landing

 

Observation

The quality of the landing, which predisposes the approach of the next fence, is related to morphology, locomotion and jumping technique criteria.
It is evaluated by the number of necessary strides for the horse to recover the balance and availability he had in the stride before the take-off, in order to produce a new jump. It is linked to the natural ability of the horse to cushion the blow of landing and take back immediately all its faculties.
More the bascule will be important and more the body will be in a vertical position at the of the front feet touch the ground, more physical constraints will be important in the fore-hand and more the balance recovery will be disrupted.
The more supple and able to engage his hindquarters under its weight is the horse, the more the balance recovery.
The more elastic is the trajectory, the more it will manage the physical constraints of landing. In addition it will effectively use his neck in the landing phase, it will be quickly available for the next maneuver (jump, turn...).
To properly observe the natural predisposition of the free jumping horse to recover its balance, it is necessary to leave enough space after the obstacle so that he can perform at least 3 strides in a straight line. That is to provide at least 15 to 18 m between the background of the obstacle and the end of the line. The observer must be on the side of the landing-spot of the obstacle and focus its attention on this particular aspect of the jump.

 

Characterization

The evaluation is done subjectively, by the expert eye, by estimating the number of strides needed for recovery of balance. For those who have a free jumping place with a long straight-line, it is possible to verify the assessment by proposing a two strides double combination with two identical fences.

 

Meaning

The necessity for a rapid equilibrium recovery is a no-brainer. Sequence of distances imposing a variation of amplitude of the stride, need to quickly turn from a jump are the two main reasons that make significant a good predisposition to the fast balance recovery after the jump.

 

Discussion

This quality is related to conformation, locomotion and jumping technique parameters that are heritable.
However, it is also a quality that develops through training: cavaletti lines, pols on the ground at the landing...
Taking into account the parameters involved in this training, it should not be undertake too fast and too hard, at the risk of penalizing the longevity of the horse. As such, a good natural predisposition to balance recovery is to search and preserve.