I saw a post on Payne Equestrian LLC’s page about removing keyhole jumps from eventing, because some horses duck when going through/over them, which can cause wrecks.
The comments were interesting, some for and some against. A fall from 2008’s Kentucky course at the easter basket jump was brought up, but from what I understand there was more to that than just being a keyhole (not privy to what, though!).
Thoughts on keyhole jumps?
That was a terrible fall, but if I recall, it was speed. I,(granted as a real Smurf,) have never seen a problem, but maybe make them a bit bigger.
The famous wreck you are referring to was at a keyhole, but the horse didn’t duck. It was a full, true rotational and it was absolutely horrific.
The horse galloped full on, chest first into the fence and flipped.
RAyers had some interesting thoughts about that that I can’t recall accurately at the moment.
I was not aware of the ducking phenom prior to reading the Payne Equestrian post.
Denny Emerson used to complain about course designers not making the keyholes large enough for tall riders.
As a rider, I have always disliked riding a horse through a keyhole. They tend to want to jump flatter, hang their shoulders, and duck their neck. It’s an awful feeling when it’s a really stiff fence. They don’t want to hit the top, so they try to skim the fence.
It could be my smurfiness showing, but I never could unprogram any of my horses from doing the instinctual. It could also be that we don’t have very generous ones here in Area 1. There are only a handful of keyholes available to school in my area and they are steep asks for their level. There are no baby ones.
I understand why it is enormously popular for spectators. But I don’t like the ask.
FWIW, I posted both of Mia’s videos of her rides through both the 3* and 5* keyholes on my FB page yesterday.
(Mine is a public profile username : Xctrygirl. www.facebook.com/Xctrygirl )
You can see that “Invictus” (Horse in question) looks at the fence and sure he ducks but he jumped it just fine.
For relevant discussion the keyhole that was the one where William Fox Pitt was injured looked like this:
Both the horse that WFP was on and Invictus are/were 7 yrs old at the time competing at an Intermediate level championship caliber course.
I think the Roller coaster keyhole was many shades kinder than the owl.
I’m not sure why Doug has a thing about these jumps but he’s on the record with it from before.
The biggest “keyhole” memory I have is unrelated to Laine Ashker positively being the source of all bad judgements and it killing poor Frodo. Instead it was the hit that Mara DePuy took at the Atlanta Olympics when Hopper overjumped and her head made contact with the picture frame wood of the top of the fence. (I looked online but I couldn’t find a pic quickly. I do know it’s on the video). She definitely felt that one.
For my own horses, they have all done well with the picture frames/ keyholes they have jumped. But we do the baby ones at Boyd’s often.
Em
Same for me - through Training level. Unlike Em, I did not have the opportunity to school them in advance. But I thought they were lots of fun.
eew, I hadn’t seen that. But That is a huge opening. I think that is training the horse not eliminating a jump. It is a nice variation from all the skinnies I think.
From what I understand, the instinct to duck is not necessarily one that can be trained out.
Reading Doug’s post over the weekend, my first thought was, “is there any time a horse truly needs to jump through a roofed opening or hole?”
Short of wooded, brushy areas… I think the answer is overwhelmingly no. Maybe you could argue gates with a sign overhead, but then why wouldn’t you just jump the adjacent fence?
Roofed? probably not. But jumping through a gap between hedges and trees is common enough out hunting. I think this is one of those fences where horses and riders from “big hedge” country have an advantage. Unless I suppose the horse had a bad experience hitting a branch but I would think that is rare. It’s usually the rider who gets whacked in the head.
As a tall person I do agree on the height issue- if you can’t make it easily safe enough for a 6’+ rider on a 17.2hh horse deciding to way over jump then don’t include it. And width wise, I also like my elbows and knees so make that reasonable too. The one posted where WFP fell seems very small and dark and unnatural looking.
I saw this, someone brought up how horses can jump in an indoor or load onto a trailer. I think that an indoor arena roof is MUCH higher than a keyhole, and perhaps trailer loading comes without the act of jumping so the horse is already aware of his head room.
I believe Doug Payne said, paraphrasing, that we don’t remove drops into water just because a few horses got water in their ears (from falls) so why would we remove keyholes just because a few horses duck?
