Each jump on a course is given a rating based on its height, width, and the amount of change in direction it requires for the horse to get over it.

Each jump on a course is given a rating based on its height, width, and the amount of change in direction it requires for the horse to get over it. The higher the number, the more difficult that particular jump is.

For example: A fence with a rating of 3 would be much easier than one with a rating of 4 or 5 because it has less height and spread; but even though a fence may have fewer dimensions (height/width), it could still be more difficult if there’s more technicality involved (more changes in direction required).

Triangle jumps are almost always numbered 1 through 6 in descending order of their degree of difficulty.

The degree of difficulty (DD) is a scale used to rank jumps. It’s most commonly used in eventing, which involves three phases: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. The degree of difficulty is also known as the “jump height factor” or JHF; it’s the likelihood that an average horse will knock down a pole if they run into it head on at full speed.

A triangle jump is made up of 3 poles set in a triangle pattern with one side missing (hence its name). The poles are evenly spaced apart so that horses can approach them at an angle and dive under them instead of having to jump through them straight on. Because both sides have 2 poles but only one side has a third pole in front of it, this type of jump has 4 possible degrees of difficulty ranging from 1 through 6 depending on how close together the poles are placed:

• Degree 1–The lowest degree rating for triangle jumps means that you have lots of room between each pole so your horse will likely have plenty of time to maneuver around them as he approaches from either side before diving under them instead of having his head hit against any part where two other wooden beams meet together inside these types
• Degree 2–This level requires less space than degree 1 does but still gives riders enough room within which they can safely maneuver their mounts around when approaching either way before jumping over all three beams together at once

The water jump is always at least the highest rated jump on the course.

Water jumps are always at least the highest rated jump on the course. They may be numbered higher than 6, and they’re usually the last jump in a series. Water jumps are often rated higher than other jumps because they’re usually located after several lower obstacles. A water jump can be rated anywhere between 7-9 depending on its size and difficulty level—it’s not uncommon for them to be given a rating of 8 or 9 if they’re particularly difficult or challenging.

Oxers are often numbered 1 through 7 in ascending order of their degree of difficulty.

• An oxer is a jump with two rails or poles forming a square. They’re often numbered 1 through 7 in ascending order of their degree of difficulty.
• The most common type of oxer, one that also happens to be the easiest, is called an “oxer-1.” It’s composed of two poles connected by a striding board and requires horses to jump over both the pole and the striding board at once.
• A higher-rated version of an oxer can appear as a “6” or even a “7,” since there are more complex versions than just jumping over two poles side by side. These may include multiple sets of poles next to each other (called double oxers), or they may involve moving obstacles like brush panels placed between sets of poles (called brush jumps).
• The highest rated jump on any course will be either an oxer-3 or an oxer-4; both comprise three sets of poles arranged in such a way that horses must jump over all three at once—something that many horses have trouble doing without tripping up or losing their footing altogether!

An oxer with rails that spread out gradually has a lower number than one with rails which spread out quickly or suddenly.

An oxer with rails that spread out gradually has a lower number than one with rails which spread out quickly or suddenly.

The reason for this is because the horse’s stride length when jumping an oxer is longer than it would be for a triangle jump. This means that it will take longer for each rail to come back down to earth, so the horse can catch up and jump them all at once. The wider distance between the two end-rails also means that there is more room for error in judging how far away from each other they should be placed.

With this in mind, if your horse has done well over some smaller jumps but struggles with larger ones, consider moving on to something easier such as a single pole (where only one rail needs to be jumped).

The width and slope of the wings on an oxer also affect its number.

There are a few other factors that can affect the score of a jump. The width and slope of the wings on an oxer also affect its number. If it’s wider, there’s more room for error if the horse fails to put their feet where they should; if it’s steeper, your horse will have more difficulty getting over without knocking down rails.

This is why you might see an oxer with a rating of 4 with wings that are 1-1/2 inches wide and another one with wings that are 2 inches wide but only 3/4 inch high (as opposed to 1 inch). In this case, both horses would be jumping exactly the same course—just at different levels of difficulty—and therefore receiving different scores based on their performance.

The amount of time it takes you or your horse to complete each fence also plays into how difficult or easy a course is perceived by judges who rate jumps in competitions around the world. It all comes down to subjective opinion as opposed to objective measurement; some courses are easier than others simply because they’re narrower or less steeply banked than others

Scoring jumps is about finding the right blend of change-of-direction, speed, and technicality.

Scoring jumps is about finding the right blend of change-of-direction, speed and technicality. A horse who changes direction quickly but at a slow speed will get a lower score than one that changes direction slowly but at a high speed. The same applies to technicality, if the jump has a lot of rails it will be penalised more than one with few rails. Jumps with very steep faces are also penalised as this is more difficult for horses and riders to tackle.