Post by horseguy on Sept 21, 2016 13:06:37 GMT
I recently had a question regarding Gambler's Choice. This is a Show Jumping class that has a long history. The basic elements of this class are a bunch of jumps set up in an arena and a clock. Who ever jumps the most jumps in the shortest time wins. There are variations on it, like an optional combination jump that multiples the competitor's score if thisspecial jump is jumped.
The whole basis for this class is speed jumping. Before 1955 most higher level equestrian competitors were military officers. The Gambler's Choice in a way replicated a battle field condition where the rider had to do a lot of picking their way through a bunch of obstacles in a combat situation. The riders possessed military level of discipline in all things, including riding. Therefore, they would not abuse their horses in this sort of competition. The Gambler's Choice remains to the present and can often be seen during a Grand Prix Jumping week at a major horse show like Madison Square Garden. I cringe each time I see some of the best riders in the world racing to win $10,000 or more throwing the heads of their $400,000 or more horses around, yanking on their bits and otherwise demonstrating that their desire for the cash prize is greater than their discipline that would otherwise prevent abuse to their horse's mouth and more.
Imagine a Gambler's Choice in the 1960's. There would have been some military riders still and some new civilian competitors, even some women - a new trend in Equestrian competition. WW2 was almost 20 years past. Equestrian life was changing in America. Then the Gambler's Choice would have included military riders, trained to never abuse their horse, who carefully and skillfully ran the course. Several of the less disciplined civilian riders would have entered the arena with dollar signs in their eyes. You would have seen two very different "styles" of riding in a Gambler's Choice during this transitional period. You might say the civilians, not restricted by the more disciplined riding of the military men, had an advantage. They might be able to pick up an extra jump by landing and jerking their horse onto a new line to a jump with a painful intense full strength pull on the reins that sawed the bit across their horse's tongue and bars. The military men would have held their own in the standing when it was over as well as their comments on the civilian riders who nearly beat their jump count. As these military riders aged and left the competition circuit, the "new method" of riding a Gambler's Choice was established. For me, who learned to ride from these men who demanded military level discipline in all riding, the Gambler's Choice became one more example of the devolution of equestrian sport.
There might have been a time to change the rules of this class in order to maintain its standards, set by highly disciplined military riders. Maybe if when the riders who often rode in uniform began to retire from competition the officials it could have become a judged this class. Perhaps a successful military competition rider could have been asked to sit in the stands and sound a loud horn if the competitor on the course showed the least disregard for their horse. This horn sound would have meant elimination. But that didn't happen. Instead, disciplined absolute respect for the horse was let go, and now we have the result in Gambler's Choice.
I never allowed student to enter Gambler's Choice classes. For young new riders it hurries them at a time in their riding career when they need to slow down. For older sensible riders, it turns them into selfish idiots. There is no longer any good in Gambler's Choice, I feel. Maybe as a act of respect for the teachers I had, someday I will go to Madison Square Garden and take one of those boat horns with the can of compressed gas and a trigger. When a top international rider rips the face off his horse in an attempt to have a big pay day, I'd blow the horn and think of a time when respect for the horse was the most important thing because it was your horse that brought you home from the battle, or not.
FEI Special Classes.
1. Top Score/Gambler’s Choice Competition (FEI Rules for Jumping Art. 270)
a. In this competition, a certain number of obstacles are set up in the arena. Each
obstacle carries from 10 to 120 points according to its difficulty. Combination obstacles
are not allowed. The obstacles must be built so that they can be jumped in both direc-
tions.
b. The points allocated to the obstacles may be repeated at the discretion of the
Course Designer. If it is not possible to place 12 obstacles in the arena, it is up to him to
delete the obstacles he wishes.
c. The competitor is credited with the number of points carried by each obstacle that
he has jumped correctly. No points are awarded for an obstacle knocked down.
d. Each competitor has 45 (minimum) to 90 seconds (maximum). During this time, he
may jump all the obstacles he wishes in any order and in any direction. He may cross
the starting line in either direction. The starting line must be provided with four flags; a
red and a white flag at each end of the line.
e. Ringing the bell declares the end of the round. The competitor must then cross the
finishing line in one direction or the other to allow his time to be recorded. If he does not
cross the finishing line, he is placed last of the competitors with the same number of
points. The finishing line must be provided with four flags; a red and a white flag at each
end of the line.
f. If the fixed time is reached at the moment when the horse is already taking off (front
hooves off the ground), this obstacle counts if it is correctly jumped.
g. Any obstacle knocked down during a round will not be rebuilt; if it is jumped again,
no points will be credited to the competitor. The same applies for knocking down an
obstacle in disobedience or for displacing a lower part positioned in the same vertical
plane. In the case of a disobedience without a knock-down, the competitor may jump
that obstacle or continue to the next obstacle.
h. Each obstacle may be jumped twice. The act, voluntarily or not, of jumping an obsta-
cle for the third time or of passing between the flags of an obstacle for the third time or
of passing between the flags of an obstacle already knocked down does not incur elimi-
nation. However, the competitor does not score the points allotted to this obstacle.
i. All disobediences are penalized by the time lost by the competitor. The competitor
must stop after a fall. Nevertheless he is placed according to the points obtained up to
the moment of his fall disregarding the time.
j. The competitor who has obtained the highest number of points will be declared the
winner. In the event of equality of points, the fastest time taken between the starting line
and the finishing line will decide. In the event of equality of points and time for first
place, there will be a jump-off according to the same formula with a fixed time of 40 sec-
onds.
k. An obstacle may be provided in the course duly marked by flags and titled “Joker”.
