Show jumping: what are the most difficult obstacles for the horse?
The horse knows how to distinguish the various obstacles it faces. What are the characteristics of an obstacle that can make more frightening than others? The height sure, but what are the other ones?
- The color: The horse does not perceive all the chromatic range like humans. His vision is a dichromatic, with shades of blue and yellow, which also generate green and gray shades. But It is not so much the colors of an obstacle that distract it, as the light it reflects; this will be greater in the case of light or bright colors;
- The reflex: the presence of water, friend and enemy of the horse, is a reason for play but also for fears. The reflection of the sun on the water of a ditch or a coast can distract and confuse our steed. It invite him to refuse, or to jump with an unexpected distance;
- The shape: another factor that can scare the horse is the shape of the obstacle; in jumping competitions, the pillers are decorated to increase the scenographic impact of the competition, but also to test the horse’s courage.