I am going to a schooling show in a few weeks and they have added a 4 bar class to the list. I have a vague understanding of what it is but I would love it if you guys could explain it or offer any tips or tricks for doing well in the class.
Is it like a six bar class but the ring is too small for a 6?
Basically yes. Here’s a video of one. https://eventingnation.com/ryan-wood-victorious-in-pro-4-bar-at-millbrook/
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Do you and your horse like jumping bigger jumps? This is your opportunity. Does your horse jump well through grids? Do you and your horse enjoy a challenge? The distance between the jumps is set at 36 feet. When the jumps are small in the first few rounds, you may have to stretch your horse’s step a bit (which eliminates some if their horse gets flat). If your horse has a big stride, you will need to shorten the stride between the jumps some as the jumps get bigger. It helps if you understand the changes in arc that are required as the size of the jumps increases yet the distances between them stay the same. They will get bigger with each successful round, those who incur a fault will not proceed to the next round. It can be quite encouraging to horses who like this sort of thing, they will often agree to jump things that are bigger than they usually jump as the line remains the same, other than size. If you are not actually well prepared to jump to this level, or if you or your horse is somewhat lacking in talent or courage, there is some risk of accident though, so that is something to consider. So “it depends”. I’ve seen horses and riders enter this class who should NOT be in there, and it’s not a pretty sight. My own horse thinks it’s great, and bounds down the lines with glee. She is only little at 15.2, but has a huge stride. I have to approach the line when it gets big super slow, at a “bounce” stride, otherwise we get down the line looking at “one stride” instead of “two strides”. Yikes. “No, not one stride, TWO strides”. In my opinion, this is not a “good” class for a schooling show. It is usually offered as a feature class at a show with a crowd, as a crowd pleaser, with good purse money, to encourage riders to risk their horses and themselves and ask a fairly maximum effort from both them. Because of the amount of effort that is required, it would often be the only class you do at an evening performance. I like the class, and have had good luck with doing well in it. But I would not enter it at a schooling show. But you may feel differently. There is usually a “set” number of rounds, I think it’s like 8 rounds, before the remaining competitors agree to tie and share the win rather than keep jumping.
I definitely see where you are coming from about the schooling show thing. I do not plan on pushing my horse and that is why I wanted to enter in it at a low pressure show, just to see what happens. I live in an area without more than a few rated shows a year and the schooling shows are attended by lots of people who ride responsibly.
I will be careful while participating but this does seem like something my horse and I would enjoy. He is a very brave horse and has good form over fences. He is more likely to get flat so I will try to shorten his stride a bit over the larger fences.
it’s like a judged gymnastic- as the others mentioned, the heights go up each round, you can always bow out when the jumps get a certain height.
Good luck and have fun with it. The first one I did with my mare, she was green but game, but hadn’t really figured out how to get to the base of the jump, and jump UP from the base, she was still jumping more hunter style. I had jumped her up to 4’ at home, and figured we would probably roll a rail in the class at about that level, since she was green. In the class, when the first of the jumps was at 4’, the second at 4’3, and the third at 4’6" (It was a 3 bar class), there were two of us still in it, she flattened her stride a bit coming into the first one, on the last stride. We hit that one, hard. She landed with the pole between her front legs, her nose on the ground, on her knees and tangled up in the pole we had brought down, off to the side of the line. I stayed in the tack, don’t know how. I immediately dropped one hand to guide her OUT of the line. But she ignored me. She got back up onto her feet, took the one remaining stride to the 4’3", and two more to the 4’6", jumping both the last two clean. I was stunned. I was stunned by what she had done, her focus, her determination, her courage, her work ethic, and her unadulterated raw talent, and I was stunned I was still in the saddle. She has never made another mistake like that again, and we have won the class several times at the 5’ level for the last jump (which isn’t BIG like it can get at the big shows, but plenty big enough for me). But the show organizer of one of the shows that I go to that offers this class, HATES the fact that the show insists on running the class. Because there are so many casualties, falls, people going to hospital. I like the class. I also like Gambler’s Choice classes, which are also rarely offered any more. What can I say, I’m a dinosaur.
If it’s a schooling show, it’s more than likely that they’ll make some tweaks to the spacing between the fences to make it safer for the riders, because they’ll be starting so low. Unlike the FEI 4* & 5* shows that generally have a starting height of 4’6" on up. And in those classes, I’ve seen them add a small amount of space between jumps towards the ending height, because at some point it becomes pretty much physically impossible for the arch not to carry you out practically into the next jump.
I would expect tighter distances at low heights, so horses don’t take a flyer in 1 or chip in 2 because they don’t understand what’s going on. Once it goes closer to 3’, they should loosen it up for a 12’ stride. I don’t think a schooling show is probably going to go high enough to need to open wider.
Check the program for the show and see how many rounds it is. I believe number of rounds is always predetermined and in the class specs, but height of each round is determined by the jumper judge. That person is tasked with looking at the class list and trying to pick a start point that pretty much everyone should get through and an end point that ideally only 1 can make it through, then select X number of heights in-between based on the number of rounds in the specs. Though the heights are not announced, so they can be changed if it turns out they are too easy or too hard for the field. At a schooling show, is probably they will even tell you the maximum height allowed or have it in the specs.
If your horse isn’t offended by gymnastic exercises, is okay jumping the height, and won’t melt down if it has to coming in and out of the ring several times (or possibly stand in the ring while other horses jump), I would TOTALLY DO IT!!!
Oh…and one thing I saw Andy Kocher learn from the top side-saddle puissance rider…if your horse gets to anticipating and running at the fences, counter bend a little and trot through the turn. Don’t canter until your straightened, so they have less time to get amped up. The Whitakers will do it often too.
