Bascule (horse)

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This horse is beginning to round over the jump, lowering his head and neck and bringing his back up.

Bascule (IPA: [ˈbæsk.jul]) is the natural round arc a horse's body takes as he goes over a jump. The horse should rise up through his back, stretching his neck forward and down, when he reaches the peak of his jump. This is often described as the horse taking the shape of a dolphin jumping out of the water, with the horse's back up, and its head reaching forward and down over the fence.

[edit] Importances of Bascule

A horse with a good bascule [1][2][3] is one with an extremely round jump, while a horse with a poor bascule may jump "flat" with his head in the air and his back hollow. The hollow backs that typically accompany a horse with little or no bascule to his jump tend to prevent the animal from lifting his forearms very high, thus preventing the needed tucking motion of his front legs to jump clear.

Most naturally talented jumpers have a good bascule. However, there are several very athletic horses that can jump great heights with considerably poor bascule, due to sheer power.

Some bascule is an important trait for all jumping horses, as it helps them to be more athletic over a jump [4]. Good bascule is desirable in show jumping, but is essential in the show hunters, being one of the main qualities that a judge looks for in the horse.

Less of a bascule is desirable in other disciplines, such as eventing, when the added roundness would result in the jump taking a longer time (adding valuable seconds to the clock). Additionally, some cross-country jumps are best jumped flat, to ensure an appropriate landing due to terrain. For example, drops are best jumped with little bascule, so that the landing is made as short as possible, which puts less stress on the horse's legs and is less likely to jar the rider. In sports such as steeplechase, bascule is not as desired, because of the added time it takes to jump the fence. Therefore, the horses are encouraged to jump flatter and out of stride. Lastly, bascule tends to require more effort from the horse, and can waste valuable energy if it is really not needed (such as in racing).

[edit] Training for Bascule

Steeplechase fences encourage a flat jump, with little bascule.

Good training can help to develop a horse's bascule to its fullest potential, but overall trainers are limited in how much they can train a bascule into a horse. Grid work is usually most helpful in developing the animal's bascule.

Certain jumps tend to favor good bascule, most notably the ascending oxer. Other jumps, such as steeplechase fences which are meant to be brushed through, favor a flat jump. In the case of the steeplechase fence[5], it is deterimental for the horse to have a powerful, round jump, because it takes more time (which is not good in a race or timed event) and more energy out of the horse.

In general, however, a horse with a very poor bascule will never be a top-class jumper, regardless of the amount of training he or she has.