In order to be a jumper(as far as I care anyway) the rider and horse must both be confident, strong, experienced,aggressive and agile. Here some basic Jumping 411 FYI's: *most horses, unless injured,can jump

. . . . . . . . . *some horse enjoy jumping some don't 

. . . . . . . . . *most people can learn to jump a horse

. . . . . . . . . *jumping is simple, the horse does it all

. . . . . . . . . *getting to the jump so that the horse can jump well while carrying a rider is difficult. This is the riders job. 

. . . . . . . .  *there are Five parts to a jump:the approach, the take-off,suspension,landing and the get-away

. . . . . . . .  *the rider manages all but the suspension, although she/he may use that time to encourage the horse to land in a particular way and/or different direction.

. . . . . . . . *equipment COUNTS:jumping is best done in a saddle built for the purpose and with proper stirrup length. 

. . . . . . . . *Horses naturally know how to jump, however, they must be taught to jump on command,not a beginners tack. 

 Types of Jumps: Hogs Back - there are three elements to this jump. Front, middle and back. The center is higher than the outside two which are of equal height. 

Jumps for jumpers: only jumpers include diagonal jumps(aka verticals with one side higher than the other), uneven Oxers(one end of the front element is high;the opposite end of the back is high), fan jumos(obstacles with a spread between oxer poles that is wide at one end and very narrow with all poles gathered at the others), water jumps(verticals with real or simulated pool of water up to 12' across on the far side), and narrows(jumps with as little as 5' between the uprights) 

Oxer: this is usually two verticals set close together, one behind the other, with the height closely matching the depth. Horses like oxers,giving them a good, smooth arc over the top. 

Roll Top:this slid, curved jump, a few feet in length, is often topped over with a pole to raise its height. Sometimes, the jump is bare wood, painted wood, or wooden slats;more often it is covered with "grass"  carpeting and looks like a hillock. It is usually intimidating(duh) to horses if not to riders too. 

Spreads:these have greater width than verticals~perhaps as much as two elements the width of their standards apart. Sometimes spreads are even made of three elements, like a hogs back, but the height ascends from front to back.  A spread may also be crafted by putting two elements that have a predetermined width between to uprights. Usually 55-gallon drums are used, or the jump is made to look like a flat-topped stone or brick wall, 2-3 feet across. 

Verticals: a single set of poles or panels of the height being jumped, verticals are usually the least intimidating for newbies,but are more difficult for the horse to Judge because of their lack of depth. Variations are: poles that look like gates, usually straight across the top(the riviera may have a downward curve in the middle) ;brush boxes(narrow containers housing greenery to look like a fence with a hedge) ;and flow boxes(boxes not much wider than a pole with flawless sticking out;usually very low, to look like a garden boder). 

Judging for Jumping: essentially judges evaluate the classes in front of them according to a set of rules;this horses, handlers,or riders that come closest to meeting the ideals set forth in the rules win honors in the class. Judges range from unlicensed novices with little experience in center ring to highly honored individuals who hold licenses with numerous organizations and have decades of experience officiating competitions around the world. 

Jumper classes:jumper classes are judged on time and fault. The fastest, cleanest round wins.

The record for a high jump has been held for over 50 years by Chilean Thoroughbred Huaso,ridden by Captain Alberto Larraguibel Morales. In an official FEI competition, the Morales cleared 8 feet, 1 ¹/⁴ inches on their third attempt. The longest official jump, 27 feet 6 ³/⁴inches,was made by Something and Andre Ferreira at the 1975 Rand Show in Johannesburg. 

All This simply put:Jumping is just not for me. I like small horses and staying on the ground. But, Jumping is not to be taken lightly. It's a hard, vigorous sport and those who do it are a brave soul with my respect. I like to watch jumping on tv. It's beautiful. When done correctly the action of clearing those jumps looks smooth and flawless. Beezie Madden and McLain Ward are two of my favorite jumpers to watch. The partnership they have with their mounts and fluidness of their riding is one to be desired. I'll be watching the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event live(Via the internet) and again probably if they replay it on tv. 

I actually did jump Cody. I took him over,I believe, four jumps, 2-3 feet high I believe. Considering I had no clue(except what I read and watched) how to jump(this was proven as I was jumping in a Western saddle),we did very, very well. It was smooth, I didn't come unbalanced and he cleared each jump with ease. And, I must admit, I rather liked the feeling of leaving the ground and temporarily soaring. Unfortunately I don't wish to pursue jumping and I don't want to tackle those big jumps on big horses. But it was fun. I believe a true horseman can do any discipline. I've done English, but I want to expand my ability and perhaps do more English/Dressage until I have almost mastered it. I'm doing Western, my focal point for my riding career. I've done Jumping, perhaps more later. I want to master all disciplines and be able to teach them just like I want to work with different horses of different experience levels and ride horses of different experience levels. 

Enjoy reading this~and have a happy ride~ :)