Questions
What is showjumping?
Showjumping is a discipline where horse and rider jump a course of fences as cleanly and quickly as possible.
In showjumping, a horse and rider tackle a course of coloured fences, often poles balanced on cups that fall if knocked, against the clock. Faults are added for a knockdown, a refusal, or going over the time allowed, and the rider who jumps clear in the fastest time wins.
It's one of the more spectator-friendly equestrian disciplines because the outcome is easy to follow: clear rounds, faults, and a jump-off if riders are tied. It sits alongside dressage as one of the two disciplines most people recognise, though the skills involved — a horse that's bold, careful with its legs, and responsive to a stride adjustment — are quite different. See our gifts for horse riders for the rider chasing clear rounds.
Written by Craig Fearn, Stable & Hoof.
From the journal