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Features
> What is the Battle of the Breeds?
| What is the TELUS Battle of the Breeds?
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| The TELUS Battle of the Breeds is
a team competition. Each breed fields a team of four horse and
rider/driver combinations. There are five components which cross
a broad range of disciplines: Compulsory Skills, Prescision
Driving, Barrel Racing, a Trail Competition, and Jeopardy Jumping.
Each team has two horse/rider combinations competing in each
component. The team members' scores are added together and they
share a placing. |
| Compulsory
skills |
| Precision
Driving |
| Barrel
Racing |
| Trail
Competition |
| Jeopardy
Jumping |
Compulsory
Skills
Compulsory
Skills test each horse's responses to basic aids, similar to a dressage
test. Each competitor has the choice of riding or driving the test.
This is the only competition in the Battle of the Breeds which is
judged. The other components are won by collecting the most points
in the fastest time, to keep the Battle as fair as possible.
Precision
Driving
The
Precision Driving course consists of a series of cones and obstacles,
similar to a cones course at a combined driving competition. The
course is timed and drivers try to go as fast as they can! The horse
and driver combination must negotiate the obstacles and keep their
track between the pairs of cones. Each cone has a golf ball placed
on top of it - if the horse or the cart's wheels knock the golf
ball off of the cone, time penalties are added to the score. Fun
obstacles are also used, such as a water obstacle and a cone which
the driver must knock the ball off with their whip.
Barrel
Racing
In
stead of being set up in the familiar three-barrel pattern, the
barrel race uses four barrels and is run in a cloverleaf pattern.
This is to level the playing field, so to speak, between horses
and breeds that would normally do barrel racing, and those that
would not. After everyone has run once, the top six teams run again
for prizes.
Trail
Competition
The
Trail Competition at Spruce Meadows is like no other!! Competitors
have 90 seconds to complete as many obstacles as they can. Each
obstacle is worth points - the more difficult the obstacle, the
more points awarded for its completion. After 90 seconds are up,
competitors can choose whether or not to do the bonus obstacle -
a large blue ball which the horse must roll through two upright
standards, or the "goal posts," within 30 seconds. Competitors
who are successful get an additional 100 points added to their score;
however, if they haven't gotten the ball between the posts when
they buzzer sounds, 100 points are subtracted from their score.
Jeopardy
Jumping
Jeopardy
Jumping is set up similar to the trail course, but with jumps instead
of trail obstacles. Each jump is worth so many points, depending
on its degree of difficulty. Competitors are not given a course
to follow - instead, they must make one up that allows them to accumulate
the most points in a given time limit. Horses that have refused
three times are not allowed to accumulate any more points and are
excused from the ring. At the end of the time limit, they can choose
whether or not to do the bonus obstacle, a large, solid, purple
Telus jump. If they are successful, 100 points are added to their
score. If not, the 100 points are subtracted from their score.
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