History
All of the equestriam sporting disciplines have their origin in the practices of war. They began as essential training exercises for cavalry, with the initial emphasis on cross-country riding. Jumping training was mentioned in the French Cavalry manual as early as 1788 but the first definitive account of competitive arena jumping records the competitions staged by the Royal Dublin Society at Leinster Lawn, Dublin, in 1864.
The most significant development not only in show jumping but also in general equestrian theory and practice was the forward system of riding introduced by Captain Federico Caprilli. His teachings are regarded as the greatest development of modern, active, outdoor riding.
When he was teaching at the Italian cavalry schools of Tor di Quinto and Pinerolo, where he became a chief instructor, riding in Europe was dominated by military practice based on classical precepts, which were increasingly irrelevant on a battelfield that was dominated by the huge developments in firepower. Caprilli appreciated that in such a situation the knee-o-knee, set-piece charge of squadrons in line was no longer an option and that the role of cavalry was confined largely to aggressive reconnaissance, carried out by formations that could ride across country swiftly, negotiating whatever natural obstacles lay in their path. To this end he trained horses and riders over the sort of country in which they might be called upon to operate. Instead of the dominated, collected school horse, he asked for unfettered extension, teaching his riders to conform to the horseīs natural outline and to ride with a shortened stirrup, perching with their bodies forward so that the weight was carried as far over the horseīs advancing center of balance as possible, where it would hinder movement the least. The riders sat forward over every type of fence, even when riding up and down fearsome inclines.
The theory has not survived in its entirety, but the world still sits over its fences in pretty much the same manner as that prescribed by Caprilli. The system was not intended specifically for showring jumping but such was the outstanding success of the early Italian teams that, by the time of Caprilliīs death in 1907, it had been officially adopted by the Italian cavalry and was being introduced into the military schools of Europe and the Americas by officers who had attended the courses at Pinerolo.
From the 1880s show jumping was becoming established as a sport. The US held its first recorded jumping competition in 1883 at the first National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden, and it included a high jump.
Additional impetus to international competition was given by the inauguration of the International Horse Show held at Olympia, London, in 1907 under the presidency of the Earl of Lonsdale whose personality was to dominate the Show for 20 years. It was recognized subsequently as a feature of the London season", and it set a pattern for all future international events.
In 1909, the first Nations Cup, for the King Edward VII Gold Cup, was staged at Olympia and was open to teams of three military riders, because jumping was generally dominated by the military up to the Second World War. In 1920 the Cup was replaced by the Prince of Wales Cup, which is still competed for as Britainīs Nations Cup.
Courses were rudimentary in comparison with the tracks built today. There were also enormous variations in the rules between competing nations. For many years, style was a major consideration in the judging of a competition. Until the Second World War, both the US and UK uses their own rules. These included the use of slats laid on the top of fences, with marks being deducted for their dislodgement. These arcane rules and the absence of timing as competitors could take as long as they liked and could even circle in front of a fence to find the right approach were largely responsible for the sportīs decline in Britain.
After the Second World War, the International Federation (FEI) ,founded in 1921, created standardized international rules which are easy to follow by competitor and spectator alike:
- four faults are given for a knockdown
- three for the first refusal
- six for the second refusal
- elimination for the third refusal
- eight faults are incurred for a fall of horse and/or rider
- in timed jump-offs or speed competitions, faults are expressed in seconds.
