Post by *HorsePower* on Sept 28, 2006 12:55:11 GMT 2
Jumper courses are held over a course of show jumping obstacles, including verticals, spreads, double and triple combinations, and many turns and changes of direction. The purpose is to jump cleanly over a set course within an allotted time; time faults are assessed for exceeding the time allowance. Depending on the type of competition, jumping faults are incurred for knockdowns only, or horses may be also penalized for "ticks" (where the horse touches the fence during a jump but does not knock it down) and blatant disobediences, such as refusals (when the horse stops before a fence or "runs out"). For every obstacle that is knocked down, four "faults" are earned. Horses are allowed a limited number of refusals to take an obstacle before being disqualified, but fault points are added to their score for each one. Until recently, three faults were incurred for each refusal, but was changed to four faults by the FEI (Federation Equestrian International), as it was decided that a refusal is a more serious mistake than a downed fence on the part of the horse. If they take more than the time allowed for the course, they earn one quarter of a fault per extra second. Tied entries jump over a raised and shortened course known as a jump-off; if entries are tied in the jump-off, the fastest time wins. Riders walk both the course and the jump-off course before competition to plan their ride.
The more professional the competition, such as "Class A" shows in the United States, or the international "Grand Prix" circuit, the more technical the course. Not only is the height of an obstacle raised to present a greater challenge, technical difficulty also increases with tight turns and shorter or unusual distance between fences. For example, a course designer might set up a line so that there are six and a half strides (the standard measure for a canter stride is 12 feet) between the jumps, making it more difficult for the rider.
Jumper courses, especially at the highest levels, are highly technical, requiring boldness, scope, power, accuracy, and control; speed is also a factor, especially in jump-off courses and speed classes (in which time counts in the first round). A jumper must jump big, bravely, and fast, but he must also be careful and accurate to avoid knockdowns, and must be balanced and rideable in order to rate and turn accurately. A jumper rider must ride the best line to each fence, saving ground with well-planned turns and lines, and must adjust the horse's stride for each fence and distance, while avoiding knockdowns. In a jump-off, a rider must must balance the need to go as fast as possible and turn as tight as possible against the horse's ability to jump cleanly.
The final rankings are based on the lowest number of points or "faults" accumulated. In case of a draw, the horse with the fastest time ranks higher.
Types of Competition
Grand Prix
Speed Derby
Puissance: the high-jump competition, where the final wall may reach over 7' tall
Six-Bar: riders jump six fences in a line, and are knocked out of competition if they hit a rail. After each competitor goes, the six fences are raised in height.
History of show jumping
Show jumping is a relatively new equestrian sport. Until the Enclosures Acts which came into force in England in the eighteenth century there had been no need for a horse to jump fences as there had been none. But with this act of parliament came new challenges for those followers of fox hounds. The enclosures act brought fencing and boundaries to many parts of the country as common ground was dispersed amongst the wealthy landowners. This meant that those wishing to pursue their sport now needed horses which were capable of jumping these obstacles.
In the early shows held in France there was a parade of competitors who then took off across country for the jumping. This sport was, however, not popular with spectators as they could not watch the jumping. Soon after the introduction of these parades fences began to appear in the arena. This became known as ‘Lepping’. Fifteen years later, ‘Lepping’ competitions were brought to Britain and by 1900 most of the more important shows had ‘Lepping’ classes although they rarely attracted more than 20 competitors. The ladies, riding side-saddle, had their own classes.
At this time, the principal cavalry schools of Europe at Pinerolo and Tor-di-Quinto in Italy, the French school in Saumur and the Spanish school in Vienna preferred to use a backward seat when jumping for safety purposes with long length stirrups. The Italian Instructor Captain Fiederico Caprilli heavily influenced the forward seat with his ideas that the forward position would not impede the balance of the horse negotiating obstacles. It is this latter style which is commonly used today.
The first big showjumping class to be held in England was in the Horse of the Year Show at Olympia in 1907. Most of the competitors were servicemen and it became clear at this competition and in the subsequent years that there was no uniformity of rules for the sport. Judges marked on their own opinions. Some marked according to the severity of the obstacle and others marked according to style. Before 1907 there were no penalties for a refusal and the competitor was sometimes asked to miss the fence to please the spectators. The first courses were built with little imagination; many consisting of only a straight bar fence and a water jump. A meeting was arranged in 1923 to rectify it and this led to the formation of the BSJA in 1925.
Showjumping was first incorporated into the Olympic Games in 1912 and has thrived ever since, its popularity due in part to its suitability as a spectator sport which can be viewed on television.
