What is a Category/Class in show jumping?
A show jumping class, in equestrian sports, defines a combination of horse and rider riding over a set course of obstacles with the goal of completing the course with as few penalties as possible and in a defined period of time.
There are various levels of show jumping classes defined primarily by the height of the jumps and the technicality of the course. Within those levels, there are various types of classes called 'tables'. The class type defines the main objective of each racer when completing the course (for example, to be as fast as possible or to clear all the fences).
Commonly, the priority of each horse and rider combination is to complete the course with a 'clear round'. A clean lap means that no penalties are added to the rider's score at the end of the course. Penalties are usually counted in points and are the result of dropped sticks, refusals, or circles. Time penalties may also be added to each pair's final score if the course is not completed in the time allowed by the jury and course designer. The fall of the rider, several refusals or, in some cases, too many poles down lead to the elimination of the horse and rider pairing from the competition.
Country Equivalences
Let's launch into the world of show jumping categories with a self-explanatory chart that brings together the American, German, Dutch, French and British levels.
| EIF: Height (cm) | Germany | Netherlands | US | United Kingdom |
| 85 – 90 | AND Preliminary test | – | Level 0-1-2 | british rookie |
| 95 – 100 | A* beginner test | Beginner B | Level 3 | |
| 105 – 110 | A** beginners test | L high beginner | Level 4 | |
| 115 – 120 | L elementary test | M medium | level 5 | |
| 125 – 130 | M* average test | Z Advanced | level 6 | |
| 135 | M** average test | ZZ Advanced | level 7 | |
| 140 | Y* advanced test | Expert B | level 8 | |
| 145 – 150 | H.H*** advanced test | a expert | level 9 | |
| 155+ | S**** advanced test | Upper level | Big prize |
As you can see above, being very clear with the seller or buyer is crucial. You will want to avoid obstacles in communication. For example, if you are looking for a horse to accompany you as a German Novice, a British seller will understand and interpret the word "Novice" entirely differently. The same could also happen if you ask a Dutch seller for a horse to jump a medium test. The opposite also is true! If you have your 1.35m horse for sale, which has hypothetically become M** in Germany, you need to adapt your language and terminology for international clients.
Communication is everything when it comes to international, national or even local clients. Make sure people understand what you're telling them!
What are 'tables'?
Now that we're reading the same book, let's go to the same page... Even when we speak the same language, there are many 'tables' (types of categories/classes) in show jumping that we'll look at in more depth as we go along. . It is also vital that show jumping riders understand the different classes/categories and the requirements of these classes.
As said before, the tables refer to the type of class, within the same height or level. For example, you can take part in a 1.20m event and be judged on speed, style or penalties.
The table of each class can be decided by the organizing committee and the course designers for each show jumping competition. The ability to ride different boards throughout each class/category, even at introductory levels, will give young and amateur riders the opportunity to take on different challenges at the same height.
As the height and difficulty level are the same for all tables within a class, the difference can be seen in how the course is built or how the class/category is judged. As you go through the course, you will recognize the differences. For example, a speed class will most likely be designed with more curves and offer several short or long options to get the rider from one jump to the next.
Below you will find a more extensive and complete explanation of the different jump tables…
What are the Categories of 'Table A'?
table A is the most common class you can find. In table A competitions, performance over obstacles is the main factor. Each pole that comes out of the cups means 4 added penalties. Although speed can be entered to separate equality for classification. The A tables can find a place against or not against the clock, but they will always have a time allowed decided by the ground jury, the technical delegate and the course designer. Every second over the allowed time will result in penalty points added to the final score.
Some classes will have a tie-breaker or a second "winning round" for first place. Both will only allow clear rides from the first round or a certain percentage/number of riders that can go through to the second round. Very often the second round or tie break is run against the clock, again the main factor is performance over the hurdles. A jump-off is a second round after the initial round of jumping, it will require the horse and rider to make a quick and clean round over a maximum number of 9 efforts for first place.
The Grand-prix and CSIO Nations Cup classes are held mainly on the same idea according to one of the following formulas;
Single lap time trial plus a jump-off, two lap competition (one of which can be a time trial, both can be a time trial or no time trial) and finally two laps plus a jump off. The initial round of any category/class is limited to 15 jumping efforts and the second round is limited to 9 jumping efforts.
What are 'style' classes?
Another common board found mainly in Central Europe is the style class.The demands of such classes remain mostly the same as in normal classes. That is, exceeding the allowed time or having a pole down will be penalized with the deduction of points from the final grade. However, what distinguishes these classes from the normal table A is that the style classes are judged and scored by a set of judges who look at the style and skill of the horse and rider combination, as well as its coherence and harmony. . At the end of each round, the judges will discuss and announce the score they have given the pair for their vaulting round, and then announce the final score if any deductions from the jury's score are to be made. These types of classes can often be found in junior classes or beginner classes for amateur cyclists.
What are 'power and ability' categories or classes?
You may find yourself with competitions from power and skill in advanced classes, with two main types being power and six bar competitions. The goal of these classes is to demonstrate the horse's skill and range over a limited number of larger fences. For both classes, power and six bar competitions, the main factor is to clear the fence(s), regardless of how long it takes for the pair to complete the series of jumps. In the event of a tie for first place, successive tiebreakers must be made by progressively overcoming the same obstacles. These competitions under FEI rules must be stopped by the Ground Jury after the third tie-break, placing the athletes as equals.
While power requires combinations to jump over a single wall, a six bar competition is designed in a straight line by placing 6 jumps about 11m apart with the hurdles getting higher and higher.
What are 'accumulative' classes?
cumulative classes they are built like traditional jump courses. The main difference between cumulative classes and table A classes is that, like power and skill classes, they increase progressively throughout the course. Each hurdle is worth a defined number of points and each hurdle cleared results in the sum of the points corresponding to the rider's final score. Usually, the final fence has a wild option (often a larger fence) that is worth double the points of the fence's non-wild option.
What are 'Table C' classes?
Since we talked enough about the main factor in classes to overcome obstacles, let's move on to the competitions of speed and dexterity, called classes of the Table C. The goal of any speed class is to demonstrate a horse's skill and speed throughout the course. Each fence knocked down means 4 seconds added to the final time of the combination. Sometimes known as the 'hit and rush' class among riders, a c-board class prioritizes the fast round over a carefully handled clear round. Therefore, it is quite common to come across winding courses when doing speed classes.