Disciplines » Showjumping
Jumping is undoubtedly the best known of the equestrian disciplines recognised by the FEI where men and women compete as equals in both individual and team events. No less than 737 International Jumping events were organised in 2005. It is one of the three disciplines in competition at the Olympic Games, the other two being Dressage and Eventing.
In modern Jumping competitions, horse and rider are required to complete a course laid out by an accredited course designer comprising between 10 to 13 removable timber obstacles erected typically in the form of barriers, fences, gates and balustrades and located in an enclosed arena. The objective of this course is to test the couple’s skill, accuracy and training. The aim is always to jump the course in the designed sequence – all obstacles are numbered – with no mistakes – a clear round. If any part of an obstacle is knocked down or if the horse refuses a jump, “faults” are accumulated. Style is not considered and does not affect the scoring.
The winner of the competition is the horse and rider combination which incurs the least number of penalties, completes the course in the fastest time or gains the highest number of points depending on the type of the competition.
Source: www.horsesport.org