# Horse Jumping Conformation



## tikapup1 (Nov 22, 2012)

I have been watching multiple horses free jumping, and jumping with a rider. A common difference I have noticed is how high the horses back legs go up, compared to where their withers were, I also noticed that some horses seemed to "kick" their back legs when they were jumping more then other horses. For example the horse @ 



 seems to kick his back feet out over the jump more then the this horse (about a 1 minute 23 seconds in) @ 



. I was then wondering if the way the horse jumped over the fence would effect the horses joints, as they move differently over the fence while jumping and thus cause arthritis sooner, and what conformation style is more desirable, or if training effects this. Please give feedback, thanks


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

I'm really pretty clueless about jumping but I'll give it a go from what I saw and thinking about the horse in balance...

Horse A (the bay) didn't land particularly well over the largest jump and started bucking, possibly to realign something or because something was pinched. Had he had a rider on board they might have had a hard time sticking on on the landing, he lost his balance for a second there and a rider would just have accentuated that.

Horse B (the grey) landed in a much more balanced way and comes out of the landing pushing off from his hind end.

Horse A was also quite hollow coming out of the second jump into the third, compared to Horse B, who was well-balanced. That may have been the cause of the poor landing on the third jump for Horse A.


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

Oh man that bay is amazing! He's bucking after the fence because he thinks he's the champion!! quite an amazing piece of horse flesh.


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## inaclick (Jun 6, 2010)

I am no experienced person but to my noob eyes horse A is just bucking like a human adult would cheer and shake his fist in the air after a successful jump: 
"Yeehaw! Yeah, b*#ches! D'you see that? Did you?"


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## tikapup1 (Nov 22, 2012)

Thanks for the comments, that helped a little I think. I didn't look for how balanced the horses are, which brings up a good point, I know horse b is an extremely well known Holsteiner stallion, and was a great competitor. So maybe training would effect this?


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## tikapup1 (Nov 22, 2012)

If any one else has a theory or explanation please post.


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## Canterklutz (Jul 20, 2012)

Those C-line Holsteiners tend to be insanely scopey jumpers.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

Both horses were scopey but the grey jumped like he had a lot more experience than the bay. The grey seemed scopier and more relaxed.


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## tikapup1 (Nov 22, 2012)

Canterklutz said:


> Those C-line Holsteiners tend to be insanely scopey jumpers.


I love that line! I have a horse from that line and he's super scopey. But on another hand, you guys believe that the inexperience of the bay is what causes him to kick his feet back over the fence more then the white horse?


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

I don't agree with that at all. I've been jumping horses and training with some of the top trainers in the East and West coasts for a little over 2 decades. Some of the top jumpers in the circuits kick out over the big fences in an extra effort to stay careful. While the Gray may be more seasoned, I would buy the bay 100 times over before i'd even entertain the Gray horse.


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## Elana (Jan 28, 2011)

I bow to "Oxer's" greater experience. 

I do believe the grey was more relaxed and as a result appeared scopier. This is not to say the bay is not scopey and so forth.. just seemed a bit jammed up on distances. Of course, it may have been partly just feeling good jamming him up a bit too. He certainly did.. uhh.. (sorry) get a kick out of this... (OK.. I am slinking off to the bad joke pile..)


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