All You Need to Know About Horse Jumping

The horses are judged by how many obstacles they jump over, and how quickly they complete the course. They are penalized if they knock an obstacle down, or if they refuse to jump. Horse jumping began as a sporting event in England in 1907 and is enjoyed all over the world today.

The competition includes vertical jumps, spreads or oxers, which are two jumps placed close together, and double and triple combination jumps, where the horse has to take several strides between jumps. Riders ride with both hands on the reins, using an English saddle which is flat and has shorter stirrups to give more freedom of movement. The rider should wear an equestrian helmet and be well-dressed and neat in appearance, but is not scored for turnout. Tack includes a bridle with a cavesson noseband; a martingale helps to help keep the horse from throwing his head up too high and is usually seen at higher skill level events.

The Course

The jumps consist of obstacles made from wood with vertical poles and horizontal railings. They can be quite decorative and painted with bold, bright colors. Some jumps feature a wall that seems to be made of brick, but which is not; it is instead constructed of a lightweight material that will fall apart if a horse hits it. A hogsback is another kind of fence; it has three poles with the tallest in the center. Water in a wide ditch is a common obstacle. When it is combined with a fence it is called a Liverpool. The Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) is the governing body for competition; it sets skill levels on a range from 1 to 9, with 9 being the greatest. A level 9 competition features obstacles up to 5 feet in height, triple bars as high as 6 feet, water ditches as wide as 13 feet, and jumps that have a spread of 5 feet 6 inches.

Training

Horse jumping trainers obviously look for a horse that is brave, but they also look for a horse that has a good sense of balance, and is able to judge distance accurately. Given the choice of jumping over or walking around a fence, a horse will just walk around it. The first thing is to train the horse where to place his feet. This is done by laying poles on the ground and leading the horse with a longe rope. This also teaches the horse to lift his knees up. Then the poles are raised off the ground, first just a few inches, then gradually higher and higher.

Once the horse has gained confidence and has found his stride, he is ready to be ridden. He needs to learn speed and how to corner quickly. Then he is ready for water obstacles and combination jumps. Any horse can be trained to be a jumper; traditionally Belgian Warmbloods have been a favorite choice.