Original scoring tariff
The original list of faults introduced in 1925 was as follows:
Refusing or Running out at any fence:
1st: 8 faults
2nd: 8 faults
3rd: elimination
Fall of horse, rider or both: elimination
If a horse touches a fence without knocking it down, there are no faults, as they are only incurred if a pole or any other part of the jump is knocked down. For every jump that is knocked down four faults are incurred. For a water jump, if a horse lands with any number of feet in the water, four faults are incurred.
Water jumps were at least 15 feet (5 metres) wide, although the water had often drained out of them before the last competitor jumped them. High jumping would start with a pole at around 5 feet but this was later abandoned, as many horses went under the pole. It was for this reason that more poles were added and fillers came into use. In the early days time penalties did not count and competitors were not penalized until 1917.
The more professional the competition, such as "Class A" shows in the United States, or the international "Grand Prix" circuit, the more technical the course. Not only is the height of an obstacle raised to present a greater challenge, technical difficulty also increases with tight turns and shorter or unusual distance between fences. For example, a course designer might set up a line so that there are six and a half strides (the standard measure for a canter stride is 12 feet) between the jumps, making it more difficult for the rider.
Jumper courses, especially at the highest levels, are highly technical, requiring boldness, scope, power, accuracy, and control; speed is also a factor, especially in jump-off courses and speed classes (in which time counts in the first round). A jumper must jump big, bravely, and fast, but he must also be careful and accurate to avoid knockdowns, and must be balanced and rideable in order to rate and turn accurately. A jumper rider must ride the best line to each fence, saving ground with well-planned turns and lines, and must adjust the horse's stride for each fence and distance, while avoiding knockdowns. In a jump-off, a rider must must balance the need to go as fast as possible and turn as tight as possible against the horse's ability to jump cleanly.
The final rankings are based on the lowest number of points or "faults" accumulated. In case of a draw, the horse with the fastest time ranks higher.
Types of Competition
Grand Prix
Speed Derby
Puissance: the high-jump competition, where the final wall may reach over 7' tall
Six-Bar: riders jump six fences in a line, and are knocked out of competition if they hit a rail. After each competitor goes, the six fences are raised in height.
History of show jumping
Show jumping is a relatively new equestrian sport. Until the Enclosures Acts which came into force in England in the eighteenth century there had been no need for a horse to jump fences as there had been none. But with this act of parliament came new challenges for those followers of fox hounds. The enclosures act brought fencing and boundaries to many parts of the country as common ground was dispersed amongst the wealthy landowners. This meant that those wishing to pursue their sport now needed horses which were capable of jumping these obstacles.
In the early shows held in France there was a parade of competitors who then took off across country for the jumping. This sport was, however, not popular with spectators as they could not watch the jumping. Soon after the introduction of these parades fences began to appear in the arena. This became known as ‘Lepping’. Fifteen years later, ‘Lepping’ competitions were brought to Britain and by 1900 most of the more important shows had ‘Lepping’ classes although they rarely attracted more than 20 competitors. The ladies, riding side-saddle, had their own classes.
At this time, the principal cavalry schools of Europe at Pinerolo and Tor-di-Quinto in Italy, the French school in Saumur and the Spanish school in Vienna preferred to use a backward seat when jumping for safety purposes with long length stirrups. The Italian Instructor Captain Fiederico Caprilli heavily influenced the forward seat with his ideas that the forward position would not impede the balance of the horse negotiating obstacles. It is this latter style which is commonly used today.
The first big showjumping class to be held in England was in the Horse of the Year Show at Olympia in 1907. Most of the competitors were servicemen and it became clear at this competition and in the subsequent years that there was no uniformity of rules for the sport. Judges marked on their own opinions. Some marked according to the severity of the obstacle and others marked according to style. Before 1907 there were no penalties for a refusal and the competitor was sometimes asked to miss the fence to please the spectators. The first courses were built with little imagination; many consisting of only a straight bar fence and a water jump. A meeting was arranged in 1923 to rectify it and this led to the formation of the BSJA in 1925.
Showjumping was first incorporated into the Olympic Games in 1912 and has thrived ever since, its popularity due in part to its suitability as a spectator sport which can be viewed on television.
Original scoring tariff
The original list of faults introduced in 1925 was as follows:
Refusing or Running out at any fence:
1st: 8 faults
2nd: 8 faults
3rd: elimination
Fall of horse, rider or both: elimination
If a horse touches a fence without knocking it down, there are no faults, as they are only incurred if a pole or any other part of the jump is knocked down. For every jump that is knocked down four faults are incurred. For a water jump, if a horse lands with any number of feet in the water, four faults are incurred.
Water jumps were at least 15 feet (5 metres) wide, although the water had often drained out of them before the last competitor jumped them. High jumping would start with a pole at around 5 feet but this was later abandoned, as many horses went under the pole. It was for this reason that more poles were added and fillers came into use. In the early days time penalties did not count and competitors were not penalized until 1917.