Thrill of the 'Chace Family Guide

Thrill

of the

’Chace Family Guide

What is Steeplechase?

Steeplechase is a distance race where a jockey and horse must jump over various obstacles.

The first recorded race is believed to have been in 1752 in Ireland between two men named O’Callaghan and Blake. They rode from one church steeple to the other – that is where the name steeplechase comes from.

What Makes a Good Steeplechase Horse?

• They must have the mental skill to run fast & jump at the same time • They must be fearless • They are athletic • They are Thoroughbred horses

Have you ever tried running and jumping over obstacles at the same time? It isn’t easy! Try it at home: ask your parents for help to use a broom stick as your horse, set up obstacles outside, and try to run and jump over them. It takes a lot of skill!

Jockey Gear: 1890s Vs. Today What differences do you see between jockey gear in the 1890s and jockey gear today?

Silk Hat Wing Collar and Tie

Racing Silk with Small Stand Collar

Helmet

Color me in!

Colorful Racing Silks and Padded Vests Breeches

Knee High Boots

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Did You Know

Jockeys wear patterned and colorful racing silks. They represent the owner of the horse and no two owners have the same design! Explore the galleries, and look for the different types of jockey silks. If you were an owner, what would your racing silk look like? Use the blank jockey equipment above to create your own.

Art Before and After the Camera

Before cameras, artists did not know how horses moved when galloping or jumping, so they depicted the horses in a “rocking horse” position with all four legs off the ground.

After the invention of the camera, artists could see how horses really moved and artists began to paint, draw, and sculpt them more realistically!

Can You Find the Artist’s Name?

How Does a Horse Jump?

A Super Simple Guide to a Very Complicated Movement

Phase 1: Approach

Phase 2: Take-Off

During the approach, the horse sees the jump, judges the effort necessary to clear it, and adjusts his line (direction), pace (speed), balance, impulsion and length of stride to arrive at the best takeoff point. He needs a well-balanced, rhythmic gait to allow him to adjust his stride and engage his hind legs under his body for takeoff.

The horse engages his hind legs forward under his body. The horse “sits” on his hindquarters with his hocks bent as his forelegs thrust against the ground, one after the other, using the muscles of the forelegs and shoulders, and the spring mechanism of the forelegs to lift the forehand. Both hind legs thrust powerfully against the ground, sending the whole horse up and forward.

Phase 3: Flight & Bascule

In flight, the horse leaves the ground, traveling up, forward, and over the obstacle in an arc or “bascule” (a French word meaning “arc in motion”).

His neck extends forward and down as his shoulders rotate, raising and folding his forelegs to the utmost as they pass over the highest point of the obstacle.

As the hindquarters pass over the highest point of the jump, the hind legs are folded. The hocks, stifle joints and fetlock joints are tightly flexed, with the hocks pulled up behind the hindquarters. As the forehand descends toward the ground, the horse’s back flattens, the lumbosacral joint closes, and the neck rises, as the forearms and forelegs unfold and stretch forward toward the landing point.

Phase 4: Landing

The horse lands first on one extended foreleg, quickly followed by the second.

The body pivots forward over both forelegs, which are then picked up and folded backward under the body, creating a brief moment of suspension before the first hind leg touches the ground. The horse absorbs the first shock of landing with the muscles and tendons of the shoulder sling, arm and foreleg, pasterns, and the joints of the forelegs.

Phase 5: Recovery

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Did You Know

A horse can gallop up to 35 mph!

The horse recovers his normal canter balance and stride and resumes the canter.

The first step after landing often resembles a small jump, called a “half bound.” When a horse jumps in stride and lands lightly in good balance, his recovery is quick, natural and effortless and he can easily go forward.

Detail Detective Explore Thrill of the ‘Chace: Steeplechase in Art. Find these hidden images in the gallery and write the painting title on the line!

A jockey who fell off his horse

A man with a great mustache

Two jumping three’s

A pair of pecking chickens

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Did You Know

Judy Johnson in 1943 and Kathy Kusner in 1968 paved the way for female steeplechase jockeys.

In 1968 Kusner took the Maryland Racing Commission to court and the judge ruled that you can not be denied a jockey license based on gender. These pioneers have made it possible for women to compete today in steeplechase races.

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Artwork Credits: Cover

top right: Paul Desmond Brown (American, 1893-1958), Over the Brush Fence, 1930, oil on canvas, 21 1/2 x 28 3/4 inches, Gift of Nancy Searles, the artist’s daughter, 2011 bottom left: Frederic Remington (American, 1861-1909), Steeplechase at Cedarhurst, c. 1885, oil on panel, 14 ½ x 18 ¼ inches, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Saratoga Springs, New York

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William J. Shayer (British, 1811-c.1885), Steeplechasing: The Brook, 1869, oil on canvas, 6 ½ x 10 ¾ inches, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection

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top left: Henry Thomas Alken (British, 1785-1851), Scenes from a Steeplechase: The Winner, ca. 1845, oil on canvas, 10 x 14 inches, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection top right: Booth Malone (American, b. 1950), Coming Through the Rye, 2016, oil on canvas, 40 x 50 inches, Collection of Mason Hardaway Lampton bottom left: Eugene Lami (French, 1800-1890), Steeplechase at Raincy, September 1832: No. 5. Les approaches du But. On emploie toutes ses ressources, 1832, pen and ink with watercolor on paper, 7 3/8 x 13 9/16 inches, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon bottom middle: William J. Shayer (British, 1811-c.1885), Steeplechasing: The Brook, 1869, oil on canvas, 6 ½ x 10 ¾ inches, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection bottom right: Eugene Lami (French, 1800-1890), Steeplechase at Raincy, September 1832: No. 2. Le Point de Départ. Les paris, sont ouverts, 1832, pen and ink with watercolor on paper, 8 1/16 x 15 5/8 inches, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

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top to bottom: Henry Thomas Alken (British, 1785-1851), Steeplechasing: The Field Coming up to a Ditch, graphite and watercolor, 9 7/8 x 16 3/16 inches, Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection; Frederic Sackrider Remington (American, 1861–1909), Steeplechase at Cedarhurst, c. 1885, oil on panel, 14 ½ x 18 ¼ inches, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame; Ann Collins (American, 1916-1999), Rouge Dragon, 1904, oil on canvas, 22 x 28 inches, National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame; Jean Eleanor Bowman (American, 1917-1994), Kent Miller, Sr. (1910-1974), with Elkridge and War Battle, 1949, oil on canvas, 38 ¾ x 48 ½ inches, On loan from the Collection of Kent Miller, Jr., 2006

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