Analysis of the show jumping competition according to the type of seat and the way of driving into the obstacle. Part II Analiza konkursów skoków przez przeszkody w zależności od rodzaju dosiadu i sposobu najazdu. Część II

Abstract

A perfect synchronization of the rider and the horse is an art requiring a lot of skill and intuition as well as advanced horse training. The correct body-weight balance allows the rider to smoothly change the riding positions. While observing the riders on the jumping courses we can note a wide variety of riding positions in the distance ride as well as approaching the obstacle. The research was conducted during competitions in show jumping. The analysis was based on 80 riders participating in 4 competitions, 27 of which were not of Polish nationality. The total of 93 horses was taken into consideration. Special attention was paid to the sitting position in different elements of the round (arches, turns, lines etc.). There were three dominating riding positions: half seat – HS – 1, light seat – LS – 2, full seat – FS – 3. In order to show more detailed characteristics of the aforementioned riding positions three last fouls before the jump are presented in a so-called “sequence”. The most effective sequence in approaching verticals and double bars was sequence II (full seat – full seat – light seat), in case of oxers the least fault-prone was sequence I (3 full seats). The analysis showed that the best riders chose a light seat most frequently. However, it was the full seat that was chosen most often and the correlation between this riding position and the number of faults is significant.