Jumping, or showjumping, is one of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines. It consists of team and individual competitions.

Jumping requires the horse to jump and clear a series of 10 to 13 obstacles within a given time. The obstacles are mainly vertical, spread or a combination of both, with the most challenging at as high as 1.6 meters with a spread of 2 meters.

Combined obstacles could be double or triple bars in a short distance. What's more, the rider and horse combination is required to clear them with no pauses between the obstacles and would otherwise have to try the combined ones all over again.

If the horse refuses to jump or knock down the fences, the team will incur 4 penalty points. There will be additional penalties if the horse and rider exceeds the time limit. The combination that has completed the task with the least penalties wins.

The horse and rider will be out after a second refusal or any fall. If there is a tie, there will be the jump-off. If there is yet another tie, the combination that completed the task within the least time wins.

The sport tests the skills, accuracy and training of the combination, and requires the horses to have powerful hind legs. It is different from dressage in that there will be no marking on elegance or carriage.

The competition is challenging also because the organizers will not announce the positioning of the obstacles until just 30 minutes before the game. The riders are allowed a glimpse of the obstacles but horses won't be allowed in the court until after the game has started. The riders, therefore, will have to estimate the distances between the obstacles and measure them against the pace of their horses.

Jumping has long been established as one of the Olympic equestrian disciplines.

Rodrigo Pessoa from Brazil was the winner of the gold medal for jumping at the 2004 Athens Olympics, while the United States took the team gold.

(Xinhua News Agency August 8, 2008)