From ancient times, the horse was an ally of man. It was mainly used to move people and goods, occasionally - to get meat and milk. Now the horse has become one of the most common pets along with a dog or cat. And today it is used in sports and amateur skating. In this article, we will tell you about what a show jumping is and how it happens.
Horseback riding is considered a relatively new sport for horses and people. Hunters and cavalrymen have always used the horse’s ability to overcome obstacles to their advantage. True, in nature a horse moves without a rider and therefore it is difficult for it to jump with a person, especially if the animal is not previously prepared for this. The rider himself must certainly sit and do everything so as to make it easier for the horse to jump over obstacles. That is why many athletes answer the question "what is show jumping" that first of all it is the art of controlling their body.
The necessary equipment for jumping
Costly business this equestrian sport! Jumping requires the rider not only to invest time and energy, but also to buy expensive equipment. First of all, you need to get a good and expensive competitive saddle. It should allow a person to sit, leaning forward slightly. In addition, the saddle should fit to the horse’s back. Jumping whip should be comfortable and short. The length of the whip for competitions and training should not exceed 75 centimeters.
Horse protection
What is show jumping? This is primarily dangerous for both the rider and the sports horse. Legs must be worn with leggings or bandages. They help to avoid leg injuries in the event of an accidental impact on the barrier. Leggings are usually made of plastic, foam rubber, leather substitute or even felt. They protect the wrists, wrists, joints of the animal from bumps. Most often, horses are injured on too soft and loose ground. Legs made of leather are fastened to the legs, while the fasteners should be on the outside. Rubber nails stretch on legs.
What should be a horse for jumping
Equestrian competitions are usually very difficult for both the rider and the horse. The competitive horse can be of a very different breed, special standards do not currently exist. However, the structure of horse legs is very important. They must be long and strong. The hind legs are especially important, since the jumping ability of a horse depends on them. If he has a short back, then he is not suitable for jumping, since jumping exercises involve a wide range of movements.
Torso forward
The cherished dream of many athletes is the Olympics (equestrian sports, show jumping) and victory in the competition. But for it to come true, you have to learn a lot and go through a lot. First of all, the horse should be able to easily maintain the necessary balance in the jump. To do this, the rider must keep his weight in one position and not cling to an occasion. When a person reaches full balance, he will be able to correctly steer the horse and start winning equestrian competitions. During the jump, the rider leans forward a little. To make this possible, stirrups are usually shortened by two to three divisions. In this case, the heels should look down, and the shoulders should be relaxed. It is this position that will significantly reduce the severity on the horse’s back, helping him maintain balance.
Jump Technique
Before you learn what a show jumping is, you need to understand that, in fact, a jump is a gallop at an increased pace. Moreover, the technique of jumping depends on the technique of movement of the legs, neck and face. The horse should raise high forelimbs and pick them under the body. But in the event that the horse picks up the hind limbs, it will be considered a mistake. The movements of the muzzle and neck largely depend on how regular the shape is at the back of the animal.
Jumping barrier approach
The horse should run to the barriers at the same pace and pace (usually a gallop). With his feet, a person must send the horse forward, so that he in no case stops and all obstacles for jumping were overcome. Before the barrier, try to move in a straight line so that the animal retains the best balance to overcome the barrier. Wide barriers in sports require the horse to overcome faster.
Off the ground
First, the horse bends his neck with his head in order to correctly determine the distance. Then, in a jump, the muzzle and neck quickly rise, and the forelimbs are bent under the stomach. Then the body rises, the neck shrinks effectively, and the hind limbs push away from the ground with force.
During the separation from the ground, a person sitting on a horse carefully transfers his body weight forward. In this case, contact with the horse's mouth should remain soft and light. Hands should move with the horse’s head. This stage of the jump is considered the most difficult.
Hovering
All the limbs of the animal at the time of hovering above the ground are in isolation from the ground. Before descending to the ground, the animal must return the forelimbs to the required position. It is worth saying that hovering requires extremely high coordination of all departments of the horse’s muscles and the rider does not play any role at this stage. That is why they say that the most difficult sport is jumping. The rules are even more complicated. The reason during the jump must not be pulled. It is important that the rider is looking forward, not down. Otherwise, he will respond to the horse’s movements belatedly.
Landing
When the horse lands, it pulls the forelimbs forward. When the front legs touch the ground, the horse raises its face up to recover. The hind limbs land on the ground almost on the prints from the front hooves. A man sitting on a horse should not lean back too much during a landing. When landing the hind limbs, he must send the horse forward.
What are the competitions
Jumping competitions can be held at absolutely any level. It can be competitions for children of different ages or even international. Of course, the cherished event that all lovers of jumping want to attend is the Olympics. Equestrianism, show jumping is an extremely difficult task. And not everyone succeeds in getting into prestigious competitions. All competitions have a different level of difficulty, so the rider can begin to improve his skills with simple local competitions. And someday he will take part in some international tournament on a beautiful horse. The route itself will always be different. It depends on the level of the competition itself.
What is git
A git is a complete passage of a route from the beginning (i.e., finish) to the end (i.e., finish). After the git is completed, the participants in the competition determine the order in which places will be distributed.
Where are usually jumping competitions
The place where the competition will be held is important. After all, what is show jumping? This is a sport that requires a lot of space. Therefore, the area of the arena should be at least 3200 square meters. In this case, the sides should be at least forty meters. But you can compete in ponies on a field of at least 2,400 square meters. An open training field must be at least 15 by 35 meters in size. It should have one latitudinal obstacle and one high-altitude obstacle.
What is a bell and flags
To signal the competitors a signal, for example, about the start of a performance, a bell is used. He can also stop the horseman performing, disqualify the participant or give a signal that the performance has begun.
Multi-colored flags are set along the edges of the obstacle. At least one pair of red and one pair of white flags are installed on the latitudinal barrier. Barriers must be overcome by the horse so that the white flag is on the left and bright red is on the right. We hope that now it’s clear to you what jumping is.
Route and Jumping
In the event that two or more riders of competitive competitions have passed the route with equal values, then they all must certainly go the route again. As a rule, for re-passage, the route is shortened and the rider with the highest number of points is considered the winner.
The distance with barriers that a rider and his horse must go from start to finish is called a route. Barriers should be numbered. There are competitions in which the rider has the right to choose the order of passing barriers.
What are the barriers to jumping?
Obstacles to jumping can be very different:
- single barriers (for example, oxer) are high and latitudinal;
- Barrier systems are triple and double (that is, the horse must overcome the triple system in three jumps);
- high-altitude barrier (this is a single obstacle);
- a wall built of light blocks (this is a high-rise obstacle);
- a latitudinal obstacle implies that the horse must not only jump high, but also overcome considerable latitude;
- joker (there is no standard about this obstacle);
- a tee is such a barrier in which the bars are located like stairs;
- ditch filled with water.
Here is a small part of what you need to know about jumping. We can add that competitions in show jumping are very different. Most often hold classic competitions. There are jumping competitions designed to determine the horse’s jump power or endurance. In some types of competitions, the complexity of the route grows in increasing order, while in others the rider participates until he makes the first mistake. There are relay competitions, competitions with free routes and competitions in which the rider who gets the most points wins. A sea of emotions and vivid impressions will give equestrian sports to the audience. A show jumping can make a rider more strong-willed and a horse stronger.
Colorful horse shows deserve special attention. Participants here are evaluated not by the cleanliness and height of the jump, but by their spectacle and color, as well as the style of clothing and equipment. Of great importance is the landing and posture of a person, and only then the jumps themselves. Jumping competitions have always been distinguished not only by their spectacularity, but also by high injuries.