GET OVER IT

To the uninitiated, the equestrian world often seems a closed set of gleaming horses, imported leather and swank riders. But this weekend, the gates to that world open to the rank and file at the Oaks Classic grand prix in San Juan Capistrano, one of the nation’stop equestrian show-jumping events.

The annual event began in 1986, when Joan Irvine Smith decided to bring European-style equestrian competition to the West Coast on her upscale horse property, The Oaks. Instead of a typical one-day show in a dusty riding ring, Smith strived for the ambience of a lavish, weekend-long event: a grass jumping course, manicured lawns, flowing champagne and other enticements that would draw world-class competitors. It worked.

“This is the premiere horse show in the United States by 10 lengths. And I’ve been to every major event for the past 40 years,” says Art Hawkins, horse show manager for The Oaks Classic. What sets the event apart is its spare-no-expense zeal for making its “guests,” as observers are called, entertained and enthused.

Through Sunday, spectators can see horse-and-rider combinations--some of them Olympic veterans--scaling obstacles between five and six feet tall, manuevering around trees at full throttle and leaping over water hazards. All for the thrill of the ride and, yes, a chance to win up to $150,000.

The best part is that anyone can understand what is happening on the jumping field. Unlike many other equestrian disciplines, there is no mystery to show jumping: Either you knock down the obstacle or you don’t. There are no points for style. The horse with the fastest time and fewest faults wins (see box on scoring, Page 11).

But what is deceptively easy to watch has not come easily to the competitors, be they two- or four-legged. It takes at least five years of daily blood, sweat and tears to bring even the most talented horse to grand-prix (Olympic) level; it can take a lifetime for a rider to reach those ranks.

One such top-ranked rider is Susie Hutchinson of Flintridge, an international champion. Now 41 (and a rider since she was 5), the 1992 American Grandprix Assn.’s rider of the year has won the spring Oaks Classic (there is a similar but smaller event in the fall) six of its eight years.

Although Hutchinson says she doesn’t know why she has so consistently won at The Oaks, she does know that she loves the event. Galloping a horse at close to 20 m.p.h. on The Oaks’ grass course--one of the few on the West Coast, is “like driving a fine-tuned race car,” she said.

“Grand prix horses are very special. They have a big heart, and they’re very careful.” She says she finds horses “very much like people--they can wake up on the wrong side of the bed and surprise us (in competition). Horses are a lot smarter than people give them credit for; they outsmart us every day.”

And therein lies the challenge that sets show jumping apart from other international sports: A major part of the equation is not a ball or a racquet but a 1,200-pound animal with a mind of its own. The key is to persuade the horse to do what the rider wants, such as jumping over a scary-looking wall instead of stopping in front of it or running around it. The horse has to gallop aggressively between fences yet remain cool-headed enough to make sharp turns and maneuvers, be submissive to the rider’s hands and take off from the exact point at which the rider sets up the horse before the jump.

“It’s a very mental sport,” Hutchinson said. “You have to stay focused, keep the horse focused and tune out the crowd. It’s you and your horse against the course.”

And that is the great equalizer: the course. Those 12 to 20 obstacles (there is no required number), most of them brightly colored and set at precarious angles, are designed to test a horse’s mettle as well as jumping ability.

The layout of each course varies with the style of the course’s designer. Hutchinson, who has ridden hundreds of courses around the world, said she has never jumped the same course twice. And although there are no course requirements regarding the type of obstacles, most designers include several verticals and spreads (jumps for height and width, respectively), a combination, a wall and water or a ditch.

James Passant, spokesman for the American Grandprix Assn., said all course designers have the same goal: “to create a perfect course.”

“They want all the horses to go clean (without faults) or to finish in a dead heat, like in a Thoroughbred horse race,” Passant said. Rarely, however, does that happen. So, he said, designers strive to make their courses difficult and challenging. “They use different configurations (of obstacles) but try to achieve the same result--a thorough test for horse and rider.”

A diagram of the course is posted shortly before the grand prix begins. Riders must memorize the order of the jumps (jumping them out of order or going off course means elimination). The horses, which do not set foot on the course before the competition, must trust the riders to guide them through a series of unfamiliar obstacles.

The only “warm-ups” (practice jumps) take place in a separate arena before the jumping event begins. Spectators can get a feel for which horse-and-rider combinations are leading contenders by watching the riders put their horses through “schooling rounds” in the practice field.

