In February of this year, Spruce Meadows was named the best show jumping facility in North America for the fourth straight year. Not bad for an event facility that hosted its first show jumping tournament in 1976.
In the warm up ring at Spruce Meadows.
1. How many years has Spruce Meadows been in operation?
Show jumping events run from February to October at Spruce Meadows.
2. How many months of the year would you be able to attend show jumping events at Spruce Meadows?
Recently, on the final day of the ‘Continental’ Tournament, the $210,000 CP Grand Prix drew a large crowd to watch some top level international show jumping. There were 35 entries in the $210,000 CP Grand Prix, and five of those moved on to contest the jump-off for speed.
3. What percentage of the horse and rider teams made it into the jump-off? Round your answer to the nearest ones.
Math Talk – percent: When you say “percent” you are really saying “per 100”. So 100% of something is all of that thing. 100% of any number is just the number itself, unchanged. In this case, if 100% of the riders had made it to the jump-off round, all 35 riders would be in the jump-off.
McLain Ward riding Sapphire, 2008 Olympic Games equestrian in Sha Tin, Hongkong
First to go in the jump-off was Canada’s Yann Candele riding Showgirl. They completed a clear round in 45.77 seconds.
McLain Ward and Rothchild, were next in. They sped around the shortened course, completing a great inside turn from an oxer to the “CP planks” jump and stopped the timers in 43.29 seconds to go into the lead.
Horse Talk – oxer: A type of horse jump with two rails that may be set even or uneven. The width between the poles may vary.
4. Time for the competition was kept to what fraction of a second?
5. How much faster did McLain Ward and Rothchild complete the course than Yann Candele and Showgirl?
Eric Lamaze and Hickstead
As it turned out, many riders had trouble with one jump in particular, the CP planks jump. Eric Lamaze and Powerplay, were the next team in and they took down three of that jump’s top planks after their inside turn didn’t go as planned. They finished with a time of 43.29 seconds but had four faults for the knock down.
Lamaze said of his rail down, “I was fast [riding from fence] one to two. I carried the speed into the next oxer, and then I felt I needed that turn. It’s sort of what came up, distance-wise. I was committed to the turn, and there was a distance in front of me. I just rolled back on it and at the end, I was underneath the plank, and I was too short. But that’s the risk you’ve got to take in the jump-off.”
6. What math terms did Lamaze use when speaking about his jump-off round? 
Christine McCrea, of the US, riding Romantovich Take One, came next. They completed the same turn Lamaze described above, but knocked down the top plank for four faults and a finishing time of 43.87 seconds.
7. What is the place value of the ‘8’ in Christine and Romantovich Take One’s finishing time?
8. What place value does the number ‘7’ hold in their time?
9. What is the place value of the number ‘4’?
10. What is the place value of the number ‘3’?
In show jumping, the horse and rider team that has a clear round (no faults) is the winner. In the case of a tie, where more than one team has a clear round, there is a jump-off, as there was in this competition. In the jump-off round, the team that completes the course with the fewest faults in the fastest time wins. Having a clear round is given greater importance than speed. If you and your horse have a clear round in the jump-off, you will beat a team that had a faster time but had faults.
You know the times. You know the faults. You know the rules.
11. Place the horses and riders in order of finish for this year’s ‘Continental’ Tournament Grand Prix.
CP Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows – Answers:
1. How many years has Spruce Meadows been in operation?
Answer: 2014 – 1976 = 38. Spruce Meadows has been hosting events for 38 years.
2. How many months of the year would you be able to attend show jumping events at Spruce Meadows?
Answer: 9 months
3. What percentage of the horse and rider teams made it into the jump-off? Round your answer to the nearest ones.
Answer: 5/35 x 100% = 0.1428 x 100% = 14.28. Fourteen percent of the riders reached the jump-off round.
4. Time for the competition was kept to what fraction of a second?
Answer: hundredths
5. How much faster did McLain Ward and Rothchild complete the course than Yann Candele and Showgirl?
Answer: 45.77 – 43.29 = 2.48. McLain Ward and Rothchild were 2.48 seconds faster than Candele and Showgirl.
6. What math terms did Lamaze use when speaking of his jump-off round?
Answer: speed and distance
7. What is the place value of the ‘8’ in Christine and Romantovich Take One’s finishing time?
Answer: tenths
8. What place value does the number ‘7’ hold in their time?
Answer: hundredths
9. What is the place value of the number ‘4’?
Answer: tens
10. What is the place value of the number ‘3’?
Answer: ones
11. Place the horses and riders in order of finish for this year’s ‘Continental’ Tournament Grand Prix.
Answer:
1st: McLain Ward and Rothchild: 0 faults, 43.29 seconds
2nd: Yann Candele and Showgirl: 0 faults, 45.77 seconds
3rd: Eric Lamaze and Powerplay; 4 faults, 43.29 seconds
4th: Christine McCrea and Romantovich Take One; 4 faults, 43.87 seconds
Photos:
Spruce-Meadows-Szmurlo by Cszmurlo; CC BY 2.5
Spruce Meadows National 2011 – Warmup for Double Slalom by Calgary Reviews; CC BY 2.0
2008 Olympic Games Equestrian Game Day Racing Round 2 by WiNG; CC BY 3.0
Hickstead-horse-2006-Capital-Classic by 222fjb; CC BY-SA 3.0
Show Jumping Horse at Spruce Meadows by Calgary Reviews; CC BY 2.0
