Finding the winning strategy at 5* Show Jumping competitions

Indeed, many of the world’s top-ranked riders and horses in the sport are in the Italian capital from May 23–27 to face off in the venue’s 150 m long x 50 m wide grass arena, part of the city’s Villa Borghese gardens. And among the dozens of human and equine athletes present are Olympic and World Champions, the current and former World No.1s and 5* Grand Prix winners, so there is no shortage of experience in the field.

As the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) puts it, an equestrian Jumping competition is “a test intended to demonstrate the Horse’s freedom, its energy, its skill, its speed and its obedience in Jumping and the Athlete’s horsemanship.” The results of individual Jumping competitions are based on who gets through the course fastest with the least faults (ideally none). In the first round, the pairs have to finish within the time allowed to avoid penalties, which typically corresponds to a speed of 350-400 m/minute, although that can vary. And in the tie-breaking jump-off (if there is one), the finalists aim to be the quickest over the obstacles up to 1.60 m  at the 5* level, again leaving the jumps untouched or at least intact.

Already at the Piazza di Siena event, Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat and Hannah claimed victory in Thursday’s opening speed class, with one round against the clock.

But how does a rider choose a plan of attack for competing, both in the run-up to the event and during the course walk? In equestrian sports, not surprisingly, a lot depends on the horse. Some horses prefer bigger spaces while others are more agile in smaller rings. Some horses are naturally fast, and might actually have a hard time going slower. The same applies to riders, with some (like Germany’s Marcus Ehning, Christian Ahlmann and Ludger Beerbaum) more willing than others to ride a bit slower and more powerful mounts, who may need to be more manageable as a result of their training in order to turn sharply and make up time.

The horse’s experience counts too: a rider may be more willing to continue going all-out even after a fault in order to place as high as possible on an experienced mount, whether they get into the second round or not (depending on the format). If a horse is less experienced, a rider may be more reluctant to risk multiple errors and affect the animal’s confidence going forward. In a similar vein, riders will have different approaches based on their level of experience and skill, with some feeling that they have nothing to prove and therefore more willing to risk additional faults. And of course as with any sport, how a rider and horse feel physically and mentally going into a competition on a particular day can have an impact on their ability to perform.

Two sample results from the past couple years which hint at some of these factors are those of Canada’s Eric Lamaze and Fine Lady 5 in the Grand Prix at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Great Britain. In 2017, the combination made it into the jump-off and had the fastest time of the 12 final pairs, 37.52 s, but finished 8th. In 2018, they were again quickest but came in 5th with four faults. Of course those are just two examples and do not represent a trend of any kind, but they do point to a fast, experienced duo focused on getting the win every time.

With the field of entries in Rome this year, that will probably be a common trait, and the strategies that will come into play will make for an unpredictable showdown, which is only appropriate given the €850,000 of prize money being offered over the four days.