The object of a stadium jumping contest is to get over all of the jumps cleanly.  Style, manners and quality of movement are irrelevant.  Horses are scored according to how many fences are knocked down, how long it takes to get around the course and how many, if any refusals, were incurred during the trip.  A horse/rider combination is eliminated if they fall or have three refusals.

Contestants who jump "clear" rounds -- no poles knocked down, move on to the "jump off".  This is a different, shortened course of mostly the same jumps only now they are higher and wider.  The fastest time with the fewest number of faults wins.