Showjumping versus dressage

Tinsel

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i know that these are very different in the different ways we see them in the competition world but if you could only pick one which one would you pick and why? I do like both but I have started to like showjumping more but I also like dressage
 

Littlebear

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Definitely dressage, I prefer showjumping but the whole day is too much aggro, when I was last doing bs I would turn up and often declare only to have to hang around for hours, try and warm up in utter chaos a lot of the time, then if you have a pole that's a massive amount of time wasted for 0 return.
Now I can go to dressage with an exact time, the warm up is much easier and if you make a little mistake its not the end of the world, I can just do a test go home and its all much more straight forward. (When you're absolutely stretched for time its a god send).
 

Tinsel

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Definitely dressage, I prefer showjumping but the whole day is too much aggro, when I was last doing bs I would turn up and often declare only to have to hang around for hours, try and warm up in utter chaos a lot of the time, then if you have a pole that's a massive amount of time wasted for 0 return.
Now I can go to dressage with an exact time, the warm up is much easier and if you make a little mistake its not the end of the world, I can just do a test go home and its all much more straight forward. (When you're absolutely stretched for time its a god send).
I completely agree when I did either at a different riding school for dressage you warmed up then did the test as run through then did the real thing for showjumping you were allowed to walk the course until you were ready and then get on the horse or pony you were allowed to go and get from the stable being groomed and tacked up for you and a plaited mane or tail if you had time before you round
 

Lillian_paddington

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If I had to pick one... showjumping, because it’s what my horse gets most excited about and I just love the feeling of flying you get jumping anything over 1m. Of course we only jump once a week max so I expect it would be less exciting the more we did it.
However if I had a horse that really loved dressage instead of jumping I think I’d change my mind - riding is never fun when the horse just isn’t interested!
 

McFluff

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Dressage for me - aside from the fact that I don’t like jumping, I prefer the fact that dressage is a continual learning and improvement. Even if you mess up a movement you can still do well. And the warmup is generally better (I used to warm up a jumping friends horses at shows, and you needed eyes on the back of your head!).
 

JFTDWS

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Neither 😂

I'll train for both, pop to the odd competition for a day out, but focus on either all the time? Heck no :p
 

splashgirl45

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A bold statement that is way off the mark. I know which discipline I had to work harder at to win consistently and it wasn't dressage. :p


i was saying that i found dressage more challenging and the question was which one would you pick? so this is my pick and my reasoning, not everyone elses!!!!! i was lucky that i had a horse who loved sj and virtually always went clear so the only challenge for me was going fast enough in the jump off....and my other reason for preferring dressage was less hanging about...
 

Leandy

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Definitely dressage, I prefer showjumping but the whole day is too much aggro, when I was last doing bs I would turn up and often declare only to have to hang around for hours, try and warm up in utter chaos a lot of the time, then if you have a pole that's a massive amount of time wasted for 0 return.
Now I can go to dressage with an exact time, the warm up is much easier and if you make a little mistake its not the end of the world, I can just do a test go home and its all much more straight forward. (When you're absolutely stretched for time its a god send).

This.

I also prefer the attitude of the riders and trainers. You need to take a longer term view on the horse's development and consistency and the whole relationship between horse and rider for dressage. I'm not sure why the same doesn't apply to SJ but it doesn't seem to. Maybe because there is more prize money to be won in SJ it seems more short-termist.
 

ohmissbrittany

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I'll let you in on a secret- showjumping is like... mostly dressage. You've got ~100 strides in that course and maybe 12 of them are over a fence. Those 12 are the horse's job. What you do with the other 88 is what makes or breaks your round.
 

Bernster

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I'll let you in on a secret- showjumping is like... mostly dressage. You've got ~100 strides in that course and maybe 12 of them are over a fence. Those 12 are the horse's job. What you do with the other 88 is what makes or breaks your round.

Ooh I like this. I get in a terrible flap about sj and currently far more comfortable doing flatwork. But my flatwork over jumps is rubbish! I wonder if having the above in mind might help me ride jumps better 🤔
 

littlefluffball

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Can I say XC? :p

I like to jump so would have to say SJ. Dressage is growing on me but it is never going ot be my favourite discipline.........

I ride one horse who is good at the fancy prancy stuff - the others are for going fast and flying :D (lighthearted - obvs there is more to it than that)
 

Muddywellies

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I hate jumping - scares the life out of me - I’m a dressage rider through and through. BUT if I had a choice, as much as I love dressage, I think I’d rather jump. No more mean dressage judges with widely varying scores - if i knock a fence down that’s that and it’s entirely my fault !
 

SpringArising

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Jumping. Couldn't be doing with all the subjectiveness of dressage and learning a million movements. Trying to remember 13 fences is hard enough!

Dressage just doesn't give you the same thrill.
 
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