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You will need two of them, one for each vertical pole. The cups are usually placed shallow enough so that in the event the horse hits the rail, the rail will fall without harming the horse. Next, measure up the pole 18 inches from the ground. Mark one of the faces of the post with your pencil or erase marker.
Different disciplines, such as eventing, and advanced jumper courses will have some jumps that deviate from the standard 12-foot width. And you can use 2 x 4” or 2 x 6” lumber, it’s up to you. The most important part of making the feet for your standards is the length. The bare minimum you will want the feet to be is 16” long.
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You’re going to want to have feet for the standards at least 16 inches long as this will give the standards extra stability. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Apply 2-3 coats of white exterior house paint to the wooden surfaces. To give the jump a more polished look, dip a 3 in (7.6 cm) paint brush into a can of white paint. Work in long, vertical strokes to apply the paint to all of the wooden surfaces of your standard jump. To build the standards is a little more work than a gate, but again, it isn’t that difficult.
You’ll then want to cut the 2 x 4 into pieces of 6 inches long, and pre-drill 2 holes through them. Therefore, you’re going to need four pieces of 2 x 4 cut at 20 inches long for each and every standard. So, for a pair of standards, you’ll need eight 20 inch pieces of wood, so eight pieces per pair of standards. Like we mentioned before, you’ll want to have the standards cut to the height that you want them, and then you can start cutting the holes for your jump cups. Some power drills have a small level built into them.
DIY Horse Show Jumps: Attach feet to upright
It is a good idea to cap the ends of the jump with taller barrels or other objects to act as posts. If no barrels are available, consider using garbage cans, old planters, or even cardboard boxes. The idea is to create a temporary jump for practice, so choose objects that you do not mind getting damaged during practice.
If you have never built anything before, some of the components of a jump are really easy to do. To attach the 20” pieces to the standard, make sure you are on the bottom of the standard. Your give away clue will be the holes you have drilled. If the holes are where your wood is, your standard is upside down! Flip it over, and make sure each standard upright is this way.
Additional Tips for Making Horse Jumps
This will create the illusion of a professionally made jump and help ensure that your horse does not get confused. Commercial horse jumps can be expensive and complicated, especially for someone new to working with their horse. Whether you want to save money or practice jumping your horse before buying equipment, there are many DIY horse jumps that you can make yourself. In addition, if you’re going to make the jumps taller, you will need to have taller, wider feet to give the jumps that extra stability and structure.
Give your horse enough freedom of movement with the illuminated seat and limit with the same amount of pressure on your calves and reins. Distribute your weight evenly over your stirrups and absorb each canter jump by bouncing slightly at your ankles. These pieces of timber are usually around $4 to $5, which is much better than forking out hundreds of dollars on rails from equestrian retailers. Once you’ve purchased them, they’re not quite ready for use. Instead, it is better to sand them down, and then caulk any gaps in the wood to make them nice and smooth.
Tip 5: Build up horse jumping slowly and gradually
So, stand each of the posts upright and position four boards against the four sides of the posts. Visually, the base of the post should resemble a pinwheel pattern. If you want a taller standard just use a 10 or 12 foot 4×4 instead. If you do I may also suggest longer feet since the upright will be heavier.
Carrying a ground rail, walk straight away from the first vertical, taking the four, even three-foot steps you practiced in Step 1. Repeat the sequence one more time for two strides, or 24 feet. Next using your tape measure, mark off every 3, 4, or 5” again, this is up to your personal preference. But keep in mind, for every mark you mark, you will need to drill a hole. If your marks are every 3” on a 48” standard, then you will be drilling 12 holes, PER standard. Yes, you are going to be drilling 24 holes into the wood.
Horse jumps are a great way of improving your horse’s skills and your own. You can purchase jumping cups at Dover Saddlery or any horseback riding supply store. This will still protect the wood from the elements but won't flake off with time.
Once you’ve built your standards and sanded them down, you can start caulking them to fill in any gaps and prime the standards. You’ll want to ensure that you use something strong, as you don’t want the base of your jumps to give out anytime soon, so make sure that it’s all secure. Mark the center of each of the 9 lines on the posts with an "X." Measure the width of one of the vertical edges of the post and divide by 2 to find the center. Use a pencil to mark an “X” at the center of the lowest line on the post. Then measure the halfway point at the line of the same height on the other side of the post. A power drill is the most efficient tool for the job.
Make sure that the holes you drill through the posts are all on the same 2 sides. None of the drilled holes should be perpendicular to each other. Standard hunter and jumper show jumps are 12 feet wide.
Place a Philips head bit on the drill, and screw each of the deck screws firmly into place. Most riders begin jumping before a horse is fully grown (5-7 years). With proper judgement, fitness, and horsemanship, schooling younger horses over starter fences is acceptable. Before you throw out old poles or fence posts, cut off the broken ends and so you have a short pole to create a skinny. You should probably give him his head a little more. You should also apply pressure before the jump, to make sure you have a good two point.
It’s a relatively easy project and you may only need an afternoon. You will use the carriage bolts as the holders for your jump cups. I think the best thing about this horse show jumps project is that you can get all of the materials at your local building supply store. Now, you’ll first need to choose the rails you want to use. We recommend sticking to the landscaping timbers as your rails, as these are cost effective and relatively easy to find in local stores such as Home Depot.
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