Show Jumping - horses jumping over obstacles
Show jumping is a relatively new sport in the world of horse riding. It basically involves jockeys riding horses over obstacles to gain points. The sport is part of the Olympics and is also one of the five events that make up the pentathlon. It is not an easy or simple sport because it involves horses clearing five-foot high obstacles and even water features. It involves skill, coordination and a great relationship between horse and rider. The sport has increased in popularity over the years but there have been questions about its expansion and whether that would harm the authenticity of the sport. With more people getting into the sport all the time, the sport will evolve and grow according to the changing times.
Show jumping is a fascinating sport with a rich history. The sport was actually born during the Enclosures Act, which was introduced in England in the late 18th Century. With this Act in place, land owners started to fence off their properties and this hindered fox hunts that took place at the time. Before the Act no horse was ever needed to jump over anything because there were no fences to jump over. Soon riders started to choose horses that had the ability to clear obstacles during a hunt. Over time, this practice became a sport that went to Italy, Spain and France during the 19th Century. At that time it was not really a spectator sport because riders would lead their horses too far away from field to take part in the jumps, while spectators would be left in the enclosure. It was for this reason that the sport moved into arenas where obstacles could be set up and spectators could view the jumping. The rules of the sport are interesting because points were awarded for clearing obstacles in the fastest time possible, while points are deducted for hitting them. The sport slowly became unified under the FEI and it became an Olympic sport in 1912 and has thrived ever since.
Show jumping has become very popular over the years. It can be compared to the popular sports of Sailing and Formula 1, where the fans and spectators are mostly wealthy or more well off people than average. It seems to be that wealthy people like to watch eccentric events like ships being raced against each other or horses jumping over obstacles. Nonetheless the profile of the sport has increased in recent years and corporate sponsorship is booming; events are shown on television in Europe to tens of millions of viewers. Also events such as the Rolex FEI World Cup Final are attended by 50,000 paying spectators over a weekend.
With this wealthy crowd attending and the high cost of participating in the sport, show jumping has been labelled by some as being elitist and something that only the rich watch and take part in. The cost of buying a top quality show horse can range from anywhere from $20,000 to $1 million. And it is not only the cost of the purchase, show horses can cost upwards of $4000 a month to maintain. With these types of costs, it puts the sport out of the league of the average person, who can buy a football for a few pounds and play a game with friends. Still with its increasing popularity it may one day filter to the masses and gain widespread acceptance. The problem for the sport today, is the fact that unless the sport expands and grows it will always retain its elitist and upscale image, and will not be accepted by everyone. It lacks the everyman image of football or basketball and it may never achieve it because owning and riding a horse are very expensive activities.
Show jumping will continue to grow and be popular and unless it expands and evolves massively, it may stay an elitist sport in the future. Maybe it does not need to change; perhaps it can stay an elitist sport as long as it is profitable and live in the little niche it has created for itself. A sport catering to a particular segment is not a bad thing and may keep the sport’s original fans and spectators happy in the future.
Tags: