How It Works

Show jumping is easy to understand. The challenge is simple and straightforward; jump a course of approximately 15 obstacles up to five feet in height and six feet in width with no penalties. Penalties or faults are incurred if a horse knocks down, refuses to jump or falls at an obstacle or jump. Each course has a “time allowed.” In addition to jumping faults, penalties can also accumulate if riders fail to complete the course at a certain speed or “within the time allowed.” Riders and horses must negotiate the course at the correct angle, height, and speed to clear the fences without incurring faults. Riders must also be mindful of the ever-ticking clock. The rider who races too fast may grow careless and knock down a fence; an overly cautious rider may incur time faults. The starting order of lineup is determined by a draw before the event so that each rider has an equal chance of attaining a favorable position. Riders near the end of the starting order have the advantage of seeing how the first riders complete the course. Walking the Course Riders preview the course by walking it on foot prior to the beginning of the competition. This is the only chance the rider has to study the course “up close and personal.” Each rider knows the length of his horse’s stride, and walks the course accordingly, pacing off the distance between fences and determining how best to adjust the horse’s strides. Riders also take note of the different types of fences offered, their relationship to one another, the footing and any other potential problem areas. They also try to find where a tighter line can save vital time when jumping against the clock.

Scoring

All jumper classes are subject to the same scoring systems. Horse and rider must take the course in a designated sequence. All obstacles are numbered. Each rider’s goal is to cover the course with no faults within the allotted time period. Style is not considered and doesn’t affect the scoring in jumper competition. The first time a refusal occurs, the penalty is three faults; six faults are given for the second, and the third constitutes elimination. A penalty of four faults is incurred each time a fence is knocked down and the penalty for the horse touching the water at a water jump is also four faults. Penalties can also be incurred for exceeding the time allowed to complete the course. The winner is the horse and rider combination with the fewest jumping and time penalties. Frequently, several horses complete the course without penalty and advance to a jump-off over a shortened course. In the jump-off, the same scoring rules apply, except that in the case of equal faults, the horse with the fastest time will be declared the winner.

Regulations Governing Show Jumping

International show jumping competitions are governed by the Federation Equestre Internationale, which sets forth rules and regulations.

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THE ART OF CLASSICAL HORSEMANSHIP

The word Dressage (pronounced dress-AHGE) is derived from the French verb "dresser," which simply means "to train." It has come to denote both a training method and a competitive sport. As a training method it prepares the horse for any number of disciplines, from show jumping to western reining. As a sport, competitive dressage challenges horse and rider to strive for ever greater levels of precision and harmony.

Although dressage has its roots in classical Greek horsemanship and was influenced by the knights in shining armor of the Middle Ages, it was not until the Renaissance that dressage was recognized as an important equestrian pursuit. The great riding masters of this period developed a logical training system which has changed little over the last hundred years. What has changed is the reason for the training. The European aristocrats displayed their well trained horses in elaborate equestrian pageants; today's dressage riders test their horses' ability in competition.

Dressage horses can be of any breed, sex, age, color or size. Exceptional basic paces--walk, trot and canter--together with a good temperament and sound conformation are what riders look for in a potential dressage horse. The horse should have athletic paces, be light on its feet and have the scope to take short, springy strides as well as free, long and swinging ones.

Dressage is a sport where competitors pursue the unobtainable 100%; in order to even come close, meticulous attention to detail, in addition to ability, is necessary. Marks may be out of reach because of a lack of talent, experience or technique, but they should not be thrown away for lack of preparation.

The attention to detail starts with good horsemastership. Quality veterinary care, proper feeding and an on-going training program are the foundation. Correctly fitted equipment and good grooming are also necessary ingredients. In dressage the general appearance is much more important than in other equestrian disciplines. The horse and rider which are turned out immaculately, with everything gleaming and in place, make it hard for the judge not to give the benefit of the doubt to the combination which pleases his eye. Dressage is a performance, and, as such, competitors strive to look as beautiful as nature will allow.

Competitive dressage takes place in a 20x60-meter arena, with 12 lettered markers placed at specific points along the rail. Here, horse and rider perform a designated test, a series of movements for which the arena markers serve as reference points. No one seems to know the reason for the peculiar sequence of the letters or when their use was introduced to the sport.

There are different levels of tests in "international" dressage competition. In order of difficulty, they are, the Young Rider Tests, the Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I, Intermediaire II and Grand Prix. Within the Grand Prix level are the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle--a musical ride choreographed by the rider. Although certain movements must be performed and each performance has a time limit, the competitor can create a program which suits his or her horse and is especially pleasing to the eye. It is these International tests where we see the most spectacular movements: Piaffe, the highly collected, elevated trot in place; Passage, the suspended trot in slow-motion; Pirouette, a rhythmic turning in place at the walk and canter; Half Pass, a forward and sideways movement at the trot or canter where the horse crosses his legs; Flying Change, a skipping type movement at the canter where the horse changes lead every fourth, third, second and finally at every stride.

