Jumping: AMHR vs. AMHA

[JMS Miniatures]

Why should it come down to how fast the handler can run??? That is my whole point. It is supposed to be a JUMPING contest, not a handler RUNNING class.

Now, I could be wrong, but ...

My guess is most people who believe AMHR Jumping is a handler running class have never competed in the class.

If they did, they would know it is a partnership between the horse and handler. It doesn't come down to how fast the handler can run. The fastest runner isn't always going to win a Jumping class. Speed does help, to be sure. But even more important is the synergy and trust between horse and handler.

I do show in AMHR jumping both local and National and I say when it does come down to it its whoever has the fastest time. You really don't need judges there even, just as long somebody can count the faults and such. Of course the horse must love to do it and work together with you, but whoever is faster with no faults wins.

 

[susanne]

We have yet to enter a juming class of any sort (though we plan to this spring), so this is an outsider's perspective...

There is something to be said for all the different approaches, and there's no great point in comparing AMHR with AMHA... but a couple of things bother me:

First, while I enjoy watching a horse float over the jumps with beautiful form, in synchronicity with its handler...don't we already get that in hunter? It seems to me that the two classes are more similar than they need to be.

Second, why, in a registry with horses up to 38 inches, are the jumps so low? Mingus sailed over our 48 inch corral fence with very little effort and room to spare (which is why we plan to enter this class...but also why I understand what Susan is saying, LOL!). While I agree that we don't want to ask too much of them, 12 to 24 inch jumps are hardly a challenge to a leggy B mini...

It just seems to me that jumping could place a bit more emphasis on JUMPING and a bit less on speed.

 

[Karen S]

Thank you Suzanne for your comment on the heights of the jumps. When I wrote my post I was trying to get people to see that there are height restrictions in the ASPC/AMHR rules. AMHA may not have those height restrictions with their Jumper classes.

I do agree that the jumps are a bit too low especially for the Shetlands as they can just sail right over them but sometimes the smaller Shetlands can obtain a "Fault" when their feet click the pole. Those of you that participate in the ASPC/AMHR Jumper class may want to get together and make a proposal for the 2007 Conventnion (those proposals are due by July 1st, 2007) to have the heights of those jumper classes raised beyond the 30" that is in the rulebook.

If any of you need to brush up on the rules of the Jumper/Hunter classes, you can obtain them on line from the ASPC/AMHR website. They are on pages 256, 257, 258, 259, 260 of our official rulebook

Karen

 

[Yaddax3]

Those of you that participate in the ASPC/AMHR Jumper class may want to get together and make a proposal for the 2007 Conventnion (those proposals are due by July 1st, 2007) to have the heights of those jumper classes raised beyond the 30" that is in the rulebook.

Raising the height may be something to consider.

Then again ...

In Open Jumper Over at AMHR Nationals, only 10 of 25 horses advanced to the second, or timed, round.

For some reason, 15 minis failed to get over jumps cleanly in the first round. And some of the handlers were very fast runners, though they never got to show it in the timed round.

Hmmmmm. Maybe speed isn't everything.

 

[susanne]

I'm sure there are plenty of 38" minis who cannot jump even a small jump, and others who for one reason simply refuse, but I think higher jumps would be great.

I can certainly see that speed isn't everything, and I wouldn't want to see anyone setting up for each individual jump or stopping to rest and recollect as they might if time were not an issue at all..

I think having a maximum time limit for a round would make more sense than using the fastest time to determine the winner. That way nobody could dally, but the slow and the grace-challenged (like me) would not be penalized.

...I haven't had enough coffee this morning, so I hope I'm making sense...

 

[Ashley]

Well some of you on this post know me, have seen me show and yes I do typically love jumping. I still stand behind it being all speed of the handler when it comes down to it.