This week, we’ll be bringing you a breakdown of each phase and its Olympic nuance with the help of several experts who were gracious enough to lend us some of their time and knowledge. So far, we’ve published a breakdown of the unique Olympic dressage test as well as the cross country phase. Now, let’s wrap this series up with some thoughts on the show jumping.
Traditionally speaking, show jumping culminates the three days of eventing as a final test of endurance and accuracy for both horse and rider. Coming into show jumping, horses and their riders will be feeling the exertion of the past two days, particularly at an intense event like the Olympics.
The show jumping is particularly influential at the Olympics for one big reason. Let’s dive in.
What makes show jumping at the Olympics unique?
Julia Krajewski and Amande de B’Neville. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Unlike all other competitions for eventing, the Olympics requires two show jumping rounds to determine medals. The International Olympic Committee does not hand out multiple medals off the results from one event. You can see this mirrored in other events such as gymnastics and swimming. So, the eventing show jumping works as follows:
Round 1: All remaining team riders and individuals, including any substitutes, will jump in this round. In the first round, fences can be set up to 4* max height, which is 1.25m. This round will see anywhere from 11-13 numbered fences, with a maximum of 16 jumping efforts.
Round 2: The top 25 individual riders, regardless of nation/team, will move forward to the final individual round. Substitute riders cannot go forward to this round. This round can see fences up to 5* height, which is 1.30m. The number of fences decreases for a maximum of 9 fences and 12 jumping efforts.
The second round will come after a short break for rearranging the course, meaning there isn’t a ton of time in between for recovery.
Factors to consider
Laura Collett and London 52. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
I sat down with Michel Vaillancourt, who’s an Olympic individual medalist in show jumping and a Show Jumping Hall of Fame member, as well as a course designer for major events like Spruce Meadows and the Pan American Games, for some intel on things to consider when looking at show jumping through the eyes of a designer.
“Adding the two rounds changes the outcome of the competition for the individual riders a lot,” he remarked. “The second round is a little shorter, which is kind of a blessing, but a lot of the factor for me will come to the fitness level.”
As the schedule currently stands, there will be about an hour and a half or two hours in between the conclusion of the team round and the start of the individual final. This can be advantageous for some, and challenging for others.
“It really depends on the horse you’re on,” Michel said. “The break gives the horses a chance to rest, but it also gives them a chance to get a little tighter or to mentally switch off. None of these horses will be anticipating jumping again — that’s not how it works in eventing as a standard. As a rider, I would prefer to come back an hour later, especially looking at everything you would have done to that point. At the same time, you don’t want to break that zone.”
Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
The designer for Paris will be Spain’s Santiago Varela, assisted by co-designer Gregory Bodo of France. Santiago is a lifetime student of the sport, earning the title of “Local Course Designer” at just 15 years of age in Madrid. He’s since gone on to design at World Championships, World Cup and Nations Cup competitions, as well as the last Olympics in Tokyo. There, his jumps received much recognition for their beauty and attention to detail. He’s been teamed up with Gregory since the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.
While we certainly see an increasing number of courses designed by designers who spend most of their time in the show jumping space, there is a level of nuance involved with the two different sports.
“It’s very different to design an eventing show jumping,” Michel noted. “The horses are a little more fatigued on this last day. There has been a lot of rideability that was lost during the cross country phase, so when you come into the show jumping you’re not as sharp as you would be if show jumping was first.”
“One thing the designers may do is go with slightly deeper cups or slightly heavier rails [that what you would see in pure show jumping]. I remember very well when we did Kentucky for instance, we weighed all the rails and kept the lighter ones for the show jumpers and the heavier ones for the eventers. But at an event like the Aiken Showcase, I use lighter rails and shallower cups. At the Games, you might just want to give them a bit of a chance — or not! It is the Olympics.”
Speaking to what he’s observed of Santiago’s design style, Michel says he looks forward to seeing what he lays out for our eventers. “I would say he’s a very classic course designer,” he said. “If you’ve done your homework and are totally prepared, I’d say you can do really well. Some course designers might suit certain types of horses and riders and not so much others. I don’t think that’s really going to be the case with Santiago, I think he will give us a real quality of work.”
What can we take away from watching?
Tom McEwen and Toledo de Kerser. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Michel will be the first to tell you — regardless of what level you compete at — that practice in the jumping ring is invaluable. Many eventers now dedicate portions of their competition calendar to some extra time doing jumpers. This will pay off in Paris, he says.
“I do praise the guys that do it,” he said. “Show jumping is becoming more and more important in this discipline, and there was a time when the riders weren’t spending enough time on it. It’s different at an event. You have no opportunity to come back in, fix an issue, solve a problem. You go back home and then you’re getting ready for your next dressage test or conditioning. I would suggest to at least twice or three times a year to give yourself a block of three weeks where you do show jumping and nothing else. And then you go back to your routine. But really take advantage of the jumping show, and that includes everybody. You can be a Beginner Novice rider and go in the ring and jump four rounds and then come back and do it the next week. In two weeks, you’ve jumped the equivalent of eight events. It can only help you.”
And that practice will pay off for many this weekend. In Tokyo, just four pairs came away with two clear show jumping rounds. One pair, Nicolas Touzaint and Absolute Gold HDC, jumped clear in the second round but had one second of time. Seven of the top 25 jumped clear in the first round but had rails down in the second round. 80% of the individual field had at least one rail down. This goes to show just how influential the final phase stands to be (as it should be!), and it will make for some fascinating, nail-biting action.
“It comes down to slight little mistakes and errors,” Michel said. “But the top riders will make every technicality look very simple. Many of our eventers now are good enough that they could blend in as show jumpers. There was a time when jumps got demolished in this phase. Not so much anymore. The cream will rise to the top, it always does. There are no lucky winners in the Olympics.”
With that, our breakdown series concludes and we hope you are feeling prepped and ready for the action to begin in just a couple of days! We’ll see you very soon. For more from EN on the Olympics, click the banner below.
