Your definition of scope/scopey?

[RugBug]

A pony of any size can be scopey. You can scale scope to size of the animal. You wouldn’t expect a small pony (11h) to be able to jump the same fences as a 17h WB but a small could jump large wide fences for its size and therefore would be considered scopey. And there are certainly ponies who can compete right along side horses.

[QUOTE=ybiaw;8914413]
Scope is Cortes C at the NHS, what, 2 years ago now? Clearing that final oxer from a looooooong spot with ease.[/QUOTE]

Yes! He also shows a lot of heart/try. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14nX71vmHlo

[PNWjumper]

Maybe it’s similar to the famous pornography quote. “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.”

But in all seriousness, I don’t think there’s a lot of flexibility in the definition of the word scope. Scope = power, ability to get over a jump, thrust. Has little to do with technique. A horse with good technique may have scope because of the technique, but a horse with poor technique can still be scopey. My TB fits this definition (lots of scope, not great technique), or on a more known scale, Rodrigo Pessoa’s Loro Piana Tomboy horse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JljBBBiMqcw).

Cortes C definitely has lots of scope, no question. Though the long distance example, like RugBug noted, demonstrates his heart/try as much as scope.

And yes, a pony can be scopey - no real difference between a pony and a horse. And some ponies can absolutely jump as big as a horse. Stroller was a great example, but you can watch the videos showing the pony finals in Europe for the same thing on a daily/annual basis.

One of the sad things about many trainers/horsepeople today is that they equate scope to technique and only recognize scope when it comes alongside excellent technique. The really good trainers, IMO, recognize each factor for itself AND understand how they play together.

[ybiaw]

[QUOTE=PNWjumper;8914575]
Maybe it’s similar to the famous pornography quote. “I can’t define it, but I know it when I see it.”

But in all seriousness, I don’t think there’s a lot of flexibility in the definition of the word scope. Scope = power, ability to get over a jump, thrust. Has little to do with technique. A horse with good technique may have scope because of the technique, but a horse with poor technique can still be scopey. My TB fits this definition (lots of scope, not great technique), or on a more known scale, Rodrigo Pessoa’s Loro Piana Tomboy horse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JljBBBiMqcw).

Cortes C definitely has lots of scope, no question. Though the long distance example, like RugBug noted, demonstrates his heart/try as much as scope.

And yes, a pony can be scopey - no real difference between a pony and a horse. And some ponies can absolutely jump as big as a horse. Stroller was a great example, but you can watch the videos showing the pony finals in Europe for the same thing on a daily/annual basis.

One of the sad things about many trainers/horsepeople today is that they equate scope to technique and only recognize scope when it comes alongside excellent technique. The really good trainers, IMO, recognize each factor for itself AND understand how they play together.[/QUOTE]

The fact that he tried it shows his heart. The fact that he CLEARED it shows his scope.

[JumpinBean17]

Most answers align with my thoughts on scope (ie ability to jump high and wide etc.) but I started to get curious about the perception of the term based on the discussion that was prompted between myself and other horse friends - interesting!

[foursocks]

I think one way of judging it is by the negative- what isn’t scope. When a horse struggles to get up and across jumps above a certain height, we can say the horse is scoped out at that height.

I had a fabulous Children’s Hunter who jumped 3’3" and lower really beautifully. He had good form, it was easy, everything flowed. At 3’6" he could still get over but his form began to falter and the flow simply wasn’t there. So, he was great at 3’ and that is where he spent his career.

ETA: the horse we bought after that competed up through 4’ regulars without any issues. 4’ on him felt effortless, smooth, easy, and he maintained his form. We never tested him much above that but given he much height he could get over 4’ on an average day, he probably wasn’t scoped out for a few more inches.