@Mouse_amp_Bay, you nailed it, as far as I’m concerned. We just went in the ring, or the outside course, and galloped around. Most of the jumps in the hunter ring were more simple, like just post-and-rail, or coops, set by themselves (not as part of a line). The courses today are way different and much more demanding, IMHO. As I have described it: on the outside course, about 1/2 the time your horse was headed to the barn, the jumps were 12-15’ wide, and had 8’ wings on them. Um yeah, just jumped over anything, for the most part!
I like this change for jumpers and @Renn_aissance has a good point on how the optimum time can be adjusted for difficulty. Bravo to Aaron Vale for putting his support behind this move.
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This. My Old Man was the king of this, he could turn and jump from anywhere, speed was 100% unnecessary. I think if they designed the LL courses with nothing but tight turns and very few long lines that encourage galloping, the problem would solve itself.
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Looks like JP118 was passed, eliminating speed classes for junior and amateur jumper classes set below 0.90 meters.
ETA: Also eliminates combinations, and applies to pony jumper classes and opportunity jumper classes.
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Astonishing number of lower level riders and their “trainer people” who think “there are no rules in Jumpers” and show there because they lack any solid foundation in basics and/or ignore track, managing stride length etc.
I sometimes took my good, slow 3’ AA Hunter in schooling show low Jumpers to fill. Always said sure, will fill for you but always try, not going to throw it, they’d laugh. Then, because we could plan and execute a proper track at a proper pace and the time allowed was…generous? We’d pin very well. They quit asking after a couple of these efforts.
Sadly don’t think what happens at the rated level trickles down as often as it should and “professional guidance” is largely absent at unrated schooling shows.
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The amount of turn and burn I see at shows is scary. Seeing it be encouraged by (thankfully very few) trainers is appalling. WHOOP WHOOP you nearly crashed into every fence but miraculously left them all up go get your ribbon! I wish every rider and trainer would focus on the track rather than the gunning at jumps… and optimum time makes sense in that regard. As someone who will never (probably) go over 2’9 courses again it would probably get boring. However, I’d rather kids be safer.
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I think one factor is lack of saddle time. I started riding back in the '60s. There was lots of open land for pony girl gangs to roam on and lots more people had/had access to horses close to/at home. We came home after school and were home all summer and a lot of that free time was spent on horseback. That much time in the saddle helps develop confident, balanced riders.
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