump but some are better at it than others. Training usually begins with getting a responsive and obedient mount on the flat. Then, poles lying on the ground are used. Once these can be traversed cleanly with rhythm the height is gradually raised.

Some people are afraid to try jumping but it gives you something different to do. And it is more interesting for your equine partner than always going around the arena. You can set up your own horse jumps at home to practice before starting in competitions.

Get exclusive inside info on the different types of horse jumps now in our super overview of training and practicing magnificent bsja show jumps .