A long time ago, in England, laws were put into place making people put up fences around their property. This made it more difficult for people to go out hunting. Their horses now had to be able to jump over these fences in order to stay on the track of their riders prey. Courses for competitions were laid out in the open, at one time, but it wasn't possible for people to see the whole show, so they began taking the Show Jumps into arenas.
The best horses, for this new form of sporting event, were the fearless and free spirited. The swift yet strong, with bold attitudes, out performing the calm and quite tempered animals. Style and manner are judged with the hunter class of horses, but strength, and accuracy is what is looked for in a show jumper jumper is generally considered far more important for show jumping.
Strength and a willingness to perform difficult tasks are qualities Show Jumpers must possess. Their attitudes must be focused on making all the jumps, no matter how well groomed they may or may not be.
The types of jumps in these courses range from vertical jumps that are made of poles placed directly above each other, to ditches filled with water that the horses must successfully jump over. Sometimes two vertical jumps are placed close together to widen the jump. This is called an Oxer. The Square Oxer is when the top poles are equal in height. In the Ascending Oxer, the pole furthest away is higher than the first. The Descending Oxer the pole furthest is lowest. The Swedish Oxer consists of poles that form the shape of an "X" when looking at it straight on.
The Triple Bar is a fence consisting of three different heights that escalate from lowest to high. You will also see "Walls" that are made out of lightweight materials that look like bricks, but are easily knocked over. The Hogsback is a formation where the center pole is the highest in a spread of three rails. Filler is a solid formation under the poles. Often, filler is flower boxes or even a gate.
Combinations are two or more jumps in a row that don't give much space for many strides between them. There are double combinations and triple combinations. If the horse jumps the first in the series but refuses to jump one or more of the others, it must start over and do the whole thing again, not just the one it missed. There is also open water in the course which the horse will be asked to jump over. The Liverpool is a body of water placed underneath vertical jumps. The Joker is probably the most difficult of all the jumps. It consists of an unpainted rail and two wings. There is no filler. This makes it difficult for the horse to see how close they are to it and how high it is. This jump is illegal in some competitions.
There are many types of famous competitions you will find these Show Jumps in. From the Speed Derby to the Grand Prix, these courses are set up and many well trained horses and riders wait their turn to try to win the much coveted titles and trophies. There may be little, or no need, for horses to jump over fences in order for their riders to chase and capture animals these days, but these competitions are still enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds.
Get inside information on the history of show jumping and the exact roles show jumps play now in our comprehensive horse jumps review.
