Show Jumping Cheat Sheet

The key takeaways for beginners – the light seat, reading distances and the three jump phases behind every fence.

Kit for the course

Item	Priority	Tip
Jumping saddle	High	Short flap with knee rolls actively supports the light seat – a dressage saddle isn't built for that.
Breastplate	Medium	Stops the saddle sliding back on take-off – noticeable especially over bigger fences.
Boots	Medium	Fetlock boots protect the horse's legs from pole contact when the jump is ridden cleanly.
Jumping whip	Low	Shorter than a dressage whip, meant for occasional, targeted cues from the light seat.

Cavaletti to your first fence

Cavaletti by gait: 80–90 cm in walk, 1.20–1.40 m in trot, about 3 m in canter – the spacing follows the rhythm.
Use a placing pole: Removes the uncertainty over the take-off point for both horse and rider before the first real fence.
Start low: 40–60 cm for the first fence – timing counts here, not height.
Height only after rhythm: Only raise the height once distance and take-off point are reliable – never the other way round.

The 3 golden jumping rules

Factor 1: The light seat relieves the horse's back

Concept: Riding a fence in the flat seat sits on the horse's back through the bascule and disrupts the arc. Tip: Shift weight from the seat bones to the thighs, knee and heel down – shorten your stirrups from the flat-seat length to do it.

Factor 2: Jumping ahead and left behind are balance errors

Concept: Both classic timing faults over a fence come from a lack of balance in the two-point seat, not from courage or hesitation. Tip: Practise the long crest release: hand a third to halfway up the neck – it forgives balance errors over a fence the most.

Factor 3: Take-off decides it, not the hand in the air

Concept: During the flight phase your horse follows a fixed trajectory – rein aids can only disturb it now, never correct it. Tip: Set your seat and eyes before take-off: walk the course, count double-steps (≈1 metre), know distances beforehand instead of correcting mid-air.

Rules & faults

Item	In short
4-fault rule	A dropped rail or first refusal each cost 4 points – a second refusal means elimination.
Time faults	Count only after jumping faults – 0 faults on a slow time beats any fast round with faults.
Class ladder	E (85 cm) to S (140–160 cm) – every step a realistic increment, never a leap.

Safety on course

Injury risk drops with technique: 17.6 injuries per 1,000 hours for beginners, only 1.7–2.1 for pros – clean fundamentals are active risk management.
Helmet is mandatory, vest too rare: The head remains the most common injury site – even at elite level. Only 14% consistently wear a safety vest.
Train hip mobility deliberately: Elite riders open the hip through about 55 degrees between take-off and landing – trained, not innate mobility.
Groundpoles before height: Secure rhythm and feel for distance first – that's why experienced jumpers fall less often.

Pro tip: Walk every course on foot and count the canter strides between fences out loud (two steps ≈ 1 metre). Know the distance beforehand and you won't need to correct anything mid-air – timing beats courage.