Show Jumping Horse - Sitemap

Foreword - Perfection, as Talbot-Ponsonby so rightly says, should always be the goal for which every rider strives relentlessly. Perfection will seldom, if ever, be reached, but the rider who studies the technique in every detail will be the nearer to achieving success.

In every competition there will always be found the four or five riders who battle for the first place, and it is the one who can maintain his concentration and offer every assistance to the horse who will be the winner.

Over Show Fences - Perfection, the complete outcome of mental and physical endeavor, is a goal that must always be just around the corner. Yet the qualities necessary to strive relentlessly for it often bring out the best in us. The attainment of success, carrying with it peace of mind and justified inward satisfaction, can never be easy whatever the objective may be, and, however sensational the success may seem, one knows instinctively that a little something here, or a little something there, would have improved the standard of that success.

1. The Approach - The approach can be taken as the total length of track taken by the horse during a round, with the exception of the distance covered from the time the forelegs leave the ground till the hind legs land the far side of the fence. Patently, then, it is the most important phase, and determines entirely the very necessary requisite of clearing the fence. The rider's objective, dependent upon training on the flat, is precision at the speed applicable to the event, which is coincidental with the approach phase.

2. The Take-off - Bromley Davenport's words in his Dream of the old Meltonian are very apt at this stage. The quotation, "With your muscular quarters beneath you collected," describes a state of affairs eminently desirable at the take-off. The rider has made arrangements for the horse to commence his jump from the spot best suited for the fence in question, and must now ensure that he does not interfere with the drive from the hind legs into the air, but, in fact, assist by preserving balance. Loss of rhythm and co-ordination now may well adversely affect the parabola it is hoped the horse will describe.

3. Over the Fence - Photography can be a fascinating business, and although the majority of people profess to dislike being taken, it is remarkable how interested they become when their own picture is in evidence. Over the fence is the moment usually chosen for Show Jumping photographs, mainly no doubt because it is the most spectacular, but also because it is the moment when the horse and rider are apt to look their best. When analyzing such photographs, the horse's attitude in general, and the use he is making of his limbs in particular, will frequently show whether the rider is assisting or hindering him, and in what way.

4. The Landing - Assistance over the fence is nearly finished, and control has started. By  giving a little more rein, preferably with the fingers, the horse can be encouraged to make very full use of his head and neck, thereby helping the hind legs to keep well folded to clear the fence. At the same time care must be taken that the weight is forward to allow freedom of the loins until the hind legs are, in fact, out of danger. Control has started, to the extent that a change of direction can be commenced, by slightly bending the head the required way before the forefeet touch the ground. As landing materializes, so the degree of necessary control increases.

5. Getaway - There is often a certain feeling of relief when a fence, particularly a difficult one, has been left safely behind. Such a feeling endangers concentration, and for a few very important strides the rider may forget his preconceived plan and a very momentous phase in the round may be indifferently ridden. In practice, the getaway after landing merges directly into the approach to the next fence, which follows the route chosen when the course was inspected on foot.

6. Approach + Take-off - More can be learned in ten minutes of practical demonstration than in hours of theoretical eloquence. When young, one almost certainly has an idol who is copied and dreamt of, one who can do no wrong, and who exemplifies perfection at the sport most favored at the time. Being primarily receptive, children will copy to the last detail, and without difficulty, their hero's actions and mannerisms, and, not having the experience or knowledge to differentiate between the really good and the not so good, they can unwittingly develop bad habits which in later years are extremely hard to eradicate.

7. Over the Fence - A very nice picture of confident efficiency. The pony is jumping well within himself, and is enjoying the whole performance. The rider, whose seat is perhaps a shade too much in the saddle for this stage of the jump, is in an excellent state of balance, and, owing to her position, will have complete control on landing. It is very refreshing to see fingers being used in the proper way.

8. Landing + Getaway - Nearing the end of the landing phase, and all goes well. The pair are alert, and should get away on a good stride. The rider is looking forward and summing up the arrangements to be made for the next approach. He is sitting nicely but is putting a little weight on the pony's neck through the right hand. This is a habit that should be quickly eradicated, as constructive action with the right rein cannot be attempted until the hand has returned to its proper position.

Conclusion - The little somethings here and the little somethings there are, after the event, plainly discernible. I£ they can be embodied in the normal everyday technique, the will to win emerges as a driving force, always present, and reaching its peak when the corner is tightest or the occasion the most momentous. Such little things are not entirely acquired by application to books and learning. Individuality, in all spheres of life, fosters progress and great deeds. In Show Jumping it can tip the scale to triumph. It may take the form of some mannerism or idiosyncrasy not in itself complying exactly with the technical detail demanded by theory.

THE END