Show Jumping Rider Clearing the Rails coloring page

About this coloring page

A show jumping rider competes in the horse sport most people recognize at a glance. Rider and horse must clear a course of colorful fences in a set order, within a time limit, without knocking down any rails. It has been part of the Olympic Games since Stockholm in 1912.

The scoring is refreshingly simple: fewest faults wins. Each rail knocked down adds four faults, and so does a refusal, when the horse stops in front of a jump. Going over the time allowed adds faults too, while a fall or repeated refusals means elimination. When several riders finish clean, they return for a timed jump-off, where the fastest clear round takes the prize.

Fences come in several types. Verticals have rails stacked straight up, oxers add width with two sets of rails, and combinations string two or three jumps together with only a stride or two between them. Before competing, riders walk the course on foot, counting strides and planning every turn.

Great jumping takes a horse with power, courage and careful technique, plus a rider with a sharp eye for distance and rhythm. Trust between the two is everything, because over each fence they have to move as one.

• show jumping
• rider
• horses
• equestrian
• sports