The Joker may be jumped twice; 200 points are awarded each time this obstacle is
jumped correctly, but if it is knocked down, 200 points must be deducted from the total
points obtained so far by the competitor.
l. If by ringing the bell, a joker is required to be jumped within twenty seconds after the
fixed time has expired and after the competitor has crossed the finishing line, only one
attempt is allowed.
The whole basis for this class is speed jumping. Before 1955 most higher level equestrian competitors were military officers. The Gambler's Choice in a way replicated a battle field condition where the rider had to do a lot of picking their way through a bunch of obstacles in a combat situation. The riders possessed military level of discipline in all things, including riding. Therefore, they would not abuse their horses in this sort of competition. The Gambler's Choice remains to the present and can often be seen during a Grand Prix Jumping week at a major horse show like Madison Square Garden. I cringe each time I see some of the best riders in the world racing to win $10,000 or more throwing the heads of their $400,000 or more horses around, yanking on their bits and otherwise demonstrating that their desire for the cash prize is greater than their discipline that would otherwise prevent abuse to their horse's mouth and more.
Imagine a Gambler's Choice in the 1960's. There would have been some military riders still and some new civilian competitors, even some women - a new trend in Equestrian competition. WW2 was almost 20 years past. Equestrian life was changing in America. Then the Gambler's Choice would have included military riders, trained to never abuse their horse, who carefully and skillfully ran the course. Several of the less disciplined civilian riders would have entered the arena with dollar signs in their eyes. You would have seen two very different "styles" of riding in a Gambler's Choice during this transitional period. You might say the civilians, not restricted by the more disciplined riding of the military men, had an advantage. They might be able to pick up an extra jump by landing and jerking their horse onto a new line to a jump with a painful intense full strength pull on the reins that sawed the bit across their horse's tongue and bars. The military men would have held their own in the standing when it was over as well as their comments on the civilian riders who nearly beat their jump count. As these military riders aged and left the competition circuit, the "new method" of riding a Gambler's Choice was established. For me, who learned to ride from these men who demanded military level discipline in all riding, the Gambler's Choice became one more example of the devolution of equestrian sport.
There might have been a time to change the rules of this class in order to maintain its standards, set by highly disciplined military riders. Maybe if when the riders who often rode in uniform began to retire from competition the officials it could have become a judged this class. Perhaps a successful military competition rider could have been asked to sit in the stands and sound a loud horn if the competitor on the course showed the least disregard for their horse. This horn sound would have meant elimination. But that didn't happen. Instead, disciplined absolute respect for the horse was let go, and now we have the result in Gambler's Choice.
I never allowed student to enter Gambler's Choice classes. For young new riders it hurries them at a time in their riding career when they need to slow down. For older sensible riders, it turns them into selfish idiots. There is no longer any good in Gambler's Choice, I feel. Maybe as a act of respect for the teachers I had, someday I will go to Madison Square Garden and take one of those boat horns with the can of compressed gas and a trigger. When a top international rider rips the face off his horse in an attempt to have a big pay day, I'd blow the horn and think of a time when respect for the horse was the most important thing because it was your horse that brought you home from the battle, or not.
FEI Special Classes.
1. Top Score/Gambler’s Choice Competition (FEI Rules for Jumping Art. 270)
a. In this competition, a certain number of obstacles are set up in the arena. Each
obstacle carries from 10 to 120 points according to its difficulty. Combination obstacles
are not allowed. The obstacles must be built so that they can be jumped in both direc-
tions.
b. The points allocated to the obstacles may be repeated at the discretion of the
Course Designer. If it is not possible to place 12 obstacles in the arena, it is up to him to
delete the obstacles he wishes.
c. The competitor is credited with the number of points carried by each obstacle that
he has jumped correctly. No points are awarded for an obstacle knocked down.
d. Each competitor has 45 (minimum) to 90 seconds (maximum). During this time, he
may jump all the obstacles he wishes in any order and in any direction. He may cross
the starting line in either direction. The starting line must be provided with four flags; a
red and a white flag at each end of the line.
e. Ringing the bell declares the end of the round. The competitor must then cross the
finishing line in one direction or the other to allow his time to be recorded. If he does not
cross the finishing line, he is placed last of the competitors with the same number of
points. The finishing line must be provided with four flags; a red and a white flag at each
end of the line.
f. If the fixed time is reached at the moment when the horse is already taking off (front
hooves off the ground), this obstacle counts if it is correctly jumped.
g. Any obstacle knocked down during a round will not be rebuilt; if it is jumped again,
no points will be credited to the competitor. The same applies for knocking down an
obstacle in disobedience or for displacing a lower part positioned in the same vertical
plane. In the case of a disobedience without a knock-down, the competitor may jump
that obstacle or continue to the next obstacle.
h. Each obstacle may be jumped twice. The act, voluntarily or not, of jumping an obsta-
cle for the third time or of passing between the flags of an obstacle for the third time or
of passing between the flags of an obstacle already knocked down does not incur elimi-
nation. However, the competitor does not score the points allotted to this obstacle.
i. All disobediences are penalized by the time lost by the competitor. The competitor
must stop after a fall. Nevertheless he is placed according to the points obtained up to
the moment of his fall disregarding the time.
j. The competitor who has obtained the highest number of points will be declared the
winner. In the event of equality of points, the fastest time taken between the starting line
and the finishing line will decide. In the event of equality of points and time for first
place, there will be a jump-off according to the same formula with a fixed time of 40 sec-
onds.
k. An obstacle may be provided in the course duly marked by flags and titled “Joker”.
The Joker may be jumped twice; 200 points are awarded each time this obstacle is
jumped correctly, but if it is knocked down, 200 points must be deducted from the total
points obtained so far by the competitor.
l. If by ringing the bell, a joker is required to be jumped within twenty seconds after the
fixed time has expired and after the competitor has crossed the finishing line, only one
attempt is allowed.
