Show Jumping - scary fillers - why?

MrsMozart

MrsMozart

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Okay, so if showjumping is all about height and speed, why are the jumps getting scarier in terms of the fillers?

I've got together a collection of old pots of paint in order to make as many scary things as possible, but the question is, why should I have to?

It seems more like it's a test of which horse will go near scary things, rather than which horse can get round a course of jumps at x height.

Maybe they should start a Scare level as well as the height.

Ho hum. Anyone got a sheep stencil?
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i think its just to scare me!! and by scaring me its scares my horse... or maybe its just my horse being a pr@t... hmm...!
but definitley gettting scarier! my poor horse had to jump some hounds the other day! i mean hounds on a filler... i mean really, any decent hunter would stay well away from huonds... which is just what he did- good hunter.. bad showjumper!!
 
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To be honest I can't say I've noticed the fillers getting scarier!

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I'm going back a while lol, it's over the last decade or two, rather than a recent explosion of scariness
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i have notice.. and im 15! ohh i really do think ive had a previous life! i was thinking about "min" badminton the other day! but everything used to be wooden and dull colours, now its all swilry things, snakes, pigs, hounds... hmm what next?!?
 
I've noticed the same. My (Irish) pony refused to go near a union jack filler the other day!

There's someone on my yard whose horse had a problem with Bart Simpson fillers. They asked the cinema for their old cardboard cut out displays which they placed strategically around the yard!
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I think much of it is down to the popularity of plastic jumps, which give great scope for all sorts of weird and wonderful fillers, rather than the plain wooden ones we used to have which might just have a couple of stripes painted on them!
 
I certainly wish we could go back 10 years or so when fillers were a few zig zags or stripes. I am also feeling the need to go to B&Q to make some scary looking fillers painting pigs or suchlike on them. My poor pony didn't know what hit him when we went to clear round SJ and saw these massive peacock fillers, sun faces and bright pink cartoon piggies
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I'm sure its just more training needed on my part but I do wish it was more about technique and height rather than how scary the course can be.
 
I think showjumping is more a test of obedience and athletisism rather than just height and getting round in a certain time.

Wall papering tables from B&Q etc make great fillers to paint up in funky colours, specially stripes and chequers etc because its testing the horses vision.

So if you paint a tiger for example, bright, orange and black and to a horse a predator, then that may a be a challanging and spooky filler....if your any good with a paint brush that is
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You never know your painting attempts may actually be more scary lol
 
Ah, now if it were K, why wasn't it 'before'? It used to be about height and distances, now it's got a level of scariness.

It's like three day eventing, that's: dressage - obedience; cross country - boldness across country and country type jumps; and show jumping - speed and agility.

Given the colours and variety of pots, I'm thinking pink sheep and yello pigs will be the order of the day
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I know it's call gone a bit Pete Tong

Dressage - scary flower pots and you lucky to get past A lol
XC - now have colourful fences
SJ - rustic stiles and various farm yard equitment pheasant feeders and all that lark.

Basically you need an eventer do any of the three!
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Am thinking of painting everything in sight in a rainbow of colours and farmyard animals
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They'll be crying out to get to the sanity of the competition arena
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Ah well.
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sounds like a plan.

Don't forget to post some pics, I'm looking forward to seeing these pink sheep!
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I've been thinking that there are less fillers now than there were in my pony days 10ish years ago although i think there's also a difference between unaffiliated and bsja. bsja don't seem to have proper fillers any more only pretty airy gatey things
 
I would agree about scariness. I blame the Jump4Joy people - it's their fillers that are the scariest!! Seriously, I don't mind brightly coloured etc, but don't see why any horse should jump snakes/wasps etc. There's a good reason why they should stay away from those in real life, I'd rather I didn't have to train them out of that just to go clear.
 
Yep... so it's not just me that has noticed a new obsession with farmyard animals!!

Having said that I do think one element that is being tested is the trust the horse has in the rider, and this, quite rightly, is an essential part of showjumping.
 
its to make it look more attractive to the spectators and sponsors i reckon. i also think that at the higer levels it doesn't matter- if you go to a range of big shows you will notice the same set of jumps doing the rounds- NO fair!
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still it gives us something to do- making fillers in wierd and wonderful shapes and colours
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