The Swedish Warmblood Association (ASVH) also in-
spects jumpers separately from dressage horses. All horses in the Jumping Emphasis Test free jump. The entire ring is set in an oval, with the horse jumping two fences on the long side. Their setup allows the horse to canter all the way around, so the judge can see how the horse sets himself up to approach the fences. Swedish judge Karl-Henrik Heimdahl says, “The horse
has to find a way to jump the fence. We want to find out his base talent.” Swedish jumping judge and trainer Lasse Berglund says, “We look at how the horse looks at the fence. The horse needs to push off his hind legs and use his back. Look at the front leg, hind leg and back. And he uses his mind for a good bascule over the fence.” Lasse explains that he starts yearlings over low fences to see their natural ability. “A good jumping horse shouldn’t make the same mistake more than once. You want the horse to think,” he says. He also looks for a quick hind leg. “I don’t think the front leg is a problem in a jumping horse. They have to have a good hind leg.” Swedish trainer and judge Jan-Ove Olsson describes
how the judge wants to see a smooth rhythm. A horse that scores low “hangs his legs in the jump and doesn’t use his back.” A horse that earns 8s “has good technique and is cooperative and energetic.” Even if a horse hits a rail, Jan-Ove explains that he can show he learns from a mis- take and corrects technique in the next run-through. In the American Hanoverian Society Mare Performance
Test, all mares free jump. “We want a quick front leg to snap up and tight,” says AHS judge Judy Hedreen. “We need the bascule—the horse sits and loads the back, then kicks out over the fence. It’s an extra push to propel her- self over the fence.” Judy describes a mare that earned 8-8: “She showed a
bascule, and was quick with her front legs. She was eager to go to the fence. In scope, she jumped 12 inches over the poles.” In the North American 70 Day stallion test, all candi-
dates free jump. The testers from Germany set up a jump- ing lane similar to the ones used in Europe.
Training Athletes Robin Walker produces young event horses at Maute House Farm in Grass Lake, Michigan. He explains the value of free jumping, also known as ‘loose schooling,’ to train eventers, who must confidently leap over many different shapes on cross-country tracks. A horse that might not pick up his legs—a danger over any fence—can improve technique.
The U.S.-bred Holsteiner Contiano BF (Contefino x Lanciano) won his 2010 North American Stallion Test, earning 9 in free jumping. In 2015 he is showing in 1.30-1.40 m jumper classes. Bred and owned by Branscomb Farms of Half Moon Bay, California.
“Loose schooling for me is not a way of showing horses
off,” says Robin. “It’s a way to teach the horse to learn his trade. And it’s a way to repair horses that are sick of be- ing lied to. It’s a good way to develop their technique and help them keep their responsibility for the job of leaving the ground.” Robin uses specific jumping setups for improving
horses’ thinking over the jumps. Because eventers will see a variety of obstacles, he builds a series of jumps combin- ing varied materials: poles, plastic barrels and plastic jump blocks. He jumps horses both directions on an oval or a circle, guiding them loosely on a long line using a leather caveson. He watches the horse’s style, noting, “They are more
aggressive on their own. You can tell how careful a horse is pretty quickly.” “Read the horse’s body language,” advises Robin. “You’ll
see how you can get a good idea of what your horse is go- ing to do from a rail to a ditch, from a rail to a bank, jump- ing into water—anything where they will have to process more than one visual at once.” His goal is helping the horse to jump safely. “It is thera-
py for the experienced horse, and teaching the babies not to turn over.” “It’s all about the rhythm and keeping the conversation
going,” Robin adds. “A horse freezes when he sees some- thing he can’t understand. The horse is going to hang a leg when he freezes, when he can’t process what he’s seeing.”
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