How far and high can a horse jump?

More often that not, in horse racing, the question of how high a horse can jump is more important than how far it can jump. That said, certain obstacles, such as the Water Jump on the Grand National Course at Aintree, require horses to cover over three times more ground horizontally than vertically. According to the Fédération Equestre Internationale, the world record for long jump over water is 27′ 7″, set by Something, ridden by Andre Ferreira, in Johannesburg, South Africa on 25 April 1975. Thus, the 8′ 10″ wide expanse of water at Aintree is rarely problematic for seasoned steeplechasers.

The Fédération Equestre Internationale likewise lists the world record for high jump as 8′ 1″, a height achieved by Huaso, ridden by Captain Alberto Larraguibel Morales, Viña del Mar, Chile on February 5, 1949.To put that height into perspective, in National Hunt racing, steeplechase fences must be a minimum of 4′ 6″ high and the tallest fence on the Grand National Course, The Chair, stands 5’2″ high. In show jumping, horses are typically required to clear heights between 3′ and 5′, although the best of them can clear over 6′.

How high a horse can jump depends on its conformation or, in other words, its physical structure and build, its natural ability and its training, or ‘schooling’. In National Hunt racing, jumping obstacles off an interrupted stride is ideal, but not always possible, so horses receive extensive schooling to teach them to naturally shorten their stride and jump successfully regardless of the circumstances.