Often the way a horse behaves in warm-up indicates how it will jump on the course. Spectators can watch riders schooling horses today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in three arenas (main ring, grass field and derby course), as well as in the warm-up area before Sunday’s grand prix and other main classes.

How can you tell when a horse is jumping well, either in schooling sessions or on a course? Technicalities aside, Hutchinson said, “the smoother it looks--the less you’re gasping or holding your breath as you watch--generally the better it is. When your eye is broken from a smooth picture, either the rider is being too rough (with the horse) or the horse isn’t adjusting (his stride) as he should be.”

If you see a smooth ride, she said, you’re apt to see zero faults on the scoreboard when that ride is over. If more than one horse goes “clean” or “clear” (no jumping or time faults) in the first round, as is usually the case for a handful of horses, they return in a “jump-off,” competing on a shortened course against the clock. The fences are realigned for more difficulty, the speed increased and the time reduced. It’s nail-biting time, and the crowd loves it.

So do the riders, some of whom opt to compete Saturday (usually on different horses) in a simulated jump-off called the “Dash for Cash.” It is a different event (or class) on a different course, but the goal is the same as in Sunday’s grand prix--to get around the course as quickly and as cleanly as possible.

Dorothy Baylis, a British grand prix rider and trainer based in San Juan Capistrano, has competed three years in The Oaks’ “dash” class. “It’s like the final round of the grand prix, but it’s the first and only round,” she said. “People get excited for the (grand prix) jump-off, but the dash class is exciting all the way through. I love riding in it, and people love watching it.”

If Saturday afternoon’s dash lends a preview of Sunday’s jump-off, spectators can get an even closer perspective by “walking the course” before the grand prix. Just as the riders do when the course is opened for inspection shortly before the class, you can walk among the obstacles and get a feel for what it’s like to jump a fence taller than you are. (Just don’t touch the jumps, move the flowers or disturb the riders, most of whom are happy to chat with spectators and give autographs after the event.)

Things to look for as you walk the course:

* Riders will be “stepping off” the distance between the fences (taking what appear to be giant steps) to determine how many strides their horses need to take between landing and the next takeoff.

* Look at the trees--a distinctive and unusual part of The Oaks’ grand prix course--from various angles to see how the patterns of shadows and light, which can change in an instant as the sun pokes in and out or the wind blows, can affect a horse’s depth perception.

* Walk up to the obstacles and examine them closely. Some of the “rails” (horizontal poles) will be easier for the horses to knock down than others because the “jump cups” (curved metal holders that attach the rails to the fences) vary in flatness or depth, a nuance you won’t be able to detect from the sidelines, even with binoculars.

While Sunday’s grand prix is the grand finale of The Oaks Classic, there are several other classes worth watching throughout the weekend. Today is strictly a schooling day; the competition begins Friday at 8:30 a.m. with a number of jumper events (at lower heights than the grand prix) and “hunter” classes--which, unlike the jumping classes, are scored on the horse’s “conformation” (physique) and style over fences. Those events resume Saturday at 8 a.m. and continue through the afternoon, wrapping up with the $7,500 “Dash for Cash.” Sunday’s events begin at 8 a.m. with three $10,000 classes; try to catch the Junior/Amateur “Acorn” Grand Prix about 11 a.m.

General-admission spectators may take a picnic or buy lunch at one of the food concessions on the grounds, while those who purchase an advance “patron” pass will lunch under a tent at noon. Opening ceremonies for the grand prix begin at 2 p.m.

Patrons and public alike need to dress for the weather; the event is held rain or shine.

General-admission seating is in open bleachers and lawn chairs provided by The Oaks, all of which have a good view of the course. If a certain obstacle--particularly one along the outside rail--catches your fancy, you can stand nearby. Whatever your vantage point, consider taking binoculars--and don’t even think about attending without sunglasses and sunscreen.

What: The Oaks Classic.

When: Today, June 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Friday, June 3, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Note: end times may vary, depending on how long competions run.)

Where: The Oaks, 28650 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano.

Whereabouts: Interstate 5 to Ortega Highway, then east about two miles. The Oaks is on the right.

Wherewithal: Today through Saturday, free; Sunday, $8 general admission (tickets may be purchased at the event site) and $150 to $200 for patrons (includes preferred seating and luncheon).

Where to call: (714) 240-8889.