Olympic show jumping

I was very impressed with some of the 18 year old horses in the show jumping part (I watched today’s round). Noticed there were a couple older ones too in eventing!

So, what’s their secret? I know a lot of warmbloods are already on hock injections in their early prime. I know obviously Olympic horses probably equal Olympic quality feed… supplements…but what else!? I’m really interesting in what they are doing in having an 18 year old warmblood still happily jumping those size of fences!

I think that last jump with the light pink and yellow is hard to see for the horses, they have to be sure to aim straight for it from far away, so it doesn’t surprise the horses.
First ones to go found that out.
The very light dark green with odd high flat wings also looks tricky, some do fine, some just not quite, poles seem to blend into each other.
To me, the angle of the camera makes the riders and horses look awkward at times.

Is a good course and most are answering the questions well.

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Significant sports medicine or body work and maintenance programs for some of these horses. I have a 20 year old who still jumps 1m. Not 1.60m, but - still! We do some regular sports medicine work to keep him fit sound and happy. Beyond supplements and a good feed and exercise program I can bet many of the senior horses competing at this level are getting massage, HA injections, chiro, maybe even IRAP or laser. Some may not at all, but I would assume that’s more rare. The investment in the wellness of an old horse can be extensive, but well worth it.

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I would suggest the opposite. The horses are given time off, turn out, are not over jumped and don’t get huge amounts of unnecessary supplements, joint injections and general over fussing. I’m amazed when I read of the levels of medication given to American show horses. Also, shows in Europe generally last only a few days before the circus moves on so there is variety in surfaces and course builders etc and that, I suggest, is helpful in keeping horses sound.

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I remember when Emanuel Andrade (sp) had his horses auctioned by the feds and they came with full disclosure vet records. All of his horses including Hardrock Z were injected to the 9’s starting very young

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I have had more than 1 trainer in my life maintain nearly 30 year old horses who were still actively ridden and competed at the GP level in dressage and show jumping into their early to mid 20s

The commonalities include:

  • Turn out over varied terrain - often 8-12 hours/day
  • Various time off like 2 months in winter or 2 months mid summer
  • Showing/ being ridden on grass (often not perfectly flat) and on surfaces
  • Jumping only 1x a week / only at height at shows using poles/ much lower efforts instead at home / complex dressage movements were not drilled but the mobility work that precedes it was paramount
  • Hacking out / walk only rides of about an hour+
  • Excellent farrier work – some of the horses were entirely barefoot
  • Massage, laser, icing, Bemer
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Honestly, one of the factors that keeps so many upper-level horses happy jumping big later in their teens that I almost never see mentioned is that they’re consistently ridden WELL. Back to front, skilled contact that keeps them supple & on the bit, jumping with real impulsion, using their body properly, and so on.

All the other stuff—turnout, vet maintenance, farrier, footing, show schedule, etc.—is a factor of course. But less skilled riding to any height of fence increases the likelihood of injury (either from a big accident or just long-term pounding), not to mention sourness. I really believe that’s why so many people tend to think of 18 as old for jumping, especially in the US. Nobody likes to admit that their riding might contribute to a soundness issue, but asking a horse to jump without impulsion, strung out, etc. puts a lot of wear and tear on their bodies.

That being said, genetics also plays an important role—some horses are just warriors.

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There is certainly something to the “not overjumped”. Generalizing here, but most GP/UL horses aren’t ridden by people who are learning - and if they are, they aren’t the practice horse. Meaning, while it takes X jumps and Y rounds to get a rider comfortable at the level, the horse can do far less before it starts to wear on them.

The horse that is ridden imperfectly by a rider who needs to jump 3x a week to reach their goals is unlikely to be going around big tracks at 19 years old. No matter how much Bemer and HA they get.

Most UL riders who talk about their programs say similar things - the horse only jumps at shows, they save them for the important weeks, and maybe they do a warmup round or two to get into the ring. They aren’t lessoning 2x a week and showing the AOs 26 weeks/year, they’re hacking out and doing good flatwork and only jumping when they have to.

This clashes with what it takes to get a rider to the level. It’s almost impossible for someone to get really good at ANY skill if they don’t practice - which is why most have multiple horses which translates to enough saddle time. Even the ones with one show horse may have practice horses and catch rides at home.

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Huge emphasis on picking the right horses in the first place and on good riding. You don’t see many top level horses with the tragedy level conformation you see at the lower levels. Anything that has trouble staying sound as a youngster get moved along. They are ridden correctly and by light weight riders. They get enough warm up and cool down (often 20 min walk to start) and do lots of walking hacks and conditioning work, all things working ammies tend to rush or skip. They are not under-muscled or fed cheap feed. Small problems are noticed immediately and death with.

But once you have a good horse a lot of it is riding. Everytime you work out you are either making yourself better and stronger or breaking yourself down. No different with horses.

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And let’s not forget luck.

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This. I was talking to a vet that was a team vet for US eventing 10+ years ago and is now a prominent soundness vet in my area. He says the horses in Europe have much more turnout, much better conditioning over all, cross training (ie trails) and much less showing.