Horse Jumping Obstacles - Combinations

Combinations

These fences are combinations of banks, logs, water, ditches and other elements. All of the jumps are placed within 1-3 strides of each other, and are meant to be jumped as a series in a specific order. Also see Normandy Bank, Sunken road, and Coffin. They are seen in the equestrian jumping sports of show jumping and eventing (both the cross-country and stadium jumping phases), but are uncommon in hunt seat competition.

Combinations are often one of the challenges of a course, and the course designer knows how to manipulate the distances and types of obstacles to make them more difficult.

Combinations are named by their number of elements. Double and triple combinations are the most common. In general, the more elements involved, the more difficult the obstacle. However, other variables can greatly influence the difficulty:

1. Distance between Obstacles: the course designer may shorten or lengthen the distance from the usual 12' stride. The most extreme case is when the designer puts enough room for a half-stride, in which case the rider must shorten or lengthen according to the horse's strengths. At the lower levels, the designer will not change the distances from what is considered "normal" for the combination. Additionally, the designer may make the distance between the first two elements of a combination ask for one type of stride—for example, very long—and the distance between the second and third elements ask for the exact opposite type of stride—in this case, very short. This tests the horse's adjustability, and can greatly enhance the difficulty of the combination.
2. Types and Order of the Obstacles: Riders must adjust their horse's stride according to the type of obstacle that must be jumped, and the order they occur. For example, a vertical to oxer rides differently from an oxer to vertical. Horses take off and land at different distances from the obstacle depending on its type: usually closer for triple bars, slightly further for oxers, and even further for verticals. Other factors, such as a "spooky" fence or a liverpool, may change the distances for particular horses as they back them off.
3. Height of the Obstacles: The higher the fences, the less room there is for error. At the lower levels, the designer may make certain elements in the combination slightly lower, to make it easier. Fence height also has some influence on the horse's take-off distance, usually decreasing both the take-off and landing, although this is only a great variant when the fences are 4'6" or higher.
4. Terrain: this is especially a factor for eventers as they ride combinations cross-country. A combination on the downhill tends to lengthen the stride, and on the uphill it tends to shorten it. Going though water tends to shorten the stride. Landing up a bank causes a shorter landing distance than from an upright obstacle.

To negotiate a combination successfully, a rider must maintain the qualities needed in all riding: rhythm, balance, and impulsion as they approach the fence. They must also have a great understanding of their horse's stride length, so that they may know how much they need to shorten or lengthen it for each particular combination.

Before riding the course, the rider should walk the distances of the combination and decide the stride from which they should jump it.