With the jump’s parameters, we enter into the area of interactions between morphological characteristics, natural characteristics of locomotion and their expression to serve the jumping exercise.
The strength is the ability to operate the levers of the shoulder and rump and mobilize the back and neck muscles to propel the horse with a maximum of energy upwards and forwards. The traction power could be estimate with the weight of the trailer load; the power of jump is not merely the height or the width of the crossed fence, insofar as it is related also to work, confidence and jump technique.
This observation is subjective and the elements of characterization that we propose are visual order.
Power impression is the resultant of several natural components and related to the training, including blood, shoulder, rump and back conformation, suppleness, muscle tone.
It is measured by the ability of the horse to produce the same form of jump regardless of the quality of the approach (distance, balance...) and whatever the height or width of the obstacle (staying in reasonable standards i.e. 1 m 40 maximum height and 1 m 60 maximum width to free jump a three years old).
It is with its strength that the horse will be able to cross over fences very high or very wide, but also compensate for defects or inaccuracies of location of the take-off stride or balance of the rider upon jumping.
It is essential to address the very high level and very useful for amateur riders to offset the "hazards" of a course.
The strength is related to the size of the bones of the shoulder and rump. It is linked to the tone and the power of the muscles that animate them. It is expressed if the horse has self-confidence.
Regarding the morphology, the power of the hocks that bend and stretch in the take-off stride to orient the jump and then to articulate in the air to participate in the shape of the trajectory, is very important. We will prefer the hocks not too bent to allow a good vertical push, quite wide at their base and attached strongly to the thigh (tibia) with a robust tendon.