Member Statistics June 2022

 

JumpClear members averaged a 54% Clear Round Average in June.  While this is lower than we saw in May, it's in line with the rolling 12 month average.

Only one horse achieved a perfect 100% average.  Interestingly, he came from the FEI division!

Members were highly active across multiple competitions and a range of divisions.  Active members averaged 5.9 rounds over the month.  

Looking at Fault Source metrics, the most faulted course elements was an Other Oxer (28% of Faults). This is a consistent theme!  The next most faulted were Other Vertical (12%), Combination-Out Vertical (11%) and Liverpool Vertical (11%).  

In total, 35% of faults came from combinations, which is close to average.  

Looking at a few other metrics of note:

• 68% of faults came from a Related Technicality.  This is 10pp higher than the 12 month baseline.  Moreover, if we drill into this number, it isn't solely driven by Combination Faults (where Combination Mid and Combination Out are, by definition, "Related"; excluding Mid and Out, 60% of faults were at Related jumps.

• Other Oxer was the most faulted element for both Classes Over and Under 1.40.  However, there was a significant gap: it represented 38% of Faults over 1.40 and 29% under.  This is atypical - normally Other faults occur more heavily at the lower heights.
• Combination Faults did occur along their normal pattern - including all Combination Elements, Combinations made up 47% of Faults above 1.40 and 27% under 1.40.

Upperville Grand Prix Analysis by JumpClear

The CSI 4* Grand Prix at Upperville Horse Show was designed by Marina Azevedo and featured a 16 obstacle track.  5 of the 21 entries jumped clear (24%).

We saw a total of 29 faults in Round 1 (1.38 faults per entry).  

The single most faulted jump came at 11, the Liverpool Vertical on a related distance (21% of faults).  

Jump 8B, the Oxer Combination-Mid element of the Vertical-Oxer-Vertical combination was the second most faulted (17% of faults). Interestingly, neither the In nor Out element of the Triple were ever faulted! 

The only other jump on course not to be faulted was the Triple Bar single at jump 3.

In total, Combinations accounted for 28% of faults which is 10pp below average for a High Performance class.  If we count both Liverpools on course (jump 6 was a Single Liverpool Oxer), Liverpools accounted for 28% of Faults which is more than double average!  

The class was won by Schuyler Riley on Robin De Ponthual!

JumpClear Member Statistics May

 

JumpClear members excelled in May with one of the highest overall Clear Round Averages to date, boosted by performances from 6 horses with perfect 100% CRA.

Members averaged a 67% Clear Round Average.  This is about 10pp above the rolling 12 month average. 

Members were highly active across multiple competitions and a range of divisions.  The six horses with perfect averages were similar diverse and included horses from Medium Amateur to Open 1.45+.

Looking at Fault Source metrics, the most faulted course elements was an Other Oxer (23% of Faults).  The next most faulted were Combination-In Vertical and Combination-In Oxer (both 12%).  Other Vertical was fourth at 9% of faults (the least we’ve seen in several months). 

In total, 39% of faults came from combinations (slightly higher than the 12 month average of 31%).  

Looking at a few other metrics of note:

• 61% of faults came from a Related Technicality
• 56% of faults came at an Oxer, and of these, 71% were the front rail
• in Round 1, faults were split evenly by Front and Hind leg.  For the Jumpoff, faults were 85% with the Front Leg

Devon Horse Show Grand Prix Analysis by JumpClear

The Devon Horse Show's feature event is the Thursday night $250,000 Sapphire Grand Prix of Devon CSI 4*.  This year's class was designed by Olaf Petersen and featured a 16 obstacle track, contested by 30 horse and rider combinations.   

We saw a total of 24 faults in Round 1 (1.20 faults per entry).  7 entries (23%) of the class jumped clear.   

The final line of the course - repeatedly referred to as "heartbreak alley" on the live commentary - accounted for 46% of Round 1 faults! The single most faulted jump came at 12A, the vertical Combination-In element of the Vertical-Oxer Double set off the short turn (21% of faults).  Jumps 12B and 13 (a Liverpool Oxer set as the last jump off a related technicality) each accounted for 13% of faults.

The jump immediately preceding this line - a Liverpool Vertical set towards the ingate - also accounted for 13% of faults. 

5 jumps on course were never faulted.

In total, Combinations accounted for 50% of faults which is significantly above average for a High Performance class but this was driven by the final double, noted above; the triple combination at 5ABC drove just 17% of faults.

The class was won by Mclain Ward on Contagious for his 12th win in this grand prix!

