Homemade Horse Jumps

Whether you are practicing for stadium jumping or cross-country, it is helpful to have your own jumps, and they should be constructed in a safe and practical manner suited to the competition. Hunter, jumper and cross-country course obstacles are all different; however, it is easy to find materials to make fences of all three types, and a little imagination goes a long way.

  1. Hunter Fences

    • Hunter courses require "rustic" obstacles similar to those which might be encountered during a foxhunt. Use white or unpainted wood for both rails and wings (the upright standards that hold the rails). You can easily make poles from 12-foot 4x4-inch lumber, or by cutting young trees 4 to 5 inches in diameter and at least 12 to 16 feet in length without a taper.
      Brush stacked in front of rails or potted shrubs in front of the wings make hunter fences more natural looking. Use plywood to construct "walls" painted to look like brick or stone. These can be heightened using either poles or 6-inch high boxes painted like the wall and stacked on top.
      U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) rules for hunter fences can be found at www.usef.org/documents/ruleBook/2008/15-HU.pdf.

    Jumper Fences

    • Jumper obstacles are much more colorful than hunter fences. You can use many of the same wings, jump standards and rails, but you can also be more creative in building challenging obstacles because you are not limited in paint colors or wing designs. Barrels (55-gallon drums) are perfectly acceptable, and you can paint them however you like. A blue tarp on the ground can substitute for water.

      Solid-looking fences are good training. Use plywood to build jumps like coops, which are A-shaped with a flat top. For practice, cardboard boxes weighted with dirt and even old tires can make acceptable obstacles, with a rail over the top that can be raised for greater difficulty.
      A large collection of jump rails provide the means to build all sorts of combination jumps. Don't hesitate to use bright colors or to build jump wings with designs and themes.
      Make sure your jumps are not so rickety they will splinter disastrously if the horse falls on them, and don't stack things that will go flying if the horse hits them. Avoid anything sharp or pointed or that is hard for the horse to see on approach.
      Full USEF rules for jumpers are found at www.usef.org/documents/ruleBook/2008/18-JP.pdf.

    Cross-Country Fences

    • Cross-country fences are solid obstacles meant to challenge the horse and look like part of the countryside. Create practice fences from downed trees, convenient banks, ditches or nearby streams. Trim logs of all protruding limbs flush with the trunk on both the takeoff and landing side. Clear streams of rocks. Ditches should have a clear approach and a firm landing.
      Logs, unpainted poles, gates, old tractor tires and barrels all make good cross-country obstacles. Build boxes from 2x6-inch lumber and fill them with dirt for banks, or cut steps into an existing hillside. Keep banks from crumbling by facing them with planks, but don't secure them with wire or metal stakes that could trip or impale. Never use wire fences of any sort.
      USEF rules for cross-country are found at www.usef.org/_IFrames/RuleBook/2008.aspx.