Showjumping guide for dummies!

[belle98]

Hi everyone, so ive finally plucked up the courage to do some showjumping!

Ive hiredout arenas for SJ schooling and me and my pony have found a love for XC, but I haven't competed in SJ for years.

Im only planning on doing 70-80 unaffiliated and it sounds daft but im more worried about the logistics of what to do when I get there, class timings, warm up etc.
I was wondering if you could provide me with a (dummy) guide for showjumping, what to do when I get there, where to go to enter, how do I know when my class is starting, when do I walk the course, warming up, when do I go into the class etc!

Thank you in advance xx

 

[Orangehorse]

Good luck, but why don't you ask the Secretary. It is so long ago that I did any showjumping things have changed.

When you get there go to the Secretary and sign in/get number. Is there still a list of numbers you put down for your jumping order or are you given times now?

You walk the course before your class starts, and generally the course is altered between classes. There should be a map of the course put up for you to read. You will need someone to hold your horse. There will be a collecting ring for warming up, with a couple of jumps but obey the flags.

The collecting ring steward should give you some warning of when you are next in. But if in doubt just ask someone and explain that you are new to it all, generally people are helpful.

You know your own horse about how much warming up to do, but I think people often don't do enough warming up, as they don't want to make the horse tired! Give him a bit of a breather a couple of horses before but don't let him go to sleep. When you practice at home be jumping larger fences than you will find in the competition and practice going round a whole course of 10 jumps or so, so you are used to the length of the course, even if it means jumping some from both directions and/or going round the whole course twice.

 

[criso]

All venues will vary but round here unaffiliated they start really low, cross poles for lead reins and the early classes are very heavily subscribed and take forever.

They then tail off around the 70cm mark and 80cm plus don't have so many entries and run quite quickly. I usually allow half an hour a class, get there 45 minutes before I think my class will start which gives me 15 minutes tacking up etc and 30 minutes warm up. Some venues have a facebook and post updates e.g. "Class 3 is starting and there are 17 in the class" but that only helps if you are just round the corner and doing a late class. So my times are often wrong so I get a cup of coffee from the cafe and watch a few rounds in the previous classes to learn the course and see how distances are riding. This is especially useful if it's indoors and you can't see people before you.

Round here it's usually the same course all day and sometime I even walk at a lower height but if you want to walk at the actual height then wait outside when the previous class is finished and they are handing out rosettes and they will let people in to walk when they have adjusted.


I enter on the day, most places give numbers to tie on but one round here doesn't and you just have to remember it. There is usually a board at the entrance or where you enter and you give the steward number for when you want to go and they write it down. There will be about 4 blank spaces at the beginning where no one wants to go first, then about 20 people who have got their names down before me- that's not official, just the way it works out. I don't mind going first if I'm sure of the course and my warm up fits and I am briefly the steward's favourite person.

Warm up, keep an eye on people around you as sometime they do silly things and people usually call out when they are about to jump to stop someone crossing. Round here there are usually 2 jumps, an upright and a spread. Some people have helpers on the ground who are lowering or raising the fences and they should be about the same as the next class.

Sometimes they call you, sometimes not so keep an eye. I try and be outside the entrance as the person before me is going in, it depends a bit on how close the warm up and main ring are.

I tend to find that unaffiliated and riding club shows, everyone is really helpful. That's why the classes go on forever as they are picking up kids off the floor and letting them carry on or letting people have another go after several refusals but if it's busy and keeps people coming back, then they're doing something right.

And don't be afraid to do a class lower than you are aiming for to relax and get used to it, it's nice to have two goes at the course.

 

[[139672]]

In my day, many years ago now! they used to have the clear round course. If they still have these you’d probably find these useful to go round maybe once or twice as part of your warm-up? I always used to like to watch about 3 competitors jump just before I went in the ring, to go through the course again. And make sure that you always walk the course, sure you would but thought it best to mention that ?

 

[criso]

In my day, many years ago now! they used to have the clear round course.

I think that was more when jumping was on grass and it was easy to put up another ring. Most round here are indoors this time of year and even when not, they often just have the warm up and the ring you compete, no more space.

Some have a clear round at the start of the day but unless you are planning on jumping in a very early class then it makes for a long day.