I have watched some of the horse jumping. I know nothing about the sport but the horses are so beautiful it incredible to watch.
I am wondering does the rider give the horse a signal to jump or does the horse instinctively jump?
I also don't know much about the sport, but I do love watching the competitions. I have a question of my own:
How are the water jumps constructed? At first I though it was just blue plastic under the jump but then one horse did jump in and water splashed up. Is it like a slip and slide?
It is usually a small ditch, lined with plastic or some other waterproof fabric then filled with water. Not all horses like water. It's reflections can cause them to become leery of the jump. The water ditch under the jump can have a "tape" so that the boundary between the water and the ground are clearly delineated. Say for instance the horse doesn't splash the water and lands on the tape it is considered a fault. Faults for hitting the tape or knocking down obstacles are 4 faults. The poles above the water jump are wooden rails that sit in a half cup so that if they are knocked, they will fall down. The same is not always true on the 3 day eventing course. The cups are put into "standards" which are seen as the sides of the jump. The jumps vary in colors, designs, widths. A jump can be a vertical (straight up rails will no added width) . It can be an Oxer which has usually a minimum of three rails spaced out to the jump is much wider. I could go on and on but these courses and their designers work very hard to choose the jumps that challenge the horse and riders and to provide a visually pleasing setting for the audience. They are very detailed in their distances between them to account for the number of strides that a horse has to move between them. An "in and out" for instance has two jumps closely spaced together so that the horse is only able to take one stride between the fences. I won't bore you with more blether but if you have other questions I'll be happy to try and answer them for you. Yes, I am a former rider who was quite accomplished in my day.
shareThank you for explaining, mindthinkr! I knew a lot of thought must go into those courses but I didn't realize it was that much thought. I appreciate your answer:)
shareYes. The horse depends on many things from the rider when going over a jump. The rider will use his legs and a pressure from the heels into the horses sides to encourage them forward and let them know when to take off. Oddly, when the horse is approaching the jump from far back, it can see it. Then as the horse gets closer it no longer able to visualize the fence and therefore depends on the signals from the rider to let them know when it is time to take off. It's also important for the rider to keep contact with the horses mouth via the bit and reins. If a rider "drops" the contact then a horse gets near to the fence most animals will "refuse" which is another name for stopping just short of the obstacle. If takes many hours of practice between the horse and rider to develop their communication. All horses are generally trained with the same signals. It's up to the equestrian to fine tune them with their jumping partner. When watching this sport you are watching years of dedication. Having a horse is a LOT of work. To me they were beauty in motion.
shareThanks mindthinkr - wish I had known all this before I watched - it was very informative.
I also think they are beauty in motion. Along with deer who move like ballet dancers - unless they are being chased by someone with a gun.