It is important to understand that none of these movements are tricks, all are natural and performed by the horse at play. With careful training, the horse learns to duplicate these natural movements, willingly, on command, and with grace, while accommodating the weight of the rider. The trust and harmony which makes this possible are a tribute to the rider's ability and the horse's generosity.

One to five judges, positioned at specific locations around the arena, evaluate the performance from their different perspectives. Scores are awarded on a scale of zero (not executed) to 10 (excellent) for each movement, with some particularly difficult movements earning scores that are multiplied by two.

Spectators tend to base their judgements on general impressions--on how pleasing the performance was as a whole. The judges also take this into consideration when awarding the "collective marks" for paces, impulsion, submission and the rider's position. Scores are tallied and divided by the total possible, and the final score given as a percentage.

These final percentages are somewhat misleading; the winning score may only be a 63%. But keep in mind that the marks are given movement by movement, and are judged against a standard of absolute perfection. The greatest dressage riders in the world today can only hope to achieve a final score in the 70% range.

YOU BE THE JUDGE

As the test proceeds, how the horse moves on straight and curved lines is important. On the straight, the body should be straight with the hind feet following the same path as the fore feet. On turns and circles the horse's body should bend uniformly along the arc in order to create the same path with fore and hind feet. Circles should be round and smooth, turns should be even. Transitions between gaits should be smooth, and the horse should immediately establish a rhythm in the new gait.

When the horse extends or collects its gaits, there should be an obvious difference in the length of its stride. These are also transitions. During an extension, the horse's frame is lengthened and each stride should cover more ground. During a collected movement, the frame is shortened and each stride should cover less ground without any loss of impulsion or energy.

The horse should carry its head in a vertical position, indicating acceptance of the bit, continually feeling for the rider's aids. The horse travelling with its nose stiffly held out in front or over bent is not accepting the rider's hand.

The rider should maneuver the horse through the test without apparent effort, maintaining balance, with the upper body erect but supple and thighs and legs steady and stretched downward. The elbows should be held close to the body, thereby giving the rider the ability to follow the horse's movements and apply the aids imperceptibly.

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Eventing

Overview and History

Eventing (also known as Combined Training) traces its beginnings to “The Militaire” in Europe, a competition introduced at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm as the ultimate test for the cavalry horse. Only active-duty Army officers mounted on military chargers were then allowed to compete for the United States. Today, the sport attracts competitors from varied backgrounds, drawn to the variety of challenges eventing provides to horse and rider.

The Three-Day Event is a test of horse and rider’s skill and all-around ability - the ultimate test of teamwork between horse and rider. This equestrian triathlon was patterned after the demands of training and testing military chargers: precision, elegance and obedience; stamina, versatility and courage; jumping ability and endurance; and finally, the horses’ fitness to remain in service.

By present standards, that first Olympic competition in Stockholm was severe. Of the 27 competitors starting, only 15 finished. Among the seven countries that competed, the United States placed third, winning the Bronze Medal. By 1924, 17 national teams competed in Paris, with the U.S. the only overseas entrant. It was at these Olympic Games that the present pattern for the Three-Day Event was established. Dressage comes on the first day to show balance, obedience, flexibility, and harmony between horse and rider. Next is Speed and Endurance, the most demanding phase, to test boldness and speed. Finally, show jumping to demonstrate conditioning, resilience and agility.

The 1948 Olympic Games in London marked the end of the U.S. Army’s participation in Olympic equestrian events and the transition to a civilian competition. Olympic competition was opened to women riders in 1964. American eventers have enjoyed a great deal of success at the international level highlighted by team Gold Medals at the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games and David O’Connor’s individual Gold at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

What It Takes to Ride in a Three-Day Event

There are four levels of competition in Three-Day Eventing, designated by stars (one-star through four-star, with four-star having the highest degree of difficulty). Horses and riders must earn the right to compete at these levels. At each successive level, a horse has to jump higher, run farther and faster, as well as trust it’s rider more. The degree of difficulty for gymnastic exercises - both on the flat in the dressage phase and over fences during the cross-country test - increases progressively.

The First Phase: Dressage Competition

The Dressage test in Three-Day Eventing reflects the cavalry officer’s need for an obedient, attractive mount on the parade ground. The objective is to demonstrate harmonious development of the horse’s physique and balance.

Each horse/rider combination is required to perform a prescribed set of movements within a confined area. Three independent judges award marks for each movement, ranging from 0 to 10. There are also collective marks for the horse’s pace, impulsion and submission to its rider’s direction, as well as for the rider’s position and use of aids. The test must be executed from memory. Errors or incorrect sequences of movements are penalized by subtraction of points.

