Someone once said that show jumping is merely dressage with speed bumps. Well, in that case, the South African Derby could be said to be dressage with roadblocks!

The 2007 Avis South African Derby is run over a course of jumps that remains almost the same each year. It is a spectacle to behold. The course is a mixture between solid ­cross-country style fences and typical show jumps. The ­Derby track consists of 18 efforts, as ­combinations are ­counted as one effort there are actually 22 jumps that need to be tackled. The standard height of the obstacles is 1,5 m.

This year’s course

This year was the 42nd time the Derby was presented in South Africa. After the course walk it was clear that the week of rain leading up to the event, was going to have an impact. The muddy ground meant the horses would have even bigger jumps to tackle.

While the course seemed big, ­frightening and impossible to jump, it definitely is not. ­Lorrette Knowles-Taylor, Sanef’s top ranked show ­jumper, proved this by winning this year’s title with the only clear round. It was done in ­spectacular fashion on her horse, Greet a Star.

The tricky jumps on the course are not the ones you might expect. Top South African rider and trainer, Dominey Alexander, ­pointed out that it is the stairs at number four that caused many problems. The stairs are exactly that – one jumps the first element landing on a higher bank, takes a stride and jumps the next element to land higher up, as if going up stairs to the higher part of the arena.

Looking at this obstacle it seems easy in comparison to the other fences. It also looks slightly smaller. But Dominey carried on, ­saying that the stride in-between the jumps is very long and difficult. Horses jump up and stretch rather than “over” with a bascule. This tends to cause them to “sit” or land on the pole of the second jump, bringing it down.

Challenging of the bank

The spectator favourite at the Derby, is the bank. This near vertical 3 m slope has been the downfall of many a team. However, the bigger problem is the Avis panels a few strides after the bank. One must bring the horse back and have him collected as soon as possible into the bank.

It is a jump that requires immense trust ­between rider and horse (and plenty of ­practice beforehand).

As the horse descends, the rider needs to fight gravity and try to remain sitting up so as to get the horse forward and balanced as they land – because three strides later come the very delicate planks!

Many horses take the top plank as the rider leans a bit forward, unbalancing the horse and causing him to go onto the forehand. Shaun Neill on Gold Rush saw this very jump end his chance of jumping a clear and going into a run-off with Lorette. He finished tied second with four faults.

Water, wall and combo

A similar problem occurs after jump ­number 15 – the 4 m wide water jump. Horses must stretch to get over the water and riders must quickly collect their horse and get the ­hindquarters back underneath them, because five or six strides later riders encounter the 1,6 m­ wall. Many horses get long and miss the striding into this jump – taking the blocks and four faults with them.

After the wall the final turn leads into the ­second-last obstacle, a one-stride ­combination. Three-time Derby winner, Gail Foxcroft, says this is one of the toughest tests as by now rider and horse are ­exhausted. Lexie Carter and Pickpocket tied in second place with Shaun this year, after she brought down the second spread in this combo. The combination leads into a big spread and then it is through the finish.

The Derby is the closest South Africa comes to international grand prix level. ­Organised by The Horse Society of Gauteng (THS), the event is a true test of horsemanship and a platform to view the best show jumping talent in South Africa. Gail put it best when she said that the Avis Derby is a competition of the rider and horse ­competing against the course rather than against other competitors.

The solid fences in the course

• Giant steps (#4a & 4b)
• The table (#7a & 7b)
• Jump onto a lifted piece of ground, then two strides and back down onto the course
• The bank (#9)
• The devil’s dyke (#12a, 12b & 12c)
• Jump over a jump down a two stride ­decline, over a ditch and back up a two stride ­incline over a big jump and back onto the course
• The water jump (#15)