And yet he’s clearly not so bothered by the risk that he won’t ask his horses to do it.
My recollection is that after WFP’s fall, they reviewed the owl fence. It was decided this type of jump should not have spread, and should not have a downhill landing - both of which were identified as problems with that owl.
I saw the video of this. Honestly from what I could tell, it looked a little more like a little slip/scramble on takeoff from a longish distance than anything to do with the keyhole. If this photo was quick frame later the horse had his ears up and looks totally normal.
I don’t have issues with well designed/defined keyhole fences. Yes, excessively small sizing is a stupid gimmick/trick that can ruin horse and rider confidence.
Here are 2 “keyholes” at this year’s Rebecca farm from my perspective. The horse has a very clear way through and so long as the rider rides it as a “normal” fence making sure the horse see that there is nothing on the backside to distrust, they had little effect on the jump.
Approach to “keyhole” 1, table under interlaced trees.
Peanut’s response.
The second keyhole.
Peanut’s response.
In both cases I rode a line past the fence with my eye out beyond. Keyholes can be fun confidence boosters for riders.
The first picture frame I ever rode was as a 13yo novice rider, in a clinic. It was a training level picture frame, I had no idea I should ride it differently than any other ramp. We’d done a “bus stop” before, with a very tall lattice top. This picture frame had a noticeable banner board, and to my utter surprise my steady XC machine STOPPED at our first attempt. He inched up to it, sticking his nose out and ducking his ears, convinced he wouldn’t fit through. At the clinician’s suggestion, I let him stick his head and neck through the opening, gave him a pat, and approached again. I rode it very strongly and he jumped it, and I felt my first “duck” as he flattened himself and flinched over. Big pats, good boy. Did it one more time, and he jumped it very confidently and normal. I learned a lesson that day, though: even the bravest horse may hesitate at a framed fence.
My next horse never noticed framed fences up through prelim. No ducking at all. My mare after that went up to Advanced, and jumped a number of keyholes and bushy topped fences. She occasionally flinched her ears and squinted through the narrow ones, but always brave, safe, and tidy. My gelding after her also went through Intermediate and FEI, and sometimes he ducked a little and sometimes he wouldn’t. Back in all these days, it was RARE to find a keyhole to school. They just weren’t built at schooling venues, and you really only encountered them in competition. Most of the time horses at Intermediate and Advanced were brave and experienced enough to jump it safely; but there were definitely some eliminations simply because a green horse couldn’t answer the question. Now in “prime” eventing areas (II, III) it is easy to introduce horses to the concept while schooling at a lower level.
Based upon my experience with a number of different horses, I disagree that “once a duck, always a duck.” I think it is very normal for a horse to duck at its first attempt over a frame or keyhole. It may even duck the second time. But once it understands the question, it can jump it safely as any other XC fence. Could there be a mistake? Sure. Just like there could be a mistake at a plain table or ramp anywhere else on course.
If you have a horse who is forever ducking and hesitant at a keyhole, maybe you don’t have an event horse. If you have a ditchy horse, or a water-phobic horse, you may never completely conquer the issue and perhaps need to find the horse a more suitable job.
Keyholes are not as fundamental to eventing as water and ditches, and I’m not willing to die on the Keyhole Hill fighting to keep them on course. Personally they aren’t my favorite jump, and I will fully admit you can’t always predict how it will ride. But tests of bravery and willingness are fundamental to eventing, and I would rather jump a keyhole here or there than have XC turn into nothing but skinnies, corners, and wedges in a show jump contest. Riding to a keyhole is one instance on course where you have to hold a line but must ride boldly; the horse isn’t going to run out, it will either jump through or it won’t. It rewards forward thinking, forward riding (not picking and pulling), and the rider must have a secure position to help the horse if it needs a “throw your heart over first” moment.
Agreed. She galloped her horse straight at it and he flipped. She got lucky with her other mount earlier in the day that he didn’t do the same thing, perhaps his experience/sense of self-preservation kicked in. But for years (and to this day) she claims he ducked and that’s why he chested it, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense when you consider the mechanics of their fall.
AND the MANY bystander images.
None of which showed him ducking.
Em
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