The second WBFSH Seminar on the evaluation of young show jumpers in ‘s Hertogenbosch, Holland, was held on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd 2005. The results of the JUMPEX research, performed in The Netherlands between 1998 and 2003, was on the programme of the first day. Dr. René van Weeren gave detailed information about the biomechanical research performed by dr. Susanna Santamaria and all developments concerning the young show jumpers performing in the JUMPEX research.
Dr. Van Weeren confronted the participants (around 40 in number) with the outset of the research:
- Do horses, which are trained as show jumpers at a young age, develop into better show jumpers?
- Is there a relation between the jumping of a foal and the jumping of that same horse at a later age under the saddle?
Around 40 promising young show jumpers, split up at foal age into one group to be trained in free jumping, one group to be raised in the classical way (in the field), proved that there only is a temporary effect of training. At age 4 the trained horses jumped better, at age 5 there were no differences left, the group that was raised as a young horse in the classical way equalised the experimental group of trained horses. It was noted that studbooks have to bear in mind that this temporary effect of training is a potential threat to an adequate estimation of the ability. Insufficiently trained horses can not reveal there talents to the optimum, trained horses may seem to be of higher quality than there un- or under trained colleagues.
The second question however received a positive reply: objective measurements (infrared camera’s) have shown a very strong relation between the way of free jumping at foal age, age 1, age 2 and the way of jumping under the saddle at age 5. A foal that jumps with a straight top line also jumps with a straight top line when he performs under the saddle. Foals with quick reflexes develop into full-grown show jumpers with quick reflexes etc.
Dr. Van Weeren showed us the differences between the way of jumping of the best horses and the way of jumping of the poor performers. With regard to the general subject of this second WBFSH seminar it was quite interesting to see that the good show jumpers have an efficient way of jumping (good technique of front- and hind leg, low position of the neck at take-off, round top line over the fence, centre of gravity relatively close to the fence) which enables them to avoid spending too much energy while avoiding the fences. This element re-appeared the next day in the discussion about the vital traits for evaluating young show jumpers.
Consecutively dr. Kathalijne Visser gave a presentation of her Horsonality-thesis, performed with the JUMPEX horses. For the first time in history, dr. Visser was able to describe the personality of the horse. She proved that character traits can be quantified and that the personality of the horse can be divided into three parts: the emotional temperament, social behaviour towards rider/groom and learning ability. For studbooks and judges it was interesting to learn that there is a lasting effect (at least until the age of 5 years) of handling at a young age. The horses in the experimental group were easier to handle and ‘better company’ at a later age. They were less emotional (lower heart variability rates etc.) and therefore easier to judge. Horses that are handled at a young age will be more relaxed and therefore they will be easier to evaluate. Conclusion: don’t expect a 3-year old, that only saw the field in his lifetime, to be judge-able when taken to a show to perform in free jumping.
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One of the conclusions of a multi variate analysis of the JUMPEX research is that a good show jumper needs a bit of the fleeing instinct that is so typical for the horse in general. A lot of the horses that showed quite a bit of reaction to the so called novel object test (an umbrella falling from the ceiling of an indoor arena) later proved to be good show jumpers. And indeed it is imaginable that horses like Ratina, E.T., Calvaro, Butterfly Flip, Shutterfly, Audi’s Jikke and Eurocommerce Montreal probably would not walk slowly towards the umbrella to have a bite!
The second day of the seminar concentrated on the vital traits for evaluating young show jumpers. Dirk Willem Rosie and Hans Horn gave a presentation on behalf of a group of breeders, riders, trainers and scientists that perform a thorough re-evaluation of show jumper breeding in Holland. On the basis of the findings of the JUMPEX research (the effective show jumper) a score sheet was developed, taking into account that the full performance of jumping should be covered, not using overlapping traits. Other aspects taken into account concern the process of specialisation. It is necessary to develop a specific score sheet for show jumpers because today – but even more in the near future – dressage horses look differently, move differently and may also develop different temperament traits. For instance: in Dutch breeding the average neck position of the 1000 horses with the highest breeding value for show jumping was more horizontal than the average neck position of the 1000 horses with the highest breeding value for dressage. Both in Germany and in Holland genetics found a clear negative correlation between dressage and show jumping. Both in Hannover and in KWPN the top dressage stallions decrease the average ability for jumping. This in an ongoing process, the populations of dressage horses and show jumpers will float away from each other more and more with every new generation. The group of breeders, riders, trainers and scientists that perform a thorough re-evaluation of show jumper breeding in Holland felt that also the canter should be reviewed with ‘specialist’ eyes: show jumpers need a different kind of canter than dressage horses. In dressage a clear vertical element is required in movement, in show jumping too much verticality is not just redundant, but undesirable.
Five traits were put under discussion, four of them were accepted unanimously by the participants:
- Canter (to be scored on a bi-polar scale from ‘Unbalanced’, ‘On the fore hand’, ‘Four beat’ at one side and ‘Carried’, ‘Balanced’, ‘Three beat’ on the other
- Technique (‘Inefficient’, ‘Straight top line’ versus ‘Efficient’, ‘Round top line’). After discussion ‘The approach towards the fence’ and ‘The landing’ were added under ‘Technique’ with the following bi-polar qualifications: ‘Inefficient approach’, ‘Awkward landing’ versus ‘Efficient approach’, ‘Elastic landing’.
- Reflexes (‘Slow’ versus ‘Fast’)
- Scope (‘Little power in take off’, ‘Landing short’ and ‘Giving everything’ versus ‘Powerful take off’, ‘Covers big spread’, ‘Jumps with ease’
The fifth trait ‘Temperament’ was heavily under discussion. It was no discussion that temperament would be hard to judge in free jumping, as it was no discussion that temperament in general is vital to the performance of any show jumper. The necessity to teach breeders to pay more attention to temperament and the required balance in the judging system (‘Temperament’ is easy to judge and vital to the system in judging young horses under the saddle) led to the conclusion that we should give it a try. So ‘Temperament’ was added with the bi-polar qualifications ‘Not careful, ‘Not Eager’, ‘Not concentrated’ versus ‘Careful’, ‘Eager’, ‘Concentrated’.
Five horses were judged by all participants in free jumping. The arena was small, the facilities less than ideal. The horses were commentated upon afterwards by Egbert Schep, international horse dealer, trainer and rider from Holland. The participants, coming from 4 continents, 12 countries and 19 WBFSH-member studbooks, proved to be quite uniform in judging, according to ir. Hans van Tartwijk who performed a quick calculation of standard deviations, ‘Temperament’ not being the trait with the smallest degree of unanimity.
Drawing lines to the past (the first WBFSH seminar in Flyinge) and the future, the closing words came from prof. Ingvar Fredricson, expressing the need for international understanding of the show jumping horse, explaining the value of a group of involved people, learning and teaching about the international sport that horses all alike have to perform all around the globe. This ‘WBFSH family of show jumping experts’ yet remains to be established. |