For those of you who have done both... jumpers or eventing?

I have to agree. I've always been taught that Stadium and Showjumping are the same.

I definitely see where you are coming from MIEventer and thanks for the great advice. Again, I would NOT be quitting XC cold turkey. I would still do schoolings and the occasional schooling show to keep my horse in eventing in case I decided to switch back. I could never truely quit XC because my horse and I love it so much. But the situation is very very complicated. It also has to do with trainers. In the midwest, there aren't very many good eventing trainers and it is difficult to find a trainer who will even work with my horse (she's REALLY hard to work with but once they see her jump they usually change their minds. Lol) and my current trainer, who is the most amazing trainer I have ever worked with (competed @ Rolex and trains with BDJ and is great with my horse) is moving to Germany in June and I will be left trainer-less, stuck with the eventers I despise the most.

I just don't know what to do :/

Couldn't you do both? Go to a few big events, and then smaller jumper shows in between?

Where there is a will, there is a way.

If your heart and soul belongs to eventing, then fight. Stick with it and give it your best.

Really learn as much as you can from your current trainer before he heads off to Germany and stick with that. Even when you ride under less competant coaches, you will still have the strong fundamentals of how to properly ride a CC course - and how to properly ride a Stadium course.

Stick with it. Easier said than done, I know - but keep searching.

~~~~~

Stadium Jumping and Show Jumpers are the same thing.

As WikiPedia says:

Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping" or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are limited exclusively to jumpers, sometimes jumper classes are offered in conjunction with other English-style events, and sometimes show jumping is but one division of very large, all-breed competitions that include a very wide variety of disciplines. Jumping classes may be governed by various national horse show sanctioning organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation in the USA. However, international competitions are governed by the rules of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI).

I invite you to go to a Jumper Show and watch a 2'11" class. Then go to an Event and watch a Novice Jumping Phase and tell me if you see any difference what-so-ever.

Show Jumping is a fancy name for Stadium Jumping. The fences in the arena or stadium, are called stadium fences. Jumping is done in a Stadium or Arena - hence, stadium jumping. Show Jumping is the same exact thing.

Show Jumping or knows as Jumpers - is a phase or competition based on whether the horse jumps the fence or not, retains faults, and gets the course done in the alloted time. Faults are given if there is a refusal and if there is a knock down.

The jumps are colorful and fun. Where we fine oxers, verticles, double oxers, water jumps and etc, etc.

You find BOTH these in Hunter/Jumper shows, and at Events. There is absolutely no difference what-so-ever between the Stadium Phase in Eventing, or Stadium Jumping at a Jumper show. The rules are the same, the faults are the same, the fences are the same, the way you ride the course is the same, the rules are the same. No difference bewteen Stadium and Show Jumping.

No difference at all.

Eventing is about the best of the best. The best of all 3 disciplines. Dressage, Stadium Jumping and Cross Country.

I'd sit down and discuss this with your coach.

I think there is a differance, and Wickapidia isn't relibale source either.

The only real difference is in the way they are scored.

See I knew there was a differance! And I do see jumpers as more technical

Little off topic....
Anyways I wanted to voice my opinion because I have alot of experience with wanting to leave a sport. I would ask you what are your goals for you and your horses? Do you want to go to the olympics or do you just want to compete every once in a while. If you could also tell me what events your referring to. Try not to let other people get to you. I know its hard but in the end its worth it.

I emailed my

At the lower levels, they are moderately more complicated, but not much. You don't start getting the trickier friend in Florida who competes CIC*** and CCI*** and this is what she said:

"I can see what she is coming from because, yes, the show jumping courses are substantially more complicated at a certain point. That certain point that they become more complicated is about 3'6"-3'9". Guess what? That's when they get complicated in eventing, too, because that's when the CIC/CCI's start.

Combinations and turns until the above mentioned levels. The ONLY exception to this, IMO, is pony jumpers simply because how competitive that division is and how high the jumps are relative to the mounts (a 3' course on a 14hh pony is equivalent to a 3'5" course on a 16hh horse).

Coming from ~1.25m show jumpers and going to ~1m stadium, yes, it is ridiculously easy. However, I don't look at P stadium as being a cake walk. Yes, it's easy to just do it on a good horse, however, it is very difficult to do it WELL on a good horse who is at a much higher fitness level than most SJ horses the day after XC.

The way I look at it? It's the same. I wouldn't approach a 1m show jumper course any differently that I would approach a 1m stadium course. You ride the rhythm the same, you ride the striding the same and you approach each fence exactly the same way. No difference.

There are some minor variations in the rules - you don't have to salute the judge before you being a round in Stadium Jumping, but you do in Eventing. There's no jump-off in eventing, another obvious one.

And a standalone jumper course at a Show Jumping event will probably be a bit longer and more difficult, that a jump course of the same height at an event - only logical since the event horse also has to do a dressage test and cross-country! And in jumpers a lot of the most technical riding happens in the jump-off, which you don't have in eventing... an event jump course is going to be ridden more conservatively than a jump off.

But really that's all little stuff, the bones are the same... eventing jumping and show jumping are more similar than say, hunters and show jumping.

I don't think she is right to say that show jumping is "harder" - if you take a showing jumping course versus an event course and that's all you looked at, well sure, the show jumping course is harder. But the show jumping course might be the only round the horse does that day, whereas the eventer also has to do a dressage test and a cross-country course. Again, you do not ride them any differently. A stadium fence is a stadium fence, regardless.

I always found stadium to be hardest phase of eventing. Even when the course itself seemed straightforward, that was deceptive, the challenge was dealing with the fatigue and keeping concentration and energy up to get around AFTER doing the two other phases."

That's what I love about the shows I go to. No tricks, just outside line to diagonal to outside line to diagonal. Easy to remember, no weird turns. Gotta love beginner eq and modified hunter classes!

Haha