subject: Horse Jump Hurdles What Are They Composed Of [print this page] Horse Jump Hurdles What Are They Composed Of
Horse jumps are the equipment used to set up jumping courses either in a show ring or on a trail. The abilities of horse and rider are both challenged. A beauteous animal jumps over a fence and you want to make sure he can clear it and land safely on the other side. Buy your jumping equipment from reputable manufacturer for safety sake.In addition to safety, the cost of the jumps and accessories are important. Some companies guarantee a low price and will meet or beat their competition s prices. As long as the buyer gets the same quality, of course he is delighted to pay less.The design and detailing of the jump equipment is crucial. Jumps are manufactured out of wood or PVC, which is a man made material. Many of the people who organize and run horse shows consider PVC superior to wood. The material is long lasting and unlike wood, does not have to be brought in out of the rain. PVC is not affected by rain.Although PVC is more expensive than wood, new computerized methods of producing horse jumps keeps the price of PVC jumps in line with the cost of wood jumps. It can now be sold for less than wood jumps.As in any other industry, there are a large number of types of jumps. Some are cavalletti, which are used for dressage exhibitions. Cross Country comes in a large variety of types including natural looking logs and pools for water for the horses to jump over. The Western jumps include situations that might be encountered on a natural wood trail.Horse show planners know the specifications for each type of jump. A beginner may want to set up a few low jumps to learn with. You can set of your own jumps if you are cautious. Make sure no nails or sharp protrusions exist in the material you use. Try a cross rail jump with two poles of an upright fence meeting at a cross in the center. This trains the horse to aim his body at the center of all jumps.Setting up a pyramid jump and oxer jump or any combinations requires carefully measuring the height as well as the distance between jumps when there is a combination two or three in a row. An upright fence is the most difficult for a horse to perform.Measure the distance between jumps at approximately twelve feet for a horse or ten feet for a pony. Alternatively, you can measure your own horse s exact stride. Use a tape measure and set up the distance between jumps according to your horse.It is crucial that you do not place a pole behind a jump. It creates a false ground line. That will make the horse perceive the jump to be further back than it actually is. Of course this will throw off his judgement creating a dangerous situation.Open water jumps must conform to specific size regulations for different courses. The jumps can be purchased individually or in packages to be set up on site in various ways. There are also additional accessories that include extra rails, cups, wings and flower boxes to create an attractive jumping course with. Although appearance is not the primary consideration, it definitely enhances the look at any horse show.Horse jumps allow the spectators to enjoy the grace of horse and rider as they clear them. They may not understand the difficulty of the jumps and how much training of both horse and rider are needed to accomplish clearing them gracefully; the spectators do derive pleasure from all the beauty and that includes how the course is presented.
