The 5 Most Common Jumping Faces

We’ve all seen the despondent face, the terrified face, the you BETTER get over this  jump face, etc. Let’s take a look at five of the most common jumping faces.

Top: Many thanks to reader Allison Hamlin for sharing. Allison writes, “My 9 year old daughter on her first cross country jump! The face! AHHHHHH!”

1. The “I am so happy, and I love jumping, and I’m in love with my beast” face: We see this face time and time again. This is a familiar face: kids galloping across the finish line on cross country, ladies putting in a clean show jumping round, and men looking ecstatic after a tough line. This face we know and love. This face tells us all is well and life is good.

2. The “I WILL get over this fence” face: This face comes in all sorts of varieties and can be see across the levels in riders of all ages. It is the look of utter determination and ultimate will power, the epitome of aggression. It is FIERCE.

3. The “Let’s do this!” game face: This has to one of my favorite faces out there. When I think of this face, I think of Sinead Halpin galloping out of the start box at Rolex on her soon-to-be World Equestrian Games partner Manoir de Carneville. While I have absolutely no idea what was actually going through Sinead’s mind cross-country, I am guessing by the look on her face that she was going to get through the finish flags, and fast. She didn’t look enraged — she just looked bold and seriously focused.

4. The “I am absolutely terrified and would rather be anywhere but here” face: This face is contagious, meaning when you come across a terrified individual attempting to jump something outside their realm of possibility, you too may catch “the fear.” This face doesn’t lend itself to happy thoughts or happy results.

5. The “I might as well be knitting a scarf because I am expressionless” face: This face can be very challenging to read. It is often seen on seasoned professionals — I like to think that, for these experts, jumping enormous jumps at oblique angles is as second nature to them as it is for a Labrador to go swimming. They do not look happy, or angry, but somewhere in between, like an expression bouncing around in limbo.

So what category do you fall under, or what categories need to be added? Email YOUR great jumping faces to [email protected] for inclusion in an upcoming post!

———–

MORE PLEASE! If you liked this post, check out…