This year’s $100,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Qualifier will also serve as a 2016 Rio Olympics qualifier.
The show jumping event was selected as one of the qualifying events for the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro from Aug. 12-19.
Show jumping first appeared at the Olympics in 1900, but did not reappear until 1912 and has remained in the games ever since.
The return of show jumping to the Olympics after 12 years can be largely attributed to Federico Caprilli. In the 1900 Olympics, show jumpers had a completely different technique than they do today. Riders leaned way back in the saddle with their feet high up on the horse’s shoulders. This technique caused an awkward jumping motion by the horse, which would almost come to a standstill in front of the jump.
Caprilli revolutionized the sport by popularizing his forward seat position. He demonstrated the technique at an international competition in 1906. Unfortunately, he would never get to use it at an Olympics. He died in 1907 when he fell off a horse.
But his technique lived on and its fundamentals are still taught today. Caprilli’s technique allowed the horse to jump in a more fluid motion. Horses were able to jump higher and further than before, forcing increases in the height of jumps.
Other tweaks were also implemented over the years including the number of obstacles in an Olympic competition and how penalty points were assessed. The rules have remained relatively unchanged for nearly 60 years.
In addition to the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Qualifier serving as an Olympic qualifier, it is the final event in the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League. The outcome could determine who gets to travel to the World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg, Sweden on March 23-26.
For more information about the event, contact us today.
