Show Jumping –
The Most Spectacular Equestrian Sport
Show jumping (Concours Hippique – equestrian competitions; French) –
is the most spectacular equestrian sport. Long and tenacious training of sportsman and
horse is vital for successful participation in this kind of sport. A horseman should be
courageous and resolute, should posses keen providence, high riding skills, good
calisthenics. A horse should be strong and should posses vigorous running jump and
repulsion, high coordination of movements, ability to counterpoise when jumping over
obstacles and touching down.
History of Show Jumping
France is considered to be the motherland of show jumping. In the 50s
of the 19th century first competitions on jumps over various obstacles called
“concours-hippique” were held at Paris horse exhibition.
Since the second half of the 19-th century concours-hippiques were held
in Belgium and Italy, since 1895 – in Russia, later on – in Germany and America. Then
show jumpings, as they were called, acclimatized on the British Isles. Topicality of
jumping competitions for cavalryman and growing interest of equestrian sport fans
contributed to the fact that show jumping became an international sport.
The scales of contest holding enlarged, the jumping technique and the
tactics of show jumping improved. This sport became more and more popular. As a result, in
1900 jumping competitions were included in the programme of the Olympic Games held in
Paris.
Types of Show Jumping
Usually the main task of a show jumper is to overcome all the obstacles
on the field in a fixed order within a fixed time. Penalty points are imposed for every
violation of rules and the winner is determined by the least number of penalty points.
There exist several types of show jumping. The most widespread are
competitions when horseman should overcome all the obstacles set on the show jumping field
in a fixed order within a fixed time. The results of such competitions are evaluated by
the number of penalty points. By the degree of complexity competitions are divided into
easy, medium, complex and top classes whiсh differ in the size and number of obstacles.
Top-class contests twice on one horse in the first and second circles are included in the
programme of Olympic Games, World and European championships, major national competitions.
In other types of show jumping participants should, for example, choose
the route themselves and overpass it in the shortest possible time (“hunting
parcours”) or, conversely, jump over the maximum number of obstacles fixed on the field
in a fixed time (“show jumping at choice”). They compete till the first error,
depending upon the power of jump, at six gradually risen obstacles, with overcoming of
obstacles by the accelerated complexity as well as relay-races, single jumps over vertical
obstacles, and broad jumps. Such variety of conditions makes competitions available for
horsemen of different qualification and interesting for spectators.
Obstacles are fixed on the field in such a manner that the horseman can
keep steady gallop speed at a distance. The obstacles are made from hinged poles, cover
plates at “the wall” and other elements which fall down when the barrier is grazed by
the horse – this displays the horseman’s error and preserves the horse from occasional
injuries.
Rules
 Overcoming of obstacles (show jumping) is a competition on overcoming various
obstacles fixed within a paled show jumping field falling down when grazed by a horse.
The order of overcoming of obstacles by the horseman depends on the
route scheme predetermined by the judge. The sportsman should overcome the obstacles in
order of their numbers and confine himself to a fixed time.
The show jumper gets 4 penalty points for every obstacle damage, 3
points for the first disobedience of the horse (resistance, refusal to jump, deviation
from the route), 6 points for the second disobedience and 8 penalty points for falling
down the horse or together with the horse. Exceeding of check time is fined with one point
for every second. Participants are disqualified for the third disobedience of the horse,
unimproved error on the route, overcoming of the obstacle out of the fixed order of
direction, non-passing the finish line and other gross errors.
As a rule, a pair consisting of a horseman and a horse that finishes
the route and receives the least number of penalty points becomes the winner of show
jumping. In case several horsemen get equal results the second changed-route jumping-off
is arranged. While passing the second jumping-off the horseman should not only get the
least number of penalty pints but also spend minimal time on overcoming of all the
obstacles.
The beginning and the end of the sportsman’s performance as well as
its interruption on account of any reasons are announced by one or several bell strokes.
The obstacles fixed on the field are numbered in order of their
overcoming during passing the main route. The horseman overcomes an obstacle from its
numbered side so that the red flag on the obstacle is on his right and the white one –
on his left.
“Two-phase” overcoming of obstacles. The route of this competition
is divided into two phases and the horseman should overcome them without a break – the
finish line of the first phase is the start line of the second one. If a sportsman gets
penalty points for violations or exceeds of the time norm he ceases passing the route
after the end of the first phase. If a sportsman is not fined in the first phase he enters
the second phase and continues the rote up to the end. The winner is the sportsman who
overcame the first phase “neatly” (without penalty points) and got the minimal number
of penalty points in the second phase.
By Tatiana Strizhevskaya
Photographs by Darya Nikulina
|