Finishing after a fall on XC

[jonem004]

Please correct any misinformation in this post, I don’t know what I’m talking about. That’s why I’m asking.

It’s my understanding that if you fall off on XC you are eliminated. Are there any scenarios in which you can get back on your horse after?

Say your horse stops at a jump, ducks his shoulder and you land on your feet like the well practiced gymnast you are. Are you allowed to remount to walk back to the barn? Can you take your horse back to the schooling area to finish the ride on a better note? I assume there isn’t any possible way you could get back on and try the jump again?

I know a show isn’t where you go to fix a problem, but every ride is a training ride, right?

[initiate1987]

@jonem004

Please correct any misinformation in this post, I don’t know what I’m talking about. That’s why I’m asking.

It’s my understanding that if you fall off on XC you are eliminated. Are there any scenarios in which you can get back on your horse after?

Say your horse stops at a jump, ducks his shoulder and you land on your feet like the well practiced gymnast you are. Are you allowed to remount to walk back to the barn? Can you take your horse back to the schooling area to finish the ride on a better note? I assume there isn’t any possible way you could get back on and try the jump again?

I know a show isn’t where you go to fix a problem, but every ride is a training ride, right?

According to the rules, at Novice and below, if you fall off not in relation to a jump and land on your feet, you can get back on and continue. But if it’s in relation to a jump, even if you land on your feet, you’re out of luck.

I don’t believe you can remount to walk back to the barn, but I don’t think there are rules against going back to the schooling area (within reason). Sometimes if the show management is really nice, they may let you school the jump at the end of the day. I’ve seen that happen at a smaller HT I was at.

[wsmoak]

I was going to say, “Nope. Touch the ground and you’re out.” But apparently it depends on the level! I did not know this.

The Rules: https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/KlV5P9prkmM/ev-eventing-division

EV141 Cross-Country Scoring
…
b. Falls - 1. First fall of competitor in which the competitor lands on his/her feet and remains standing (Beginner Novice and Novice) 65 Penalties
2. Second fall of competitor (Beginner Novice and Novice) Elimination (RF)
3. First fall of competitor (Training, Modified, Preliminary, Intermediate and Advanced) Elimination (RF)

So if it was at a fence do you get penalties for the refusal and the fall, or just the fall?

[bornfreenowexpensive]

At the lower levels (I believe Noviceand below), if you pop off unrelated to a jump, you can get back on (assuming not hurt). Never happens with me as my horses usually take off and I’m too tired after catching them to bother!

But any other fall, and you are done with that horse and not allowed back on to school any jumps. This is at recognized events. At unrecognized, the rules can be softer and they may permit you to get back on and continue or school but depends on the venue.

we used to be able to get back on…twice actually…but rule changes have made that prohibited.

eta: Guess they dropped the unrelated to a fence part of the rule. The rule has changed a few times.

[Willesdon]

Do remember that it is possible to be concussed by landing on your feet. Any fall should be treated with caution.

[Janet]

Actually, at any level (in USEF/USEA competitions), if you fall off NOT related to a jump, whether you land on your feet or not, as long as you are not “apparently injured”, you can remount and continue.

If it IS related to a jump, at Training and above you are eliminated (shown in the scores as RF= Rider Fall). At Novice and below, and you do NOT land on your feet, you are eliminated (RF). If you DO land on your feet (at Novice and below) you get 65 penalties, and you can remount and continue on course (in this case a second fall, whether you land on your feet or not, is elimination).

If you are eliminated (for any reason, not just Rider Fall), you must leave the course at a walk. But you are allowed to remount and ride back at a walk.

[URL=“https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/KlV5P9prkmM/ev-eventing-division”]https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/KlV5P9prkmM/ev-eventing-division
EV.138.10
EV.141.1.b
EV.142.1 and EV.142.4

The FEI rules are different, and any Rider Fall (related to the fence or not) results in Elimination. This was a rule change after the Athens Olympics, when someone fell off, not related to the fence, remounted, and finished within time.

[RAyers]

BUT, you CAN NOT use the fence to balance yourself if you fall off, e.g. resting a hand on the fence, or even stepping onto the fence in the fall. I’ve seen that a couple of times and each time the rider was eliminated.

[jonem004]

Well that’s a lot more forgiving than I thought!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Thanks Janet and Rayers for the refresher…I stopped following that rule as it continued to go through its changes as it never applies to me…I never land on my feet…and my horses never stick around anyway! But it is still good to know.

[vagabondrider]

@Janet

The FEI rules are different, and any Rider Fall (related to the fence or not) results in Elimination. This was a rule change after the Athens Olympics, when someone fell off, not related to the fence, remounted, and finished within time.

Ingrid Klimke on Sleep Late, if memory serves!

[AMWookey]

This rule always confuses everyone from the jump judges to the riders!

We had our last rider of the day at one of our War Horse schooling events, fall off at the second jump (Green as Grass… very little jumps). She is 5, adorable, and quite a smart little rider. By the time I had gotten to her from my post, she had already remounted. We call over to control, the medics and mom are already on their way over, get permission from control for her to finish the course if she was ok and mom and medics approved. Mom and medics are calling out from across the field “she can go!” As the little 5 yr old says “I know it’s against the rules, but Doodles stops some times because he is older, and it’s my last event on him because I have a new pony and my little sister (3!) Is jumping and riding Doodles now”

Finished the rest of the course no problem, and this child and her pony is one of the reasons I happily volunteer at the small course !

[hldyrhrses]

@initiate1987

I don’t believe you can remount to walk back to the barn, but I don’t think there are rules against going back to the schooling area (within reason). Sometimes if the show management is really nice, they may let you school the jump at the end of the day. I’ve seen that happen at a smaller HT I was at.

I’m pretty sure I’ve been told in jump judge meetings that if you wanted to remount after a fall to ride off the course (assuming your not hurt)- you can do that. (after elimination to back to trailers/stabling)

YOU CAN NOT go back to the schooling area/warm up to jump a few more jumps. A friend did that recently and ended up falling off and getting hurt. She was issued a yellow card b/c you can not continue to jump after being eliminated- even off course!

[Janet]

@vagabondrider

Ingrid Klimke on Sleep Late, if memory serves!

Thanks

Klimke’s cross country was a true thriller. She regularly had to push her horse over the jumps, spurring him on with the whip. Furthermore, Klimke fell off her horse in between two jumps,as Sleep Late slept [sic] in a bend. Because it was not a fall provoked by a jump, Klimke was fortunate enough not to get any penalty points for that. She merely lost some time, but she easily recouperated [sic] that by pumping her horse on long galop [sic] stretches.

http://www.eurodressage.com/index.php/2004/08/18/bettina-hoy-and-team-germany-win-eventing-gold