Show-jumping

    The three modern Olympic equestrian sports are show-jumping, dressage and eventing.  The origins of show-jumping lie in hunting.  At the Dublin Show in 1868, a "high leap" and a "wide leap" were first used to test horses for the hunting field.  In 1881 a permanent jumping course was built there and show-jumping began to develop as a sport in its own right.  In France in 1900, jumping competitions were held with the Olympic Games.
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    Jumping contests are scored on performance only.  A horse of any description can win if he takes more jumps more soundly than the competition.  His rider's style--or lack of it--does not count, although the rider's skill is crucial to winning.  Events are decided as surviving horses jump repeated rounds over higher and higher barriers.
    Some shows have classes for maiden, novice, and limit jumpers, but ordinarily horses are grouped as either green or open jumpers.  Green jumpers are those that have not been shown in the Jumper Division at a recognized show earlier than January 1st of the current year.  They are tested over jumps of about 3 feet 9 inches.  Open jumpers are those shown--usually by professional riders--in the open-to-all class.  These are seasoned horses for whom six-foot jumps are everyday work.
    A typical course tests the horse's pacing with barriers placed at irregular intervals; it tests his calm with obstacles that are visually alarming, such as brightly painted barrels; it tests his power and co-ordination with vertical or broad jumps of increasing difficulty.
    The winner in a jumping class is the horse that has committed the fewest faults.  Under AHSA rules there is a specified penalty for every fault, such as touching an obstacle, knocking it down, refusing a jump, etc.
    Some shows judge jumping competition according to the international rules set down by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (the FEI, of which the AHSA is a member).  The two sets of rules diverge on many points.  Under AHSA rules, the time of a round is not usually a factor in wining, nor is there any minimum weight to be carried by competing jumpers.  Elimination follows a fall by either horse or rider or both.  In shows governed by international rules, such as the Olympics and the Pan American games, rounds are clocked, and jumpers must carry a specified minimum weight; a fall costs the contestant eight faults, but not elimination, and touches of the obstacles do not count.
    Two traditional jumping events in
American shows are the Touch-and-Out, in which the contestant is required to leave the ring as soon as he touches an obstacle, and the Knock-Down-and-Out, in which he is put out for knocking down an obstacle.  In each event the rider with the highest tally of clean jumps wins.  The High Jump is a thrilling single-jump event in which the barrier is gradually raised.  Horses that fail to clear it in three tries are eliminated.  The winner is the horse that clears the highest mark.
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Television helps to maintain the enormous popularity show-jumping enjoys today in Great Britain and much of Europe.  Thousands of otherwise "unhorseminded" people now know and follow the jumping "stars," and interest themselves in the different styles and successes.  Trivia:  Show jumping was first televised in Great Britain in 1948 during the Olympic Games at Wembley, London.
    Show-jumping standards are now so high that, even in small shows, the grass-fed pony stands small chance of success.  Practically all are stables, corn-fed and expertly schooled.
    Jumpers in the pony class must be 14.2 hands or under, with a half-inch allowance for shoes.  Ponies may compete against horses and be ridden by adults in jumping competitions.  However, most teenagers graduate to horses when they reach the age limit.  An exception was Marion Coakes, 1967 Ladies World Champion, who still rode the fantastic
Thoroughbred pony, Stroller, with which she was so successful as a child.
    A good show-jumper is courageous, with a natural aptitude and liking for jumping.  Suppleness and obedience are vital, and instilled by schooling.  It is believed that excessive jumping, particularly over familiar fences, quickly discourages the horse.  Many champion jumpers are scarcely jumped between competitions; however, horses are individualists and require different treatment.
    Some horses prefer jumping comparatively slowly, other like speed and enjoy going "against the clock"; some can attain astonishing heights, although this is seldom favored by horsemen because it overexcites the horses.
    Some show-jumpers give of their best at indoor arenas; others appear constricted unless jumping outside.  Many small animals win speed contests, because they are handy at cutting corners and changing course quickly.
    No show-jumper, however willing and experienced, can excel unless it has confidence in its rider.  Riders must learn the best approach and take-off for particular fences, the distance between them, and how to judge and lengthen or shorten their horse's stride.  A rider must be 'in tune' with his horse, and fully understand his capabilities and failings.

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