Throughout the Dressage test, the judges are looking for calmness and relaxation, combined with impulsion and rhythm, all from a horse that should be at the peak of fitness, full of energy for the strenuous demands of the competition still to come. A dressage performance should be fluid, balanced and accurate, providing an overall picture of grace and harmony.

This capability cannot be obtained overnight. Many years of training go into producing a well-schooled horse that can perform a good dressage test. Additionally, without the obedience and suppleness dressage requires, the cross-country and jumping phases would be considerably more difficult.

Speed and Endurance Test

The speed and endurance test is the most exciting and challenging part of a Three-Day Event. It is made up of four parts: two sessions of Roads & Tracks; a Steeplechase; and a Cross-Country test, consisting of as many as 30 obstacles set in varied terrain, which must be jumped boldly with speed. Some obstacles may include four or five separate jumping efforts.

When casual observers think of Eventing, they usually envision the thrilling cross-country test; yet each portion of the Speed and Endurance test proves the rider’s knowledge of pace and use of the horse across country.

Competitors must complete the Speed and Endurance test within a prescribed “Optimum Time.” Time penalties will be incurred if the course is taken too slowly and the competitor exceeds the “Optimum Time.” The four separate phases are separately timed, each requiring a different speed and offering varied and specific challenges. Under adverse conditions of weather or terrain, phase lengths and times allowed may be altered for safety reasons. In the cross-country phase, penalties are also incurred for jumping faults such as refusals and run-outs, in addition to time penalties.

Show Jumping Phase

The final component of a Three-Day Event is the stadium jumping phase. In order to compete, horses must pass a series of veterinary inspections after the Speed and Endurance phase. Show jumping tests the horse’s ability to retain the suppleness, energy and obedience necessary for them to complete a jumping course consisting of various colored, moveable obstacles without incurring penalties due to knockdowns, refusals, falls or exceeding the time allowed, after their great efforts of the previous day.

The overall winners of a Three-Day Event are determined by converting Dressage scores to penalties, and adding the penalties incurred in Speed and Endurance and Show Jumping. The competitor with the lowest number of penalties wins.

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An endurance ride is an event in which the same horse and rider compete together over a marked trail, 50 miles or more in length, within a specific maximum allowed time. There is no minimum time requirement. The horses are examined by veterinarians before the ride, throughout the competition at regular intervals, and after the ride to ensure their health and safety. The entry finishing in the shortest time is the winner.

Novice rides of 25-35 miles are usually held in conjunction with the open competition. They are designed specifically for beginners.

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Polo History

Possibly the oldest team sport, polo's genesis is lost to the eye of history. An Asiatic game, polo was probably first played on a barren campground by nomadic warriors over two thousand years ago. Valuable for training Cavalry, the game was played from Constantinople to Japan by the Middle Ages. Known in the East as the Game of Kings, Tamer lane's polo grounds can still be seen in Samarkand. British tea planters in India witnessed the game in the early 1800's but it was not until the 1850's that the British Cavalry drew up the earliest rules and by the 1869's the game was well established in England. James Gordon Bennett, a noted American publisher; balloonist, and adventurer, was captivated by the sport and brought it to New York in 1876 where it caught on immediately. Within ten years, there were major clubs all over the east, including Newport and Long Island.

Over the next 50 years, polo achieved extraordinary popularity in the United States. By the 1930's polo was in the midst of a Golden Age - it was an Olympic sport and crowds in excess of 30,000 regularly attended international matches at Meadow Brook Polo Club on Long Island. The galloping game produced athletes who would doubtless have achieved greatness in any sport: Cecil Smith, the Texas cowboy, who held a perfect 10-goal rating for a still-record 25 years; Devereux Melbourne, instrumental in formulating modern styles of play; and Tommy Hitchcock, war hero, and the best of the best in international competition for two decades.

In the past 20 years, polo in the United States has undergone an unprecedented and remarkable expansion. At present, there are more than 225 USPA member clubs with over 3,000 players. Polo is an international sport. During the summer season at Hurling ham, England, the fall season at Palermo in Buenos Aires, and the winter season at Palm Beach or Palm Desert 30 to 40 teams will be manned by players from the United States, Argentina, Zimbabwe, Canada, New Zealand, Pakistan, Mexico, France, Australia, South Africa, Great Britain, and a dozen other polo playing countries. For over 30 years, the Argentines have been preeminent in the sport but explosive growth in players and the availability of good horses is honing the competitive abilities of challengers from many countries, including the United States.

Playing Field

Polo is most often played outdoors. The outdoor polo field is 300 yards long and 160 yards wide, the largest field in organized sport. The goal posts at each end are 24 feet apart and a minimum of 10 feet high. Penalty lines are marked at 30 yards from the goal, 40 yards, 60 yards, and at midfield.