Analysis of the Major League Show Jumping Grand Prix at Thunderbird - May 2022

 

The Major League Show Jumping Series kicked off for 2022 at Thunderbird Park with a 5* Grand Prix designed by Peter Grant.   

We saw a total of 36 faults (meaning a rail or refusal) in Round 1.  10 entries (33%) of the class jumped clear.   

The most faulted obstacle was a Plank (17% of faults in Round 1).  The Plank was set off a related distance following a Wall and constructed from a thin black panel.  

Three Jumps were equal for the next most faulted: the Oxer A element of the triple combination (Oxer-Oxer-Vertical); the related Liverpool Oxer; and the Oxer B element of the double combination (Vertical-Oxer).  Each was responsible for 11% of faults.  

Only two jumps on course were never faulted: Jump 4, a related Other vertical and the Last Jump Vertical.

In total, Combinations accounted for 39% of faults which is about average for a High Performance class.

The class was won by Jordan Coyle on Ariso  

Continuous Improvement and Showjumping: Getting 1% Better at Jumping Clear Rounds

 

JumpClear analysis enables approaching showjumping training through the lens of continuous improvement, aka, the 1% Improvement Rule. Under this approach, we would use JumpClear Fault Source Analysis to set measurable, achievable goals for progress based on incrementally reducing our most common faults.

I first read about 1% Growth in a biography by Valorie Kondos Field, the former coach of the amazing UCLA gymnastics team who compared the philosophy of getting 1% better day after day favorably to one of striving for - and falling short - of a standard of 100% perfection. She writes:

"The philosophy I do embrace is getting 1 percent better...Imagine an athlete one day getting 1 percent better in technique, form and mental discipline. Then getting 1 percent better in technique, form and mental discipline the next day. And the next day. Wow! The compounding effect of such incremental improvement would reach near super-hero status, but it is also absolutely achievable."  

Takeaway 1:  set measurable, achievable goals

Takeaway 2: such goals add up to big results 

James Clear explains this theory further (and adds some math) in his book, Atomic Habits, Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results. Clear cites the effects of simply improving 1 percent every day and calculates, if you were to improve at an activity 1%, you would improve results by 37 times in one year! 

How does this relate to showjumping?  

It's actually kind of hard to align showjumping with a 1% growth approach.  

While the outcome of a round itself is clear - we have a score and placing - what we often understand as the drivers of success and failure - the things that we chip away at daily - aren't measurable.  (Am I 1% better at shortening my reins?).  As a consequence, regardless of level - and especially if we've been in the sport for a long time - progress towards goals can feel really amorphous.  

JumpClear was designed to add a layer of quantifiability to some of the things which go into jumping a clear round - and while we can't measure improvement in rein length, Fault Source Analysis delivers a data-driven understanding of a horse & rider's most common faults.  In doing so, we aim to give riders a tool to see the goal of jumping more clear rounds through the lens of measurable, achievable components, i.e, focusing on and reducing specific fault areas.    

Old Salem Farm Spring Grand Prix Week 2

The Grand Prix during the second week of the Old Salem Farm Spring series, like Week 1, was designed by Alan Wade and held during the day on the new sand international arena at the OSF Venue. It was a CSI4* versus the CSI3* held Week 1. We'll provide some analysis of this week's class and some overall thoughts comparing the two weeks.  

We saw a total of 45 faults (meaning a rail or refusal) in Round 1.  There were 31 competitors so each entry averaged 1.42 faults.  13% of the class jumped Clear in Round 1.   

Interestingly, while the average faults per entry is similar to last week where the 33 competitors averaged 1.42 faults, the percent clear last week was twice as high (27%).  (Simply, many more horses had just a single rail this week.)  A likely factor: the time allowed played a significantly greater role this week; more than half the class incurred at least one time fault (just 3 entries did last week).      

The most faulted obstacle Week 2 was a Combination-Out Oxer, (Vertical-Oxer combination).  This jump was responsible for 18% of faults in Round 1.  

The next most faulted jumps were the A element of the same combination (16%) and the related liverpool vertical immediately following this combination (13%).  

In total, the Double Combination at 10AB was responsible for a third of Round 1 Faults.  In comparison, the Triple Combination caused relatively little trouble - accounting for just 11% of faults.

If we compare both Grand Prixs, both classes utilized a Triple Combination and one Double and Combinations were clearly a key driver of faults!  A combination element was the most faulted jump both weeks.  All combination elements combined accounted for 57% of Faults Week 1 and 44% Week 2.   (Both are significantly higher than the average for Combination Faults in a High Performance Class which we are seeing around 37%.)

The class was won by Mclain Ward on HH Azur.