knew the horse was very special and bought the horse back He trained him to show jump Just two years later Snowman was a famous show jumper He won the Open Jumper Championship at Madison Square Garden's Diamond Jubilee two years in a row and the United States Equestrian Federation named him Horse of the Year Snowman's story illustrates that any type of horse can be trained to show jump not just purebred horses In the end show jumping is about the horse and its rider working together to succeed Snowman became a great show jumper
WHAT IS SHOW JUMPING Show jumping is a team and individual Olympic equestrian sport In show jumping a rider guides a horse through a series of jumps They must move quickly through the course careful not to miss jumps knock down barriers or fall down The team that makes the fewest mistakes in the fastest time wins Show jumping is a fast exciting and colorful event It's both thrilling to participate in and thrilling to watch Spectators sit in a stadium to watch the action as each horse takes its turn running the course The course usually features between 10 and 15 jumping obstacles Each obstacle is different One jump might be a low fence with a pool of water in front of it Another jump might be a high wall Some jumps may be very close together while others are far apart The obstacles are often brightly painted and decorated Riders compete either as individuals or as teams Male and female riders compete together In small contests riders may compete for a ribbon or trophy In large
contests riders compete for prize money along with trophies or medals SHOW JUMPING HORSES The best show jumping horses are strong and agile Many are tall with long legs and have long necks for balance Most have a flat broad saddle area so that the rider is secure Most have good lungs which help the horse take big breaths and finish the course faster All show jumpers Show jumping arenas have a variety of colorful jumps