Polo Mallets

Players hit the ball with the mallet using one of four basic shots:

Forehand to hit the ball forward or laterally to a teammate
Backhand changing the flow of play by sending the ball in the opposite direction
Neckshot hitting the ball under the horse's neck
Tailshot hitting the ball behind and under the horse's rump

Pony Goal

A pony goal occurs when a pony, usually by kicking the ball, causes the ball to go through the goal posts. This is natural for equine athletes who love the game as much as their riders. This type of goal counts and is a real crowd pleaser.

Chukker

There are six chukkers in a polo match. Each chukker is seven minutes long. Breaks between chukkers are three minutes long, with a five minute halftime. The ball is rolled in by an official to start the polo match or resume play after a time out. Each team lines up in numerical order, directly behind the other. The opposing team lines up the same way. The umpire rolls the ball between the two teams, and play begins.

The game clock is stopped in case of a foul, fallen pony or rider, pony or player injured, broken tack, loss of helmet, or if the ball rolls out of bounds. A player may leave the field to change ponies without a time out being called if the pony is not playing well but isn't visibly injured. A lost or broken mallet does not stop play, and the player may leave the field for a replacement before returning to play, or simply reverse the mallet and strike the ball with the handle.

Players

There are four players on a team. The forwards are numbered one and two, and are mainly concerned with scoring. Number three is the center half, who assists the scorers and aids in defense. The number three is often the most experienced member of the team. Defense and fast breaks are the responsibilities of the back, number four.

Handicaps

Polo players are ranked yearly by their peers and the USPA on a scale of -2 to 10 goals. Team play is handicapped on the basis of ability. A team's handicap is the total of its players' goal ratings. Tournaments are held in handicap categories. High goal polo is considered to be for teams rated nineteen goals or over, and medium goal play is fifteen to eighteen goals. There are many ways to build a team that meets the tournament's goal limit. Quite often a strong team will want a ringer, a new or under rated player, to balance the team's higher ranked players.

Umpires

Two mounted umpires do most of the officiating, with a referee at midfield having the final say in any dispute between the umpires. With such a large field and the speed of the polo match, the referee is usually busy.

Penalties

Penalty shots are given from any position the umpires choose from the goal line to midfield, with or without a defender allowed in the goal, depending on the severity of the foul. After each goal, the teams change goals. For complete details please refer to the penalty rules.

Rules

This brief overview of the rules of polo is for the spectator only. Most of the rules of polo are for the safety of the players and their ponies. If you want to play, learn them thoroughly. For complete details please refer to the USPA Outdoor Rules. The umpires' primary concerns are right of way and the line of the ball. The line of the ball is an imaginary line that is formed each time the ball is struck. This line traces the ball's path and extends past the ball along that trajectory. The player who last struck the ball is considered to have right of way, and no other player may cross the line of the ball in front of that player, or push that player off the line. Riding alongside to block or hook is allowed, as long as the player with right of way is not impeded. Bumping or riding off is allowed as long as the angle of attack is less than forty five degrees, and any contact must be made between the pony's hip and shoulder. A player may hook or block another player's mallet with his mallet, but no deliberate contact between players is allowed. A player may not purposely touch another player, his tack or pony with his mallet. The mallet may only be held in the right hand. Left handed players are often thought to hit with less accuracy, but guide their ponies better than their right handed peers. Ponies play for a maximum of two chukkers per match.

Audience

Polo is played in more than 60 countries and enjoyed by more than 50 million people each year.

Ponies

Next to excellent playing skills, the most important element in polo is the pony. The polo pony is a unique animal, not recognized as a breed itself but combining the best traits of many breeds. Polo demands the speed of a thoroughbred, the intelligence of an Arabian, and the agility of a quarter horse.

When the British first learned of polo in Persia, the ponies used for play were measured at twelve hands two inches. The first height limit for polo ponies in England was fourteen hands in 1876. In 1896 the limit was raised to fourteen hands two inches. The limit was abolished in 1919. Currently most polo ponies are horses of normal height, averaging fifteen hands one inch. Most ponies are of thoroughbred stock. The breeding of polo ponies has been documented in England since 1893. The small thoroughbred stallion Rosewater holds the title of foundation sire for modern English ponies.

In the United States, thoroughbreds are often bred to quarter horses to improve agility. Small thoroughbreds from Australia and New Zealand make quality ponies as well. The majority of the very best polo ponies since the 1930's have come from Argentina, where thoroughbreds are crossed with the local Criollo horses. The great interest in polo and the availability of skilled riders are a great boon for the Argentine trainers, and they take extra time to produce "made" ponies that play the game well. In any sport, great athletes have that intangible quality known as "heart". This consists of giving one's best effort, and then giving a little more. Polo ponies are no exception.

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