365
Days in Horse Country – Show Jumping
An exciting spectator sport that is popular worldwide is show jumping, in which powerful equine athletes team up with talented riders to negotiate challenging obstacles in the show ring.
Most people are familiar with show jumping on the Olympic level, when horses and riders compete as teams and individuals for medals. Throughout the world, show jumpers compete for cash prizes at large events. But besides being high-level sports, show jumping also takes place on a more minor level. At local horse shows around the world, show jumpers participate in events with lower jumps that are still exciting nonetheless.
The rules of show jumping are fairly simple. Horses are expected to negotiate a course of jumps in a prescribed amount of time, garnering as few faults as possible. Faults are accumulated when horses knock down all or part of a jump, or if the horse refuses to take a jump. The horse and rider team with the best time and the least amount of faults wins the competition.
At the highest, warmbloods are most often seen in show jumping competitions. When the sport is held as part of a three-day event competition, Thoroughbreds predominate. In smaller shows, just about any breed can be seen participating, from Appaloosas to Saddlebreds.
Michael