Rider's Guide to Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules Ages 10+ 2026

Everyone must wear properly fastened protective headgear at all times when mounted on a horse.

If you lose your helmet or your chin strap comes undone during your round, you must recover and replace it, or refasten the strap, immediately. You will not be penalised for halting to do so, but the clock is not stopped.

If you jump or attempt to jump an obstacle with the chin strap incorrectly fastened or not fastened, you are Eliminated, unless it was unsafe to stop immediately to refasten it (for example if the strap comes undone in the middle of a combination or one or two strides before the obstacle).

Senior athletes may remove their helmet while accepting prizes, during the national anthem and during other ceremonial protocol. Removing a helmet at any other time is entirely at the athlete's own risk. Handing a mounted athlete their helmet (or glasses) during a round is not unauthorised assistance.

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 207.1, 249.2.1 and 263.4.

Yes. Equestrian Australia states that helmet tagging is mandatory for all EA affiliated and FEI activities in Australia (Show Horse and Vaulting are exempt). Event schedules may include block times for helmet tagging.

Helmet taggers are volunteers. To find tagging dates and locations, contact your State Equestrian Branch. If you cannot find a suitable date or time, email your branch and it will try to connect you with a nearby tagger.

Source: Equestrian Australia Helmet Standards and Tagging page, https://www.equestrian.org.au/content/helmet-standards-and-tagging

Dress rules apply when inspecting the course, competing and at prize-giving. The Ground Jury can refuse permission to start to an improperly dressed athlete.

Course inspection: neat and tidy, with riding boots, white or light fawn breeches, a long- or short-sleeved shirt with a white collar (long sleeves need white cuffs) and a white tie or choker.

Competing (Children and Pony Riders): a competition jacket or club uniform jacket (any colour, outward-facing buttons; a collar must be a lapel collar), white or fawn breeches or jodhpurs with boots that have a heel, and a white shirt with a tie or hunting stock.

Competing (other riders): the same idea: jacket, white or light fawn breeches, black or brown boots (other dark boots at the discretion of the FEI/EA) with a heel, a shirt with a white collar and a white tie or choker.

Weather: the Ground Jury may allow a waterproof coat instead of a jacket in bad weather, or riding without a jacket in very warm weather (shirts must still have sleeves, short or long).

Alternate dress: coloured polo shirts or windcheaters may be worn in special competitions by arrangement with the organising committee.

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 207.2.

• A mobile phone, other electronic communication device or earphones may never be used by a mounted athlete in the warm-up arena during a competition. Breaking this earns a Warning.
• They may never be used by an athlete in the competition arena during a competition. Breaking this results in Elimination.
• Athletes, grooms or any other person may wear one earphone at any other time while mounted.

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 207.3.

Under Table A:

• First disobedience: 4 penalties.
• Obstacle knocked down: 4 penalties.
• Fault at the water jump: 4 penalties.
• Exceeding the time allowed: 1 penalty for each second commenced.
• Fall of horse and/or athlete: Elimination.
• Uncorrected deviation from the course, unauthorised assistance, or exceeding the maximum time limit: Elimination.
• Second disobedience: Elimination in competitions over 1.15 m. Equestrian Australia's variation for competitions of 1.15 m and under: second disobedience is 8 penalties and a third disobedience is Elimination.

Disobedience penalties accumulate throughout the whole round, not only at the same obstacle. Also, taking more than 45 seconds to jump the first obstacle after the round's time has started, or to jump the next or last obstacle, is among the listed infringements that bring Elimination.

Under Table C, faults are added as seconds to your time (4 seconds for a knock down outdoors, 3 indoors), and the maximum time for a round is 3 minutes for a course of 600 m or more, or 2 minutes for a shorter course.

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 217 and 263.4.

• Refusal: the horse stops in front of an obstacle it must jump, whether or not it knocks it down. It is not a refusal if the horse stops without moving backwards or knocking the obstacle down, then immediately jumps from a standstill. If the stop is prolonged, or the horse steps back even a single pace, it is a refusal.
• Run-out: the horse escapes the athlete's control and avoids an obstacle or compulsory turning point, or any part of the horse goes past the extended line of an obstacle, element of a combination, finish line or turning point. Jumping an obstacle between two red flags or between two white flags is penalised as a run-out and the obstacle must be jumped again correctly.
• Resistance: the horse refuses to go forward, stops for any reason, makes regular or complete half turns, or rears or steps backwards. Stopping your horse at any moment is also a resistance, except for an incorrectly built obstacle or to indicate unforeseen circumstances to the Ground Jury. Resistance for 45 consecutive seconds is Elimination; shorter resistance is penalised as a refusal.

The clock is not stopped for a refusal, run-out or resistance unless the bell is rung because an obstacle needs to be rebuilt.

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 246.

Rider fall in the competition arena: the rider is separated from the horse, voluntarily or not, so that they touch the ground or need support or outside assistance to get back in the saddle. If it is unclear, the benefit of doubt goes to the rider.

Rider fall outside the arena: the rider is separated from the horse involuntarily. Dismounting voluntarily is not a fall.

Horse fall: the shoulder and quarters have touched the ground, or the obstacle and the ground.

A fall of the horse and/or rider during a round is Elimination. After a fall anywhere on the event grounds, the rules require checks, and the Ground Jury can exclude the rider and/or horse from further competition. In addition, if the rider falls after crossing the finish line, the rider must be checked by the event's medical service and/or the horse by the Veterinary Delegate before taking part in any further competition at the event.

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 217 and 248.

• A steward must supervise the warm-up arena whenever it is in use, and the Chief Steward can limit how many horses are inside based on arena size and safety.
• Only obstacle material provided by the organising committee may be used, and practice obstacles may only be jumped in the direction they are flagged. No part of a practice obstacle may be held by anyone.
• In competitions with a maximum obstacle height of 1.40 m or less, warm-up obstacles may not exceed the competition's maximum height and width by more than 10 cm (Pony events have their own rule).
• Obstacles of 1.30 m or higher need at least two poles on the take-off side, with the lower pole below 1.30 m and one end in a cup.
• Combinations, gymnastic or training exercises, and placing poles or V poles about 6 m or more from an obstacle are not permitted (combinations are allowed for Six Bar competitions).
• Walking horses over poles that are raised or in cups is not permitted.
• Phones, other electronic communication devices and earphones may never be used by a mounted athlete in the warm-up arena during a competition (a Warning applies).

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 207.3 and 242.

Excessive use of the whip is strictly prohibited. The rules list these as excessive use:

• using a whip to vent your temper;
• using a whip on a horse's head;
• using a whip more than three times in a row;
• using a whip so that the horse's skin is broken; and
• using a whip after Elimination.

An athlete identified as misusing or excessively using the whip will be Disqualified and may be fined at the Ground Jury's discretion. Marks showing excessive use of spurs or the whip anywhere on the horse are also grounds for disqualification.

Source: Equestrian Australia National Jumping Rules, effective 1 January 2026, Art 264.2.1 and 265.1.2.