Puzzled by the word scope within the context of horses? So was I, before I got to understand what it meant. The only meanings for scope I knew were optical instruments like rifle scopes and telescopes and the extent of an activity or chance.
When horse riders speak of scope, they are talking about a horse's fence jumping abilities. A pony is claimed to be 'scopey' when it takes jumps effortlessly.
As you can understand, scope is invaluable in the show world, especially show jumping. Pony owners, trainers and riders are consistently on the lookout for outstandingly scopey horses. They need horses that negotiate the largest obstacles without raising a sweat. Heights in some classes can surpass 1.60m, therefore the scopier a horse is, the better that its chances of coming back home with a few certificates. Gifted, really scopey horses aren't common, and can be particularly expensive. Great equine athletes are just as rare as great human ones. A human Sotomayor comes along every once in a lifetime or 2, and so does an equine Genuine. Both are incredibly scopey.
Get one thing straight, though. Not all horses are scopey to the same extent. Not all horses are of Olympic class in their skills. You can make judgments on a horse's scopiness only within the context of its classes of competition. You may be referring to a pony that has established a reputation for being scopey in children's jumpers without quite having the talent to move further. Everything is relative.
Nonetheless scope is one of the pre-requisites for good jumpers. They also must exercise due care. A horse that exercises due care is a pony that makes an attempt to jump cleanly, without hitting the jumps. Scope without care is like speed without direction, something similar to a tragedy waiting to happen. The converse holds good, of course: care without scope is like direction without speed. You won't be getting anywhere.
When horse riders speak of scope, they are talking about a horse's fence jumping abilities. A pony is claimed to be 'scopey' when it takes jumps effortlessly.
As you can understand, scope is invaluable in the show world, especially show jumping. Pony owners, trainers and riders are consistently on the lookout for outstandingly scopey horses. They need horses that negotiate the largest obstacles without raising a sweat. Heights in some classes can surpass 1.60m, therefore the scopier a horse is, the better that its chances of coming back home with a few certificates. Gifted, really scopey horses aren't common, and can be particularly expensive. Great equine athletes are just as rare as great human ones. A human Sotomayor comes along every once in a lifetime or 2, and so does an equine Genuine. Both are incredibly scopey.
Get one thing straight, though. Not all horses are scopey to the same extent. Not all horses are of Olympic class in their skills. You can make judgments on a horse's scopiness only within the context of its classes of competition. You may be referring to a pony that has established a reputation for being scopey in children's jumpers without quite having the talent to move further. Everything is relative.
Nonetheless scope is one of the pre-requisites for good jumpers. They also must exercise due care. A horse that exercises due care is a pony that makes an attempt to jump cleanly, without hitting the jumps. Scope without care is like speed without direction, something similar to a tragedy waiting to happen. The converse holds good, of course: care without scope is like direction without speed. You won't be getting anywhere.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her
extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers visit HorseHorses
extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers visit HorseHorses
