Horses are not designed for jumping

June 14, 2017

Some people believe horses are made for jumping. An understanding of their physiology makes it clear that they are not. Horses have:

  • Laterally placed eyes which restricts forward vision and their ability to judge the distance and position of an approaching obstacle at speed.
  • Heavy frames which makes it difficult to lift their own weight over obstacles.
  • An inflexible spine which makes it physically difficult to compensate for jumping errors.
  • Long limbs which become extended when galloping, making it difficult to adjust stride as they approach jumps at high speed.

Jumps racing pushes horses far beyond their natural limits. It exposes these animals to a much higher risk of musculoskeletal injuries, physiological stress, other injuries and death when compared to flats racing. Take action against Jumps Racing Now. 

  • Was this article helpful?
  • YesNo
Share this story:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Back to news archive