Types of Horse Jumps

Competitive Trail Riding measures the fitness of a horse or pony as they travel over a marked trail of 20 to 120 miles. Horses are examined thoroughly before, on the trail and after finishing, by qualified judges and veterinarians.

Equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse's bone structure, musculature, and its body proportions in relation to each other. Undesirable conformation can limit the ability to perform a specific task.

The "school jumps," or "airs above the ground," are a series of higher-level classical dressage movements where the horse leaves the ground. These include the capriole, courbette, the mezair, the croupade, and levade.

Jumper, jumping. A horse that jumps, particularly in competition. Show jumping or stadium jumping, a competition that goes as high as the Olympic level, where the horse is judged on the number of obstacles it clears on the course in a given round and the speed at which it completes the course.

Endurance riders usually use a saddle that is designed to be lightweight yet comfortable to horse and rider for long hours of riding. There are saddles designed specifically for endurance riding, though they are not universally used.

Jump races are races that include obstacles for the horse and jockey to jump. These can be small ones known as hurdles or large ones known as fences. While Jump racing occurs all year round, traditionally it takes place in the Autumn, Winter and Spring. Jump racing’s official name is National Hunt racing, a reference to its origins.

Showmanship is an event found at many horse shows. The class is also sometimes called "Fitting and Showmanship", "Showmanship In-Hand", "Showmanship at Halter" or "Halter Showmanship" It involves a person on the ground leading a horse, wearing a halter or bridle, through a series of maneuvers called a pattern.

Equestrian vaulting, or simply vaulting, is most often described as gymnastics and dance on horseback, which can be practiced both competitively or non-competitively. Vaulting has a history as an equestrian act at circuses, but its origins stretch back at least two-thousand years.